Would you choose this career all over again?

[Pompal 09.]

Hi, my daughter is just graduating from high school and wants to become a registered massage therapist. We live in BC, Canada and to become a registered massage therapist it is a 3 year, 3000 hour course, with a final tuition cost of $25,000! It is a huge amount of money, so she really needs to know that this is the career for her.

1) If you were to choose an occupation again, would you pick massage therapy?

2) I have heard that there is a huge drop out rate after a few years of practicing because of injury. Is this so?

3) $25,000 (plus books, plus accommodation, etc) is a lot of money. It seems that she will be paying back a student loan for many years. Is the salary worth that much debt?

4) Can you truly support a family on your salary (mortgage, couple of kids, etc)


Thanks for answering my questions. If her heart is set on becoming an RMT, then I will support her decision. I just want her to look at both sides of the coin before she makes a final commitment.

 

[Abdel]

Would you choose this career all over again?

Ronnie,

What a good parent, to come here seeking support for your daughter! Kudos to you!

I will try to answer your questions, but please note that there is a difference between how "things are run" here in the States than in Canada, so keep in mind that "your mileage may vary". Perhaps some of our members who live and work in Canada will be able to help you further.

1) If you were to choose an occupation again, would you pick massage therapy?

Yes, I believe so. I never would have gotten into massage on my own; my husband "happened into it" by way of equine sports massage (he was originally never going to work on people), and since I have always been one of those "crunchy, health-conscious" types (who is also an aspiring herbalist), I got more and more excited about massage the more I learned about it (which was a lot, as I helped him study). I love many aspects of being a massage therapist. Primarily, I think, is the look on a client's face as she's walking OUT the door, compared to how she looked as she was walking IN the door. There is nothing (ok, as a parent, I have to say "not much") that compares, to me, with the satisfaction of knowing that I was able to help someone in pain/stress to find relief in a healthy, natural way.

2) I have heard that there is a huge drop out rate after a few years of practicing because of injury. Is this so?

In short, yes. It doesn't have to be that way, though. I believe that the majority of injuries sustained by massage therapists due to their work could be avoided with proper body mechanics and self-care (including, but not limited to, receiving bodywork/massage oneself on a regular basis. Notice the eforum.xxx line at the top of this page:

Therapists, if it's been more than two weeks, it's time for your massage.

. As with ANY job, sport, or other activity, most injuries are more the result of inattention to one's own posture and position than to true "accident" (although true accidents do indeed happen). One way in which many MT's avoid work-related injury is by keeping a realistic focus on how many of what types of massage they can accomplish in a given period of time. Full time for a MT is an average of 20 hours/week, more or less- not 40. Yes, we do WORK more than we are actively giving massage; paperwork, marketing, and the general ins and outs of running our business keep my husband and me busy for much longer than 20 hours a week.

I believe that employees tend to have less of that "paperwork time" than we self-employed folks; however, even employee MT's must be careful how they structure their work schedules (or allow their schedules to be structured for them). And while a fresh-out-of-school 20-year old MT could probably *technically* physically perform far more than 20 hours of massage in a week, they must also keep in mind the long-term wear and tear such a physical profession will have on the body- they will probably live to regret working SO hard in time.

3) $25,000 (plus books, plus accommodation, etc) is a lot of money. It seems that she will be paying back a student loan for many years. Is the salary worth that much debt?

This is where I can't help you much. We "don't do debt" in our family, and so would not go to any school if it were up to taking out a loan in order to accomplish this goal. I also do not know the average salary/income for MT's in your area, nor do I know the cost of living. Hopefully some Canadian MT's can chime in here with some realistic numbers for you.

One idea I have had, though, is might it be possible for your daughter to find some other, possibly related work, and save up to pay for her education? Or work her way through school? It would probably take longer, but that could be a good thing rather than a bad thing. It would cause her to seriously consider what she's getting into (financially)- hopefully while getting a very good idea of whether this is a good "fit" for her or not, before spending so very much money on it.

4) Can you truly support a family on your salary (mortgage, couple of kids, etc)

We're working on that, Ourselves. Of course, there are some pretty large differences between your daughter and us: your daughter is young and (I imagine) without much, if any, responsibility in life (I mean, kids, mortgage, debt, etc).. She has a long time to save up for her retirement, and she has time to learn how to handle money wisely. She has many advaneforum.xxxes: going into this. On the other hand, my husband was over 40 when he started in massage, and we have several children to feed (more than 2). We don't have much time to play "catch up", and we have far more to "catch up to" than a single young person.

