If you’ve been thinking about changing career path, you might have considered a job as a nutritionist. Or, if you haven’t maybe you are now. Work as a dietary expert or a nutritionist is very important in our ever-changing world, and it’s not hard to find work in the growing field. Today, we’re going over the career path of a nutritionist and how you can get a degree in nutrition online.
Nutrition Degrees
What is Nutritional Science?
Nutritional science, the field of study one pursues in a nutrition degree, is the study of the intersection between optimal health, dietary choices and food. In short terms, nutritional science looks at the types of food people eat to see what kinds of health those foods promote.
Nutritionists are becoming increasingly more important in the US for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the population is aging: Baby Boomers, one of the largest demographics in the country, need increased dietary attention as they age. Secondly, American lifestyles are becoming increasingly sedentary, and people aren’t getting enough good nutrition on average.
Careers in Nutrition
Due to these demographic factors, it’s estimated that the need for nutritionists will increase by 15% by the year 2026. This means that nutritionists will see career growth around 7% greater than the national average, according to current projections. This means that a job in nutrition is a great bet for your future and your career.
In order to find work as a nutritionist, the average dietary professional needs a bachelor’s degree in nutritional science or a related field. This education covers a wide variety of topics, from medical science to physiology to food science. In short, it’s a rather involved field!
Average Pay
On average, a nutritionist working in America will make $55,000 per year. That’s roughly $25 per hour, which is not a bad median income for a bachelor’s degree! Since the pay is relatively good, the work is stable and in high demand, and the position requires only a four-year degree, work as a nutritionist is increasingly popular.
However, not everyone has the free time to attend a four-year university to get their nutritional science degree. If you’re interested in making a change of careers to nutritionist, but don’t know how you’ll find the time to get your degree, you should consider online courses.
Online Degree
People with busy schedules, full-time jobs and families often can’t make the time for full-time attendance of a university to get a new degree. However, taking courses online can open up possibilities for your education. Since online courses can be taken in the evenings or whenever you have down time, you can fit them around your busy schedule more easily.
Contrary to popular misconceptions, a degree you get online is just as valid and respectable as one you get in person. If you attend an accredited online university with a legitimate degree program, you will get a legitimate degree!
Common Misconceptions
Some people believe that online degrees are easier to obtain than in-person degrees, or that they’re less important. This isn’t true, though. Someone acquiring their degree online will work just as hard as a student in a classroom. Studying, writing papers and taking tests are all still parts of online course work, they’re just done on the schedule of the student, instead of the schedule of the course.
Another common misconception about online degrees holds that they are often cheaper than in-person courses. However, this also isn’t always true. However, with an online degree, you don’t need to worry about certain collegiate expenditures, like covering a dorm room, a meal plan and a parking pass for on campus!