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Is it worth going to college for 4 years to be an Athletic Trainer if they only make $55,590 annually?

Hello my name is Aaliyah and I live in Arizona, I am 13 years old. I would like to be an Athletic Trainer, because I love sports and helping out with them. Is going to college for 4 years worth being an Athletic Trainer if they only get $55,590 annually?

Is being an Athletic Trainer a good job for right after college or should I go to University to study more about it?

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Chris’s Answer

Hello Aaliyah! I am an assistant professor of athletic training at a regional university in northern Kentucky.

The athletic training major is now a masters program. This means you would need to complete two years of graduate education beyond your undergraduate degree. That said most universities that offer the masters and athletic training will offer a 3+2 program. This means that you could complete that masters degree in five years.

As far as salary goes, $55,000 per year is not bad. Those prices are also going to be for your traditional settings that such as high school or college. You can certainly work your way up from there. The industrial sector hires at a higher pay rate, but that is a non-traditional setting and you would be working with industrial athletes.

As far as being an athletic trainer after college, that’s typically when an athletic trainer would start. They cannot practice sports medicine without a license in most states, but certainly cannot practice without certification (CA is an anomaly, however). That masters degree is required in order to obtain certification and licensure.

Chris recommends the following next steps:

Check out nata.org call Learn about the athletic training profession.
Check out CAATE.net Defined athletic training programs in your area.
Check out the MSAT program at NKU at https://www.nku.edu/academics/chhs/programs/graduate/athletictraining.html
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Holly’s Answer

Hello Aaliyah! It's fantastic to see such passion at the young age of 13! I'm on the same page with many points raised by Professor Chris Harp, but I'd like to add some insights of my own. Indeed, a Masters degree is a requirement for certification, but many Athletic Trainers are choosing to earn a Doctorate or a second Master's degree to boost their career prospects. The annual salary of $55,590 you mentioned is worth verifying based on the location. Living costs can vary greatly between rural areas and large cities. So, while that salary might be comfortable in a less populated region, it will not support you in a bustling city.
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