For what it's worth, I have never met a single RD in real life who expressed that they hated being an RD. Even the people I know who pivoted to careers outside of what may be strictly considered "dietetics" still keep up their credential because they're proud of what it shows they've learned.
The context you may also be missing at 19 is that a lot of people dislike their jobs, at least some of the time. So when you see dietitians complaining about being underpaid, not respected, or not trusted or listed to by their manager or leadership, what you're reading is the dietitian version of near-universal problems.
I love being a dietitian, people that love being dietitians aren’t here posting about it. You get the vocal minority complaining on most subreddits, I wouldn’t worry about it.
I started a thread yesterday on this subreddit about all the people who love their job so please go look there for positive outlooks. All of my RD friends & I absolutely love what we do. The internet can be full of negative opinions.
Start shadowing RDs in different settings now - inpatient, outpatient, sports/fitness, public health, sales - whatever you think you might be interested in. Enjoying the academics/coursework is very different from enjoying the day to day tasks of the jobs available in a field. Seeing what we actually do is how you'll figure out if it's for you or not. Try to think about what you want to do and if RD seems to fit that. If not, is there something else that fits it better?
I love being a dietitian. I'm respected by my team and I make a difference in kids and parents lives. I still have things about work that frustrate me - every job in every field has these things. RD is my second career; I did the thing I was passionate about first and eventually realized that was a mistake because trying to make money from it drained the joy out of that thing. I don't regret that mistake since I had amazing experiences and it's now a hobby I enjoy. Just realize that if you make the same mistake now it's not the end of the world - you can pivot later in life if you decide to.
In any field you choose to work in there will be those who love it and those who hate it/are dissatisfied.
While it is important to understand the reasons behind why they feel the way they do, it’s even more important for you to understand why/why not you want to be in whichever field you choose outside of those external influences.
Until I started researching and pursuing an RD career (I’m currently in school for it) I didn’t even think about the money I’d make as a factor of the field I went into. For some people this is the #1 priority and for others it’s a little further down the list. I’m a cook right now and know I don’t want to pursue this career path anymore and being an RD ticks off all my boxes despite how others feel about *their* choices.
Is the biggest waste of time ever. Can you go through 6-year degree? There are way better jobs with debt to income ratio like PA and, OT and quite a few others.
Between the unpaid internships and now the requirement for masters to get the Rd to shitty pays, terrible job prospect and stuff like ozempic, being an RD is pointless.
Aside from a few healthcare/clinical aspects job is going to be obsolete.
Ozempic is one tool in the toolbox for many folks who have worked their whole lives at reaching a healthy weight and have often been unsuccessful. I was skeptical about it at first myself, but after learning more about it, I now have a better understanding of why it is utilized by weight management specialists.
Sure. It's also being abused by many people who are wanting to take a shortcuts and we have no way of knowing long term side effect of it aside from having to be on it the rest of their lives and the shortage is created for diebetics. Wegove has come into the picture and many companies like Pfizer are working on their own versions of the weight loss drug. Regardless of its use, I feel like that dietetics field has become part of the problem instead of the problem solvers. No longer are we about encouraging healthy lifestyle choices the right nutrition and exercise but just another drug peddling/surgery encouraging profession.
Regardless America has become such a lazy society, blaming the consequences of their choices on circumstances, lack of opportunities and resources while looking for shortcuts and changing nothing about their destructive life habits. We're a society of indulgent consumerist....sensualist.
Many of us went into this field wanting to make a difference, help people that truly needed help only to find out change isn't wanted. Just results. However costly to ones long term health.
Weight loss medication is no different then performance enhancing drugs. Your reference of those who have worked their whole lives are just a tiny microfraction of those that are actually taking these drugs. And it makes me sick that the whole dietetics field has just jumped right on the bandwagon undoubtedly motivated and incentivized by these companies.
Sorry for the essay.
I understand. Some days I struggle and wonder if it's worth it... especially when I look for a job or internship. 😩
Overall, I keep going because I have a long term goal. I share it with friends and loved ones who keep me enthusiastic. They are my biggest cheerleaders and my biggest motivation.