Something I'd like to encourage you to consider is whether or not this is something your daughter is seriously passionate about- passionate enough to do whatever it takes to get herself going in it. If this is simply n "intriguing idea", then I would not rush out to get her signed up with student loans, etc.. On the other hand, if this is more of a life's calling than a "j-o-b" for her, then it will be well worth the investment in time and money.

 

[kim.2007]

Would you choose this career all over again?

1) Yes I would. I wish that I had started sooner.
2) The drop out rate is high mostly because here in the states it is difficult to earn a living in the first few years. And unless they LOVE the work they usually don't stick it out. And all MT's are subject to repetitive use injuries. This can be managed with proper self care. However, many MT's work as an employee - typically many employers are fairly demanding that their therapist do 6-8 back to back massages with no rest in between. This is far too much work for most people to do for long. Younger people may be more resilient at first, but eventually they will suffer with thumb, hand, wrist, shoulder, hip, and back problems.
3) Yes $25K is a LOT of money. Much more than I paid - but here you can get started in many states with 500 hrs. For the number of total hours though the cost is very reasonable. It is NOT smart to pay for housing if she could live at home.
4) No - I would think long and hard about this - not everyone can make it. The majority of MT's in the states (according to an ABMP survey) earn additional income from another job AND/OR live with another family member who earns an income. I have been an MT for 7 yrs - I am a single mother and I DO pay a mortgage - but I am probably considered to be low-income rather than even middle class. And I know many MT's that make far less than I do. Most of us don't earn a salary, we only make money when we have business.

Do some research for your area. Are there job postings, lots of "help-wanted" ads for MT's?
Can you find out what the usual beginning pay rate is for your area?
Is it salary or per hour?

 

[Bellatrix]

Would you choose this career all over again?

1. Yes I would, I also wish I had started sooner. I actually backed down the first time I thought about doing it because my mom put doubts into my head about it being a decent career. Her main beef was that I wouldn't get a degree with it. Well I took care of that and managed to finish an A.S. degree the same time that I got my license. Now I'm moving on for my Bachelors I do think its tricky to survive on massage alone, especially if you don't have alot of years under you
2. I think we have alot of drop outs for 2 reasons. 1 is body mechanics, you have to make sure your practicing safetly; and 2 (the biggest one I think) is that people get into this field thinking it will be a fun easy way to earn money (partially thanks to misleading school ads) and when they see the amount of work to be done to get clients they bail out. Your daughter simply needs to be sure that this is what she wants to do and isn't just a 'cool job'.
3. $25,000 is alot of money, but it is a 3 year program and most 4 year degrees cost over twice as much, at least in the states. But do shop around schools to compare programs and pricing. For example, there is a school right down the road from me that costs $25,000 for the massage therapy program. It is not accredited, and the pass rate on the state board exams is 8% (state average is 58%). The school I chose was an hours drive away (only 1 day a week), had cadavier labs and a craniosacral certification included, and is accredited at a cost of $10,000. The board pass rate for this school, never under 80% in the last 20 years(my class had a 100% pass rate, yay us!) Debt sucks, but if your going to have any of it educational debt has the most value I believe. Its certainly better than buying a car for that amount, lol.

 

[Ginger]

Well...

1) NO, not as a profession (that is, as a way to make money). As a way of life, if you enjoy gracing folks with your touch, it is a great avocation.

2) The drop out rate, I've read but don't know, is high ( stats are available) so most people that go to massage school to earn a living do not manage to do so.

3& 4) Doubtful (considering #2) but possible, demonstrated by the fine folks on this board who beat the odds, but it's a gamble. Is there a shoreforum.xxxe of RN's in Canada?

 

[Paul P]

Would you choose this career all over again?

Yes, I would choose it all over again, but that is because this is a second income, my husband being the main bread-winner. I rented a room in a Salon when I first started and was full speed ahead marketing, gaining clients, and growing as a therapist. I came to a place where X amount of money was all I was going to make, as there was no room for retail products and no way to have anyone working under me to get a perceneforum.xxxe. I left for two reasons.. the owner and I didn't always agree on marketing ideas and I am so independent, it was tough for me to have to go through someone else when i *know* my idea will work. lol Also, my son was coming into business with me and there was no place for him there... so, here I am almost a year later in our new place where the rent was only $200 more a month, plus utilities, plus remodeling, plus this fee, plus that fee where the town and state $100 dollars you too death. I am making less profit now than I was renting a room, but I am happy. I love this work. I love to learn. I love music and could listen to it all day long (fortunately that comes in handy in this field). I love making ppl feel better and seeing them smile. I love the hopeful look they get when they realize the massage really seemed to make a difference and I love when they don't come back for that particular issue because it really did. I love that even when their pain goes beyond what I can do for them, they still return for an hour or two or three of relief and some much needed laughter or an listening ear. I love that others in this field are like brothers and sisters in that they are willing to share their knowledge and skills. I love that if I want to work on someone for free when I feel led to, that I have that right and I love how God (more often than not) sends another client my way who pays me double to make up for that free massage. I am very tired at the end of the day, and some ppl take more energy than others, but in case I haven't made my point clear :grin: I love massage and would do it all over again.

