There's an old joke in our family that my son, Dean, started walking early just so that he could start playing football. He has always been seriously into sport and football in particular. He was spotted by a scout when he was just eight and told that one day he would be a pro. I won't say that went to his head, as we did everything we could to keep him grounded, but it certainly affected his attitude to his schooling, which was something that just seemed to get in the way of playing football.
Sadly that was not a dream that could ever come true. By the time he reached secondary school, his earlier flair for sports seem to plateau out. Whilst he was still very good, he was no longer top of his class and even he realised that, no matter how much he pushed himself, there was always someone better, faster, taller, stronger in front of him.
We gave him all the support we could and he eventually came to terms with the fact that his dreams would never be realised. However his love of sport did not diminish. He continued to do well in sports days, matches and tournaments but the accolades went elsewhere. Not being an academic high flyer, his teachers suggested vocational courses instead of A levels and the careers officer began looking into training courses for gym instructors in local sports clubs.
One thing we all knew was that any kind of sedentary work was out of the question. At eighteen, the future was not looking very rosy and with so few openings, he began to feel quite depressed. When a neighbour suggested he become a personal trainer, it was as if we had been thrown a life-line.
We started looking for suitable courses and found one that could be done full or part time. The full time course was a five week residential course, which sounded ideal. The course would lead to an advanced diploma in personal training which could be the key to any number of jobs. He went into this full of enthusiasm and was soon regaling us with information about each curriculum area. He learned a great deal about human anatomy and physiology in the very first week.
Being a practical course there was more first-hand experience and less about hours of reading, studying and essay writing. That meant most of his day was spent in the gym, not in a classroom. He also got to practise on members of the public in specially run workshops or clinics, which was an experience he particularly enjoyed. It helped him to develop his communication skills and boost his confidence.
After five weeks he graduated with flying colours and we were all incredibly proud.What was more, through a contact he made there, he was told about an opening for a junior personal trainer at the rather upmarket new health spa that has opened on the edge of our town. He applied for this and was successful. It was only three days a week to start with, but that suited him fine.
In no time at all he had picked up one or two private clients and he soon began to establish a reputation for himself. He thinks he is so much more fortunate than his school friends who are stacking up monumental student loans at university and many of whom have uncertain career prospects, while he is now saving to get married in a couple of years. He tells everyone he has the dream job. It's funny the way things turn out sometimes.
Sadly that was not a dream that could ever come true. By the time he reached secondary school, his earlier flair for sports seem to plateau out. Whilst he was still very good, he was no longer top of his class and even he realised that, no matter how much he pushed himself, there was always someone better, faster, taller, stronger in front of him.
We gave him all the support we could and he eventually came to terms with the fact that his dreams would never be realised. However his love of sport did not diminish. He continued to do well in sports days, matches and tournaments but the accolades went elsewhere. Not being an academic high flyer, his teachers suggested vocational courses instead of A levels and the careers officer began looking into training courses for gym instructors in local sports clubs.
One thing we all knew was that any kind of sedentary work was out of the question. At eighteen, the future was not looking very rosy and with so few openings, he began to feel quite depressed. When a neighbour suggested he become a personal trainer, it was as if we had been thrown a life-line.
We started looking for suitable courses and found one that could be done full or part time. The full time course was a five week residential course, which sounded ideal. The course would lead to an advanced diploma in personal training which could be the key to any number of jobs. He went into this full of enthusiasm and was soon regaling us with information about each curriculum area. He learned a great deal about human anatomy and physiology in the very first week.
Being a practical course there was more first-hand experience and less about hours of reading, studying and essay writing. That meant most of his day was spent in the gym, not in a classroom. He also got to practise on members of the public in specially run workshops or clinics, which was an experience he particularly enjoyed. It helped him to develop his communication skills and boost his confidence.
After five weeks he graduated with flying colours and we were all incredibly proud.What was more, through a contact he made there, he was told about an opening for a junior personal trainer at the rather upmarket new health spa that has opened on the edge of our town. He applied for this and was successful. It was only three days a week to start with, but that suited him fine.
In no time at all he had picked up one or two private clients and he soon began to establish a reputation for himself. He thinks he is so much more fortunate than his school friends who are stacking up monumental student loans at university and many of whom have uncertain career prospects, while he is now saving to get married in a couple of years. He tells everyone he has the dream job. It's funny the way things turn out sometimes.
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