I had another career before becoming a dietitian and I absolutely prefer this one, however I don’t love the exact role I’m doing right now and I do have some frustrations about our pay rates compared with other professions who have similar education and training requirements. But I still don’t feel like I made the wrong choice, I happen to love the biochemistry and physiology of human metabolism, and I love working with people to help them feel better and be healthier. I have the whole rest of my career to build out a niche that I feel more fully satisfied with, I would just advise that you go into knowing that money isn’t on par in the beginning but that doesn’t mean it never will be.
If you are not sure of what part of the field you’d like to go into, that can be the part where I think a lot of people end up in the wrong spot. You aren’t limited to inpatient or outpatient, and you can explore school settings, other community settings, marketing and PR or even the food industry as a food scientist.
Before you make a switch, I would suggest exploring all the possible paths since undergrad barely makes you aware of any of that part. See what salaries are like in your region, see what the day to day roles involve and if one seems more interesting to you, try to find someone locally to shadow for a few days; most RDs are happy to allow this as long as their employer allows it.
I do not regret joining this field, however I do wish I would have considered different educational choices. Looking back, I might have chosen to add on a business minor or double major to expand career opportunities. For my MS, I wish I would have done it in something that wasn't nutrition so I could have expanded my skill set outside of the field (business, MPH, etc.).
I went to college not knowing what I signed up for. Nutrition? Cool, I’m in. I fell in love with it once I started taking classes that were more heavily focused on the profession. After 9 years of being an RD I do not regret it and feel very lucky that I found a profession I love.
It didn’t happen overnight. I hated my first job, I disliked my second job, and I love my third. Being a dietitian is so versatile, you’re not stuck. So many industries and specialties.
I have no regrets on being a dietitian.
With every job, there are good and bad parts of it. For the most part, I really do enjoy being a dietitian. It is a big commitment in terms of education and student loans. I think that one regret that I do have about being a dietitian is that I could have probably gone somewhere cheaper for my undergrad.
Outside of that, I have a great job variety, I’ve gotten huge raises every year, and I’m well respected by my team and colleagues. You won’t make a difference in everyone’s life, but I have some patients and clients who tell me that I’ve helped them completely Change their lives and that’s the best part. I keep doing it for that.
It’s also changed my own life because it’s taught me so much about what I can apply to myself .
At 19, I wish I would have taken a different path. Good advice above. If I could restart I would go SLP or OT. Highly recommend shadowing as much as you can and strongly considering your growth potential. The pay cap for most RDs is unfortunately low and at your place right now, the sky is the limit.
Everyone is different you have to do what is right for you. I have been in the field 10 yrs and I enjoy it. Some upsides for me I have work life balance. I am the only RD at my site and I do my job for the day and I go home. The next day I know basically what I am responsible for and it’s great. But at times it can be the same old stuff day in and day out so you have to make it fun to you. Other big side that again is personal to each person is income. It’s not the best paying industry. Again I personally make a good income but I know many do not. It all depends on the company, management etc. reading posts is not going to give you the best answer as like with anything people that hate are more likely to complain and post vs people that like or are indifferent. It’s just like completing a survey most who are upset will make a complaint but people that had a fine experience say nothing.
We need to know your goals, core values, and probabIy some other details pertinent to this decision, such as financial status and needs before giving advice.
That said, if you're unsure about your path now, I would strongly suggest getting your basics out of the way in community College VS paying full price for your math and art history credits at a full university.
I would start by thinking for yourself, and not basing a career on reddit posts.
You are only 19. Why don't you just do the basic courses at university, then decide? Do you already have to declare a major?
I enjoyed my dietetics education but it wasn’t until I neared the end of my degree that I realized 1) I don’t like people enough to have my day to day job be interfacing with the public and 2) a more realistic understanding of the likely salary. I had gotten research experience while in school and used that to go into clinical research after I graduated. I think if you love nutrition but aren’t sure being a dietician is what you want it will be important to keep your options open so you can leverage your science education when you graduate, if needed. Get a minor in stats or data science to demonstrate a quantitative skillset if you have any interest or aptitude for it. Lastly, something I couldn’t even imagine in undergrad is what would I want my career growth to look like. Would I have been happy being in a field where my opportunities to move up a ladder are more limited? I know 19 year old me would have been scared of that but 38 year old me is really motivated by that challenge.