 

[Milly]

Would you choose this career all over again?

Hi, my daughter is just graduating from high school and wants to become a registered massage therapist. We live in BC, Canada and to become a registered massage therapist it is a 3 year, 3000 hour course, with a final tuition cost of $25,000! It is a huge amount of money, so she really needs to know that this is the career for her.

1) If you were to choose an occupation again, would you pick massage therapy?

Yes, I love my profession. However, I previously had other professions and enough life experience to understand that this is what I truly wanted to do. Some young people make the investment, then later change their minds. Of course, this happens with all college majors, so I don't think it's a reason for your daughter not to pursue it. Whatever training she receives can later be applied towards other fields related to biology, other forms of therapy, medicine, etc.

2) I have heard that there is a huge drop out rate after a few years of practicing because of injury. Is this so?

In the United States, it is common for massage therapists to stop practicing within 7 years. However, there are many reasons. The most publicized reason is that many MTs manage to become injured - however, there are plenty of MTs who do not or who find ways to continue working even after injury. I know MTs that are quadriplegic, paraplegic, have neurological disorders, etc. - all working on a regular basis. I think more MTs leave because they have a hard time making it work financially - it takes skill and persistence to build a clientele, even if you work for a busy employer. Many MTs get burned out because they don't really love the work and become bored or frustrated with some aspect of it - so they return to school or find some other type of work. Right now the average age of people taking up massage therapy as a career is 41-44 years old; for those folks, it is a second career, or a part time job, or a vocational "calling" that they have long aspired to. These are the people most likely to stick with it. Young people are less likely to stick with it over the long run, but the training and experience will provide your daughter with a wealth of experience and knowledge that will transfer over into many other careers if she decides to move on.

3) $25,000 (plus books, plus accommodation, etc) is a lot of money. It seems that she will be paying back a student loan for many years. Is the salary worth that much debt?

I know a number of MTs that support themselves with massage alone. However, most MTs have one or more part time jobs for supplemental income. The wages CAN be enough to pay off the debt in reasonable time, but that is far from guaranteed. However, the 3000 hour course will more than meet requirements for her to practice nearly anywhere in the world, and she could also teach massage once she's had some professional experience.

4) Can you truly support a family on your salary (mortgage, couple of kids, etc)

Yes, but it can be challenging.

Thanks for answering my questions. If her heart is set on becoming an RMT, then I will support her decision. I just want her to look at both sides of the coin before she makes a final commitment.

Money is part of the picture, but not all of it, as you already know. Has your daughter received professional massage therapy from RMTs? Has she spoken to any at length about the career and what it's really like?

 

[Mother Hubbard]

Would you choose this career all over again?

She may also want to look into less extensive training. She can still practice massage in BC without her RMT title; she just cannot claim to be registered. That is a less expensive option.

Any schools she is considering should be able to put her in touch with some graduates. She can interview those grads (and other RMTs) about how long it took them to pay off their school debt and make a good living.

 

[[email protected]]

Would you choose this career all over again?

I'd do physical therapy, the hands on type.
OK I do it now but I don't get the $$ the PT. ~M

 

[?Lil.Miss.Odd.Bodd ?]

Would you choose this career all over again?

I'd do physical therapy, the hands on type.
OK I do it now but I don't get the $$ the PT. ~M

This is a dangerous joke to make. :shock: I sure hope you aren't practicing physical therapy without a medical license.

 

[Shaji K]

Would you choose this career all over again?

I'd do physical therapy, the hands on type.
OK I do it now but I don't get the $$ the PT. ~M

This is a dangerous joke to make. :shock: I sure hope you aren't practicing physical therapy without a medical license.

Oh god, don't mind her. She's here to shock.

 

[JackNapier092]

Would you choose this career all over again?

1. Oh God yes, in a heartbeat. I am one of those 'midlife career change' CMTs and just regret that I didn't find this sooner. However, I have to look at it as 'the idea to do massage came along at the right time in my life for it to all work out'. I went back to school when I was 39, I've been doing this for 4 years now and intend on doing it into my 90s. Can't imagine working in any other field now. It's not just a job to me, it's a calling and I'm just fortunate enough to get paid doing something I love.

