Panel Discussion: What is Your Education Game Plan?
As professionals, in a field that is growing at such a rapid rate, it is important to have a plan to grow with it. What are some of the educational opportunities you are going to take advantage of in the next month, year, 5 years, etc.?
Moderated by Brent Brookbush DPT, PT, MS, PES, CES, CSCS, ACSM H/FS
This Panel Discussion was originally posted on my facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/brent.brookbush - on March 20th, 2011
Mikal Payne, March 20 at 2:21pm: I like what I am doing have always been interested in Cardiac Rehab. But I have also decided to get my master's in Sport Management so back to school in June I go and planning to work for either a wellness center in senior fitness or older adult fitness or for myself. Time will tell
Jonathon S., March 20 at 4:51pm: School is expensive. Like Good Will Hunting says, "2) You dropped a $150 grand on a education you could have got for $1.50 in late charges at the library." So true…of course I am in school because unfortunately that's the way we have been taught….your only smart or credible if you have went to school. My thoughts are it isn't always smart to spend a lot of money, be in debt, etc…when you can educate yourself, but I guess we must "keep up". Going to the CES workshop next month! For school, the plan is to get out. Take some time to reflect on our education systems…and read and study what I want in the mean time.
Jonathon S., March 20 at 4:59pm: the NASM workshops seem to help a lot. Another education thing we try to do is "trainer trains trainer"…so that we can get different perspective from various trainers and keep learning.
Jonathon S., March 20 at 5:28pm Forums, FB, and Youtube have also been a huge educational tool too, and I plan to take advantage of those in the future.
Brent Brookbush, March 21 at 12:59pm: Hey Jonathan some great points and great suggestions. I do have to argue with the good will hunting quote however. When I started as a trainer I had similar values in regard to education and the college system, but now that I have been on both sides I realize a couple of things… One, it is not what you learn in school that matters, it is the fact that school gives you access to resources, and teaches you to ask the right questions that changes the course of your development. This alone is worth the journey. While some will still argue about spot reduction, lower abs, and whether you can burn more calories resistance training than doing cardio… those of us who take the time to formalize our education are pointed to the right resources to get those answers, and pose interesting, pertinent, and more progressive questions.
Brent Brookbush Second… the school system does need a lot of work, and there are several issues I have with even the institutions I currently attend, but they are still ahead of the standard education offered to personal trainers. NASM and my own company B2C Fitness are focused on evidence based curriculum and a pedagogically (andragogy) sound delivery system, but think of the norm. I saw someone charge 1000 for a workshop the other day and literally just show up and talk for 4 hours. No powerpoint, no hand-outs, no work-out samples, no text, no notes, nothing…. That is absolutely not okay.
Caroline Sprinkel, March 21 at 1:30pm: "Do you know how much legal trouble you'll be in if you don't take notes?" ;)
Caroline Sprinkel, March 21 at 1:34pm: I'm all about knowledge is power. In addition, it's also our ethical responsibility to be as highly trained as possible. Experience is a fantastic teacher, but we have to keep abreast of the latest techniques, data, etc. As you said at the workshop, we don't know what we don't know. And there's a LOT I don't. That all being said, what's your take on CEC via conferences, i.e. IDEA. Are you getting the best instructors/environment at these?
Mikal Payne, March 21 at 4:15pm: I never liked weekend seminars, seemed like a lot of information thrown at you at once, and you get burned out so fast but I have never been to a conference but it seems like the same type of deal. A lot of stuff.
Brent Brookbush, March 21 at 7:09pm: Conferences are great for continued education… It will always be a lot of info that takes a considerable amount of time to apply and become proficient post conference, but I always had a ton of fun both speaking and participating.
Jonathon S., March 21 at 9:23pm: That's how I feel about school…Pay lots of money, sometimes a quality teacher, sometimes not. It teaches you to essentially teach yourself, regardless. I guess asking the right questions would depend on what you want to know, so couldn't it vary person to person? That's another thing that annoys me…the class could have a pre-designated focus…which omits certain aspects of the exact same subject, which could lead to some students missing out on material that could lead them to ask their own right questions.
Jonathon S., March 21 at 9:30pm: Guess I'm just frustrated with the system in general. I find real life application in addition to the science behind exercise to be extremely helpful in truly gaining knowledge. Such as workshops, youtube, blogs, etc… Although, you have to sift through material and make a judgment as to whether it's true of false, or credible at all….I think that goes for school as well. But I prefer more precise presentations that have a specific agenda, opposed to some teacher walking in class, presenting a very generic version of the material of interest, and then a test that goes way beyond the scope of what was taught. In my opinion it just forces you to learn on your own. Kind of like you were saying about that $1000 workshop. To keep up with the game- internet, literature, workshops, and of course put myself through the applications of new techniques or info.
Brent Brookbush, March 21 at 9:33pm: I think one of the ideas behind "right questions" is understanding what is still in question, what questions are relevant, and what questions do we need more research to answer. One of the goals of this forum is raising the level of discussion. Many trainers are still trying to reinvent the wheel, and often argue discussions that have definitive answers. There are great questions to be answered… school helps to point you in the right direction.
Brent Brookbush, March 23 at 12:08pm Note: this discussion did take a slightly different turn then I intended. Although there is a definite argument to be had regarding formal education, the point I wanted to make was the importance of having an education plan. I was hoping that a few trainers posting their educational game plan would inspire other professionals to create a game plan of their own. In all honesty, I care less about whether the education you choose is in a formal setting or sitting at a coffee shop with a good book. Do you know what you would like to know next? What steps have you taken to learn it?
Mikal Payne Well, this morning I was online getting in to the SNHU-Master's of Sport Management program I start in June, after that I am not really sure but I have a thousand different things whirling around in my head. Working for Myself is not out of the question but I do love what I am doing right now.