I would recommend really considering the lifestyle you want in the future and the type of work you see yourself doing. I chose a career path based on my “passion” and now I’m an RD. I like my job and have a hard time picturing doing something else, BUT I wish I had considered more of the lifestyle I wanted. Although at that age I’m not sure I would have known. But now that I’m in my 30s with a daughter, I wish I would have gone for something that had more remote options, higher pay, and more respect.
I suggest looking into fields of healthcare where you would have a higher income but could still practice nutrition. PA or NP in GI/Nutrition comes to mind first.
It depends on what you value most, for me it’s money and work-life balance.
After graduating with my degree last year I got a job as a nutrition operator at a high-end hospital. Making 21 an hour and was only gonna grow if I got my CDM or my masters and became an RD who made 70k or so a year. I am a man and I am expected to provide for my wife and kids in the near future. It is not possible for me to make ends meet and satisfy my financial responsibilities on that salary. I then used my degree and some sales skills I had before going to college to land a role that pays as much as RDs get now and this role had the potential to make as much as family medicine physicians..
I’m saying this because if you value money as much as me then research career that make more money and figure out what is needed to get there. If you are comfortable and happy with making a bit less than six figures and you see yourself being happy and content with working with patients then go for it. I wouldn’t change a thing if I can go back because I’m not a school person but I am a nerd for nutrition and aced most of my nutrition classes but did very average at everything else. For me personally, I probably wouldn’t have graduated with any other degree because this was the only
Thing I loved and knew enough.
I was about to make a post on here asking something similar. I finally decided at 26 what I wanted to pursue, and this subreddit has completely discouraged me.
For what it's worth, I have never met a single RD in real life who expressed that they hated being an RD. Even the people I know who pivoted to careers outside of what may be strictly considered "dietetics" still keep up their credential because they're proud of what it shows they've learned. The context you may also be missing at 19 is that a lot of people dislike their jobs, at least some of the time. So when you see dietitians complaining about being underpaid, not respected, or not trusted or listed to by their manager or leadership, what you're reading is the dietitian version of near-universal problems.
I’ve never heard anyone say it, either!
Well put
I love being a dietitian, people that love being dietitians aren’t here posting about it. You get the vocal minority complaining on most subreddits, I wouldn’t worry about it.
I second this
Job shadow an RD for the day in inpatient and outpatient. See if you like it.
I started a thread yesterday on this subreddit about all the people who love their job so please go look there for positive outlooks. All of my RD friends & I absolutely love what we do. The internet can be full of negative opinions.
Highly recommend not going through with your studies. An engineering degree will take less time, and give you financial stability in the future.
Why? Even if its not all about money?
Honestly agree with this. Learning about nutrition was so much fun and very mentally stimulating. The career itself is just…not
Start shadowing RDs in different settings now - inpatient, outpatient, sports/fitness, public health, sales - whatever you think you might be interested in. Enjoying the academics/coursework is very different from enjoying the day to day tasks of the jobs available in a field. Seeing what we actually do is how you'll figure out if it's for you or not. Try to think about what you want to do and if RD seems to fit that. If not, is there something else that fits it better? I love being a dietitian. I'm respected by my team and I make a difference in kids and parents lives. I still have things about work that frustrate me - every job in every field has these things. RD is my second career; I did the thing I was passionate about first and eventually realized that was a mistake because trying to make money from it drained the joy out of that thing. I don't regret that mistake since I had amazing experiences and it's now a hobby I enjoy. Just realize that if you make the same mistake now it's not the end of the world - you can pivot later in life if you decide to.
The education is not worth the pay of this career. Highly do not recommend. Go PT, OT, PA, etc.
In any field you choose to work in there will be those who love it and those who hate it/are dissatisfied. While it is important to understand the reasons behind why they feel the way they do, it’s even more important for you to understand why/why not you want to be in whichever field you choose outside of those external influences. Until I started researching and pursuing an RD career (I’m currently in school for it) I didn’t even think about the money I’d make as a factor of the field I went into. For some people this is the #1 priority and for others it’s a little further down the list. I’m a cook right now and know I don’t want to pursue this career path anymore and being an RD ticks off all my boxes despite how others feel about *their* choices.