2. There are injuries, yes. I personally don't know anyone who's been so injured that they quit massage (and although not chronic injuries, I've massaged through 2 broken fingers and a severely sprained ankle!) but I know a lot of people that quit because they thought they were going to be making $65 an hour, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. They pictured an easy 600 hour course and then being on the way to making a couple of thousand every week. HA! I started in a class of 13, by graduation there were 6 of us. And four years later, I'm the only one still in practice, the others don't even have licenses anymore. Several of the girls were young, just out of high school, it sounded like a good idea at the time and they thought they'd make lots of money. Then reality set in post-graduation, it's plain hard work to market and build a steady clientele. IMO, that was the harder part, not doing the actual massages. Self-promotion is nonstop.

3. If she reallyreally wants to do it, then it's worth it. My son is much more in debt for his university degree but he's headed towards something he's in love with so he's ok with it. She should get massages, talk to RMTs in different areas (chiro office, spas, solo practice etc) and see how they feel about what they're doing. Most of us love to 'talk massage' to future students, the realities of it, the ups and downs, goods and bads. I'm not familiar with Canadian regulations but is it possible for her to obtain a lesser certification to start with? (In my state, there are Licensed Massage Therapists and Certified Massage Technicians, I'm a CMT because that's all I needed to do exactly what I'm doing and want to do.)

4. Honestly, it would be hard for me to support a family on what I make and our standard of living would definitely not be what it is now. I'm fortunate enough to have a husband who makes decent money and benefits, and supports me 100% in what I do. I have to say though, I'd probably be much more aggressive at marketing and self-promotion if I was the sole breadwinner. I'm just at a place in my life where I'm content with my average of 4 clients a day. I know people who have done it though and there is a man in my town in his 50s who has done massage for I-don't-know-how-long, solo practitioner and he's done great. Everyone around here knows his name. Recently he also started teaching at the school I graduated from and is turning out some awesome students. People who love it tend to stay with it, people who aren't really that into bodywork or find it's not what they expected...they find something else. It's not like an office job where people just end up staying because it's familiar and comfortable.

 

[King Crimson]

Would you choose this career all over again?

I'd do physical therapy, the hands on type.
OK I do it now but I don't get the $$ the PT. ~M

This is a dangerous joke to make. :shock: I sure hope you aren't practicing physical therapy without a medical license.

Oh god, don't mind her. She's here to shock.

Here to shock : : :
You must be the absorber eh?

When I say I do physical therapy, my work gets better results than most of the PT
according to my clients.
They prefer to see me over a PT.
Enjoy...~M :grin:

 

[kate86]

Would you choose this career all over again?

I get the impression that massage as a career is much different in Canada than in the US... so DO check in with some local MTs and get their perspective on the practical aspects.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Would you choose this career all over again?

When I say I do physical therapy, my work gets better results than most of the PT
according to my clients.
They prefer to see me over a PT.
Enjoy...~M :grin:

Yay for you. :roll: I know LOTS of MTs that could make the same claim, myself included. But that doesn't mean that I (or any of us) are actually doing physical therapy. Some MTs have a false impression of what they accomplish because they get all their feedback from the % of their clients that feel their work is helpful. Those MTs forget that perceived effectiveness is why any MT's clients choose to return.

The folks who get little/no relief rarely call us to say so... we just don't see them again. That lack of negative feedback can be misleading unless we are taking very good SOAP notes, paying attention to which clients are returning or not, and proactively following up.

Likewise, we often don't see the people who have success with PT. Those people get the relief they need and usually don't bother to seek us out. It is only that % of the PT patients who aren't satisfied that seek us out, and those are the ones who tell us, "Wow, you're better than physical therapy! Amazing!" t017

The only fair comparison would be a long-term study of PT patients and massage clients, including those who had both forms of treatment. We could then compare outcomes, attitudes before, during, and after treatments, relative % of satisfied clients, and perceived relative effectiveness of PTs and MTs.

Without that objective data, we really have no idea how our work compares to that of any PT. It is preposterous to presume that a single MT's small, subjectively self-selected, and biased client base could adequately represent a PT vs MT study.

But hey, the ego strokes of client compliments sure feel good, don't they? :mrgreen:

 

[X. marK.]

Would you choose this career all over again?

I haven't had time to read this thread thoroughly, so this may be repetitive of what someone else said.

Hi, my daughter is just graduating from high school and wants to become a registered massage therapist. We live in BC, Canada and to become a registered massage therapist it is a 3 year, 3000 hour course, with a final tuition cost of $25,000! It is a huge amount of money, so she really needs to know that this is the career for her.

