seand Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 i have been recently thinking about leaving my computer job for something that won't require me to stare at this screen for 12-16 hours per day. robert i noticed your testimony on the massage school's website that i was considering attending! (except the one in las vegas) i want something thats flexible and relaxed but fun and helping people, yet i still have to be able to support my family (no kids yet). i already dropped out of university once and i don't really want to go back - most of my graduated buddies are flippin' burgers or making minimum wage and i don't want to spend another 3-4 years in school! can you give me any advice and tell me if you would do it all over again? what kind of realistic money can be made, freshly certificated? any pros and cons? do men have a really tough time making it in this business? i heard the MTs at bellagio make like $150k-$200k per year but that might just be hype! i don't need that kind of money just enough to live a modest life! thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 Yeah, I can give you all kinds of info. I worked as a massage therapist for 4 years and made pretty good money, traveled around the world and never had a hard time getting a job. It's well after 1AM and I need to get to bed, but I'll get back with you soon. I'll be out of town all day Friday, so maybe this weekend I can give a whole list pros and cons and share some of my experiences. All the best, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seand Posted September 1, 2006 Author Share Posted September 1, 2006 great... thanks robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 no problem, sorry still busy, but I will get back to you soon Hope all is well, have a great weekend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 Hey Sean, I attended the Utah College of Massage Therapy in 1999-2000 and it was considered to be the #1 Massage Therapy School in the country. I was the top student in my class and set a bunch of academic records and stuff like that. I received all kinds of awards at graduation and was all set for a very promising career. Attending UCMT was a really awesome experience and a really fun time of my life. I also learned a lot! I attended the Salt Lake City "main" campus and lived very close by. I still keep in touch with some of the people from my classes and one of my career advisors. I graduated from a 6 month program with a 4.0 and perfect attendance and then took another 5-month "graduate" sports therapy program, which was very tough and I was the only person in the class of 19 to finish with a 4.0, and I also had perfect attendance. My whole goal was to work with the World Wrestling Federation WWF, now WWE, as a sports therapist and then eventually become a wrestler. I got very very close to being hired by the WWF. I was in touch with their corporate office, their training/medical staff, etc. but it just didn't work out how I wanted. I was a very good student and did more internship hours than any of the hundreds of students there, so it was easy for me to get jobs. I got hired to work at the #1 hotel resort in Arizona so I moved there and worked at the Biltmore. I also got a job at an upscale sports club and after about 5 days was promoted to manager. I did that for 3 months and made a bunch of money but it was too stressful for me being a 20 year old kid in charge of a team of 9 therapists, all in their late 20s, 30's or 40's. I was too young and inexperienced to run show. I stepped down, and eventually left Arizona to work on cruise ships. Working on cruise ships was an amazing experience in general, but very tough as a massage therapist and the money wasn't that great. I never found it very tough to get a job as a male. It is also possible to make $50,000 - $100,000 a year. I made about $30,000 in 9 months in Arizona. I didn't make a whole lot on the cruise ship. Working on the cruise ship was tough because they had us work 10 hour days, or longer sometimes and that is very tough on the hands, wrists, and back (and stomach, not being able to eat) so I quit that job and worked on the cruise ships in a different department. That ended my career as a massage therapist. I got into other stuff like Vegan Bodybuilding and I do other things now. I can still do a very good massage, and I do a few each year for fun, or for friends or former clients who still want me to do massages for them. I really liked working and most places are beautiful like spas or sports clubs, and the options were limitless. As a student I was absolutely, no doubt about it, obsessed with being the #1 student, and I was. And you know what....it didn't really matter. A goof off student, who did OK, missed classes, got only so-so grades, got the same job as me in Arizona and we worked together at the Biltmore. It was really fun more me to get recognized and to be the "top student" but it didn't make that much of a difference. I'm sure it helped a little bit, but I'd suggest people just put in a good effort and see how it goes, not to obsess over it like I did. I was pretty crazy back then, studying anatomy, biochemistry, nutrition, etc. 10 hours a day with a stop-watch to make sure I got in my full 10 hours. I had no social life and was constantly stressed out, but still had a great time! UCMT was an amazing experience for me and I thought about hanging around to become a teacher there or something, but my sense of adventure took me all over the world for the few years I worked in massage therapy. Let me know if you have any specific questions. I'd be happy to answer them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seand Posted September 5, 2006 Author Share Posted September 5, 2006 hey robert thank you very much for this... do you think the anatomy and other things you had to learn for massage helped you in other ways like your body building? from what i understand its really detailed education. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 Yeah, I learned a lot that I could apply directly to health, fitness, nutrition, and bodybuilding. It is a very good program, and is short too, something like 6-8 months I think for the regular Professional Massage Therapy Program. It was during school at UCMT that I decided I wanted to persue bodybuilding. I started at 157 lbs and finished around 180 lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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