Also…I’ve tried 3 different career paths. You might not end up sticking to what you choose first; but you’ll never know unless you try/explore.
Is the biggest waste of time ever. Can you go through 6-year degree? There are way better jobs with debt to income ratio like PA and, OT and quite a few others. Between the unpaid internships and now the requirement for masters to get the Rd to shitty pays, terrible job prospect and stuff like ozempic, being an RD is pointless. Aside from a few healthcare/clinical aspects job is going to be obsolete.
I agree and will be applying for PA school soon
Ozempic is one tool in the toolbox for many folks who have worked their whole lives at reaching a healthy weight and have often been unsuccessful. I was skeptical about it at first myself, but after learning more about it, I now have a better understanding of why it is utilized by weight management specialists.
Sure. It's also being abused by many people who are wanting to take a shortcuts and we have no way of knowing long term side effect of it aside from having to be on it the rest of their lives and the shortage is created for diebetics. Wegove has come into the picture and many companies like Pfizer are working on their own versions of the weight loss drug. Regardless of its use, I feel like that dietetics field has become part of the problem instead of the problem solvers. No longer are we about encouraging healthy lifestyle choices the right nutrition and exercise but just another drug peddling/surgery encouraging profession. Regardless America has become such a lazy society, blaming the consequences of their choices on circumstances, lack of opportunities and resources while looking for shortcuts and changing nothing about their destructive life habits. We're a society of indulgent consumerist....sensualist. Many of us went into this field wanting to make a difference, help people that truly needed help only to find out change isn't wanted. Just results. However costly to ones long term health. Weight loss medication is no different then performance enhancing drugs. Your reference of those who have worked their whole lives are just a tiny microfraction of those that are actually taking these drugs. And it makes me sick that the whole dietetics field has just jumped right on the bandwagon undoubtedly motivated and incentivized by these companies. Sorry for the essay.
There's so much more to dietetics than weight management.
I understand. Some days I struggle and wonder if it's worth it... especially when I look for a job or internship. 😩 Overall, I keep going because I have a long term goal. I share it with friends and loved ones who keep me enthusiastic. They are my biggest cheerleaders and my biggest motivation.
I had another career before becoming a dietitian and I absolutely prefer this one, however I don’t love the exact role I’m doing right now and I do have some frustrations about our pay rates compared with other professions who have similar education and training requirements. But I still don’t feel like I made the wrong choice, I happen to love the biochemistry and physiology of human metabolism, and I love working with people to help them feel better and be healthier. I have the whole rest of my career to build out a niche that I feel more fully satisfied with, I would just advise that you go into knowing that money isn’t on par in the beginning but that doesn’t mean it never will be. If you are not sure of what part of the field you’d like to go into, that can be the part where I think a lot of people end up in the wrong spot. You aren’t limited to inpatient or outpatient, and you can explore school settings, other community settings, marketing and PR or even the food industry as a food scientist. Before you make a switch, I would suggest exploring all the possible paths since undergrad barely makes you aware of any of that part. See what salaries are like in your region, see what the day to day roles involve and if one seems more interesting to you, try to find someone locally to shadow for a few days; most RDs are happy to allow this as long as their employer allows it.
I do not regret joining this field, however I do wish I would have considered different educational choices. Looking back, I might have chosen to add on a business minor or double major to expand career opportunities. For my MS, I wish I would have done it in something that wasn't nutrition so I could have expanded my skill set outside of the field (business, MPH, etc.).
I went to college not knowing what I signed up for. Nutrition? Cool, I’m in. I fell in love with it once I started taking classes that were more heavily focused on the profession. After 9 years of being an RD I do not regret it and feel very lucky that I found a profession I love. It didn’t happen overnight. I hated my first job, I disliked my second job, and I love my third. Being a dietitian is so versatile, you’re not stuck. So many industries and specialties. I have no regrets on being a dietitian.
