How I Fell Into Dietetics

I get asked quite often how I chose to be a Registered Dietitian, perhaps this question comes up so often because it is kind of a random career. Nutritional Science is actually a relatively young science, only about 100 years old, which is most likely why it just recently has picked up speed.

So how did I pick it? To be honest, it was a big jump. In high school I had big dreams to move to New York city and attend NYU....yeah ok Casey...but due to some events in my life I opted to attend a local private college instead. I began as a Fashion Merchandizing major and in my  sophomore year I became restless. I browsed the colleges' list of majors and saw Nutrition and thought, "Oh that would be interesting!" Then I saw the amount of chemistry classes required and I quickly moved on.  So instead of changing majors I decided I will just study abroad (don't you wish life was this spontaneous and you could just move to another country with out much thought, oh the days). I spent 4 months in Florence, Italy studying Art History, Fashion, Textiles, and Literature. Perhaps it took moving to another country to realize I wanted to have a career where I could directly help people, so I took another look at the Nutrition major requirements and decided to take the plunge (now you might understand the title of this post a little bit more). The next 3 years were filled with 5 chemistry class, over 1200 supervision hours, a LOT of food service management (HATE), working as a lunch lady (yes, this happened) and too much library time.

Looking back on the decision it really was not that thought out...sure I thought about it, but I didn't even really know what dietitians did in every day life. As each day goes on I have memories about my childhood that make my career choice make perfect sense...I loved going to the grocery store with my mom, helping my mom cook, my favorite book was about grocery shopping, and I loved playing kitchen. I have such a passion for food, it truly makes me so excited to share my knowledge with my clients. So maybe being a dietitian was always what I was supposed to do, who knows!

Recently Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist was listed as one of the top 10 jobs that get you no where in life. To that I say, "Screw You!" Your career is what you make of it! Sure Dietitians are not raking in six figures, but I would trade a high paying salary for clients telling me I helped them change their lives any day.

Thank you to all my clients who allow and trust me to walk along side them as they make this sometimes terrifying journey. Each of you have touched my life. You are appreciated much more than you know.

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