1) If you were to choose an occupation again, would you pick massage therapy?

2) I have heard that there is a huge drop out rate after a few years of practicing because of injury. Is this so?

3) $25,000 (plus books, plus accommodation, etc) is a lot of money. It seems that she will be paying back a student loan for many years. Is the salary worth that much debt?

4) Can you truly support a family on your salary (mortgage, couple of kids, etc)


Thanks for answering my questions. If her heart is set on becoming an RMT, then I will support her decision. I just want her to look at both sides of the coin before she makes a final commitment.

1.) Yes. I believe highly in having skills that you can barter for-- for food, if the going get's tough. It's just a personal "opinion". Never had to do it, hope I never do, but I like to be prepared.

2.) Yes. I think this is because many people are not "strong" for what they try to do with their bodies. If you are of a weak composition, you need to become strong or learn to work more effectively with a lighter technique. However, in the end proper mechanics will take care of a good portion of this.

Old post I mande:

earthward,

Before "Ouch" scares you out of this wonderful profession, I'd invite you to read a few other threads he/she has participated in and the comments from other therapists.

• Age, Weight, and Career Path
• Wrist pain

I will suggest that if you decide to do extensive deep tissue work (I am in that category), that you consider working on a schedule that gives you two to three day rest periods in each week and try to max out at around 5 - 6 hours of massage per day.

I've had many a client come to me asking for deep work, getting the work they asked for, and then commenting that they've had what they thought was deep work before, and it doesn't compare to what I am doing. So, "deep work" is relative. But, your practice doesn't have to be like this.

I also think that some body styles and the way some of us have our fingers attached just works better for what many people consider deep tissue and specific body work. Here's an example: my husband and I work together - I take most of the neck work, because my fingers are tiny, boney and pointy.... plus I have some sort of super duper finger strength going on (sort of abnormal, almost.... *winks*) --- hubby has big hands, so he takes on most of our lower back/hip clients, because he can get to where he needs to with deep work that is not "uncomfortable" (my LB work can be "quite noticiable" much of the time). We both work deep, but in different ways. We both can work each area most competently, but we find for our body strengths and weaknesses, this idea of "matching client-need to therapist-strength when possible" works out much to our advaneforum.xxxe.

And, just because many clients ask for deep work, does not mean you have to offer it in your practice. Find a therapist who can do what you don't (or who does what you won't) and then utilize that therapist in order to have a place to reciprocally refer clients. Let that therapist know you would like to send the more strenuous work to him/her and ask for referrals of your preferred clients. It can be a great match.


I think this sums it up nicely:

One of the beauties about massage is that there's generally more than one way to address an issue - you find what works for you and your body, your client and their body. If there can't be a match, then there's nothing wrong with referring the client to someone who will otherwise fit their needs.

As a side note, I did a lot to build up my wrist strength over the years. I highly suggest building wrist strength a priority, as this may be why I don't have too many problems with them. I'd say I have a wrist issue maybe once every 6+ years that will last for a week or so, and I am still able to work around it, as generally it is either something coming from the attachments of the muscles at the anterior forearm (rest, ice, muscle work) or one of the carpals has gotten mis-aligned and needs to be "adjusted" for a while.

Just keeping yourself taken care of can keep this to a minimum. But, again, it could be because I dedicated some years to building up my wrist strength. Hard to say.

3.) I think the debt is only worth it, if you truly love what you do. This is not a profession to stay in, if it's not your "thing".

4.) I have friends in Canada, and a number of them say that even though you are taking more hours, you are still having a hefty number of MT's coming out with a less-than-stellar education. The hours don't necessarily mean that you have a good knowledge and a poor massage/remediation is regularly seen in your neck of the woods (just like here in the states). I used to just think it was because we generally offer less in the way of education hours. I am finding that is not necessarily the case.

So, make sure your daughter finds an excellent school for that money. I don't know that she can make a living up there right away with the education she will receive. It has taken me years and years to build a steady practice. But then, I have a huge debt - so, I have to pull in more than many people who do this type of work. I think 10-12 years for a very good base establishment can be expected. Is she willing to work a second or third job, to get to a place where massage/combo health care, is her sole work? It's something to think about.

If it's true that she can work in BC with an RMT, another option for quicker graduation and less expense, may be to get the licensure in the US and then reciprocate to Canada, if you are worried she may not stick with it. I don't know if that is possible, bit it's worth a shot.

Feel free to PM me if I can answer any other questions that may be of a more personal financial-type nature (mine that is). I'll answer what I can.