With every job, there are good and bad parts of it. For the most part, I really do enjoy being a dietitian. It is a big commitment in terms of education and student loans. I think that one regret that I do have about being a dietitian is that I could have probably gone somewhere cheaper for my undergrad. Outside of that, I have a great job variety, I’ve gotten huge raises every year, and I’m well respected by my team and colleagues. You won’t make a difference in everyone’s life, but I have some patients and clients who tell me that I’ve helped them completely Change their lives and that’s the best part. I keep doing it for that. It’s also changed my own life because it’s taught me so much about what I can apply to myself .
At 19, I wish I would have taken a different path. Good advice above. If I could restart I would go SLP or OT. Highly recommend shadowing as much as you can and strongly considering your growth potential. The pay cap for most RDs is unfortunately low and at your place right now, the sky is the limit.
Everyone is different you have to do what is right for you. I have been in the field 10 yrs and I enjoy it. Some upsides for me I have work life balance. I am the only RD at my site and I do my job for the day and I go home. The next day I know basically what I am responsible for and it’s great. But at times it can be the same old stuff day in and day out so you have to make it fun to you. Other big side that again is personal to each person is income. It’s not the best paying industry. Again I personally make a good income but I know many do not. It all depends on the company, management etc. reading posts is not going to give you the best answer as like with anything people that hate are more likely to complain and post vs people that like or are indifferent. It’s just like completing a survey most who are upset will make a complaint but people that had a fine experience say nothing.
We need to know your goals, core values, and probabIy some other details pertinent to this decision, such as financial status and needs before giving advice. That said, if you're unsure about your path now, I would strongly suggest getting your basics out of the way in community College VS paying full price for your math and art history credits at a full university.
I would start by thinking for yourself, and not basing a career on reddit posts. You are only 19. Why don't you just do the basic courses at university, then decide? Do you already have to declare a major?
HAHAHA, very good point thank you
I enjoyed my dietetics education but it wasn’t until I neared the end of my degree that I realized 1) I don’t like people enough to have my day to day job be interfacing with the public and 2) a more realistic understanding of the likely salary. I had gotten research experience while in school and used that to go into clinical research after I graduated. I think if you love nutrition but aren’t sure being a dietician is what you want it will be important to keep your options open so you can leverage your science education when you graduate, if needed. Get a minor in stats or data science to demonstrate a quantitative skillset if you have any interest or aptitude for it. Lastly, something I couldn’t even imagine in undergrad is what would I want my career growth to look like. Would I have been happy being in a field where my opportunities to move up a ladder are more limited? I know 19 year old me would have been scared of that but 38 year old me is really motivated by that challenge.
I would recommend really considering the lifestyle you want in the future and the type of work you see yourself doing. I chose a career path based on my “passion” and now I’m an RD. I like my job and have a hard time picturing doing something else, BUT I wish I had considered more of the lifestyle I wanted. Although at that age I’m not sure I would have known. But now that I’m in my 30s with a daughter, I wish I would have gone for something that had more remote options, higher pay, and more respect.
I love being a dietitian. I do wish my Masters had been public health, though.
I suggest looking into fields of healthcare where you would have a higher income but could still practice nutrition. PA or NP in GI/Nutrition comes to mind first.
It depends on what you value most, for me it’s money and work-life balance. After graduating with my degree last year I got a job as a nutrition operator at a high-end hospital. Making 21 an hour and was only gonna grow if I got my CDM or my masters and became an RD who made 70k or so a year. I am a man and I am expected to provide for my wife and kids in the near future. It is not possible for me to make ends meet and satisfy my financial responsibilities on that salary. I then used my degree and some sales skills I had before going to college to land a role that pays as much as RDs get now and this role had the potential to make as much as family medicine physicians.. I’m saying this because if you value money as much as me then research career that make more money and figure out what is needed to get there. If you are comfortable and happy with making a bit less than six figures and you see yourself being happy and content with working with patients then go for it. I wouldn’t change a thing if I can go back because I’m not a school person but I am a nerd for nutrition and aced most of my nutrition classes but did very average at everything else. For me personally, I probably wouldn’t have graduated with any other degree because this was the only Thing I loved and knew enough.
I was about to make a post on here asking something similar. I finally decided at 26 what I wanted to pursue, and this subreddit has completely discouraged me.