What will you do after massage?

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Permalink Reply by Nicola Hogan on January 31, 2010 at 6:08am

I feel I will always massage, it is a part of me. I think my career with massage and bodywork will continue to evolve and develop naturally and may lead into areas such as life coaching, but I will always be connected with massage.

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Permalink Reply by Laura Allen on January 31, 2010 at 8:14am

Stefanie,

That was my first career....I owned 4 restaurants over a 20 year + period. I worked at least 80 hours a week. I looked at my husband one day and said, "I've cooked 875,000 meals, and by God, I'm done." Sold out within two weeks, and started to massage school and went back to study for a master's degree at the same time. I'm a glutton for punishment:)

I tell everyone who is opening ANY kind of business, if you can't go a year or two without drawing a salary and still meet your obligations, don't do it. I've seen many restaurants, and in fact many kinds of businesses but restaurants are especially notorious for it, open up and within six months they're gone. I don't know what people are thinking--but I have the idea they think they're immediately going to start making a living. That is just so not true.

People don't save up enough money before they start something....then as soon as they have an unexpected expense, like their car breaking down, or like my recent woes with my well, or they're out of work sick, it's a catastrophe for them, business-wise. Good luck to you, and just be sure you're financially ready before you take the big plunge. I loved it for a lot of years!

Stefanie Adams said:

I won't complain because for the most part massage been good to me for the past 6 years. I make more than decent money for very little capital and time investment. It's funny you should mention the 5 year mark, because I've felt a general, unexplainable dissatisfaction with massage for the last year. That's why I've been lurking around sites like this and participating occasionally.

Massage is my 3rd career choice. I worked as a medical assistant through 4 years of PA school before deciding it wasn't for me. So I finished an MBA and joined the corporate clones until my company went bankrupt. I knew several MTs who got me interested in the field, so here I am.

My biggest sources of dissatisfaction are the lack of professional respect and recognition, and increased difficulty filing insurance with decreased reimbursements. Because of my education and experience, my practice has gravitated towards medical work in a field where I'm not fully accepted as a medical provider. I wish there was a Canadian-style program in the US that provided credentials for those who want it. I would do it in a heartbeat!

My next plan is to open a restaurant, because food is my #1 passion and the business part won't be a problem for me. It's a very simple 2-person operation with a basic, inexpensive menu focusing on nutritious carryout for working families. The marketing plan is finished and my location is selected. I'm conflicted about abandoning a perfectly good massage business for 72-hour work weeks! I'm proceeding cautiously with the hope in the back of my mind that something will re-ignite the spark in my heart for massage!

Do you mind sharing your disillusionment with massage, Rob?

Robert Chute said:

I've often heard the magic five year number. If you stayed in MT for five years, so went the rule of thumb, you would probably continue for a long time.
Lots of people keep their hand in (no pun intended) though their time commitment might remain very minimal. I can think of two factors that influence this off the top of my head. It can be difficult to make the transition to being paid a lower hourly rate in a new entry-level job. Also, in recent years it seems the age of new MTs has shifted down and so (you're right) they are more prone to go through several career incarnations and be more fluid in their occupational choices. I'm sure there are also some (who haven't spoken yet) who are dissatisfued with their MT situation as well. We haven't heard from them but I know they are out there since I've been disgruntled by turns myself.

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Permalink Reply by Stefanie Adams on January 31, 2010 at 1:40pm

I had forgotten you were in the restaurant business before massage! Thank you for responding. Wow, it sounds like you're even more of a masochist than me!

Fortunately, I'm in the exact position you're describing. I'm 100% debt free - including my home - and will have plenty of money saved, even after starting up. Breakeven should be 14 months if conservative estimates are correct.

Your message gave me heart palpitations which indicates either I'm fully aware of the burdens I'm about to impose on myself, or I'm not ready for it. Or both. A big part of me really wants to make massage work instead!

Is there anyone else who has a short attention span and constantly changes careers? I recently saw a counselor who told me it's not really bad in my situation since I'm functional and financially responsible. She said I'm using it as an adrenaline rush. Sometimes I wish I could be more stable.

Laura Allen said:

Stefanie,

That was my first career....I owned 4 restaurants over a 20 year + period. I worked at least 80 hours a week. I looked at my husband one day and said, "I've cooked 875,000 meals, and by God, I'm done." Sold out within two weeks, and started to massage school and went back to study for a master's degree at the same time. I'm a glutton for punishment:)

I tell everyone who is opening ANY kind of business, if you can't go a year or two without drawing a salary and still meet your obligations, don't do it. I've seen many restaurants, and in fact many kinds of businesses but restaurants are especially notorious for it, open up and within six months they're gone. I don't know what people are thinking--but I have the idea they think they're immediately going to start making a living. That is just so not true.

People don't save up enough money before they start something....then as soon as they have an unexpected expense, like their car breaking down, or like my recent woes with my well, or they're out of work sick, it's a catastrophe for them, business-wise. Good luck to you, and just be sure you're financially ready before you take the big plunge. I loved it for a lot of years!

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Permalink Reply by Robert Chute on January 31, 2010 at 9:53pm

Stephanie, thanks for your question! I'm in a bit of a transition period myself in that I have some issues with the direction the field is headed and with the way MT is regulated. I won't be leaving MT soon and I'll continue writing about it for some time yet (my column contract with Massage & Bodywork just got renewed--yay!) However, I am talking to a career counsellor about my options for the long term, including the possibility of going back to school. This is my third career (and I'm 17 years into MT.) Will MT be my last career? No. I want to keep the energy of the fields of possibility shimmering on the horizons ahead of me. As the years progress, I'll be doing more writing and less (or no) MT.

That's the short version of where I'm at and I thank everyone for their answers. I feel less alone in my quandaries. Please feel free to keep the answers coming!

Stefanie Adams said:

I won't complain because for the most part massage been good to me for the past 6 years. I make more than decent money for very little capital and time investment. It's funny you should mention the 5 year mark, because I've felt a general, unexplainable dissatisfaction with massage for the last year. That's why I've been lurking around sites like this and participating occasionally.

Massage is my 3rd career choice. I worked as a medical assistant through 4 years of PA school before deciding it wasn't for me. So I finished an MBA and joined the corporate clones until my company went bankrupt. I knew several MTs who got me interested in the field, so here I am.

My biggest sources of dissatisfaction are the lack of professional respect and recognition, and increased difficulty filing insurance with decreased reimbursements. Because of my education and experience, my practice has gravitated towards medical work in a field where I'm not fully accepted as a medical provider. I wish there was a Canadian-style program in the US that provided credentials for those who want it. I would do it in a heartbeat!

My next plan is to open a restaurant, because food is my #1 passion and the business part won't be a problem for me. It's a very simple 2-person operation with a basic, inexpensive menu focusing on nutritious carryout for working families. The marketing plan is finished and my location is selected. I'm conflicted about abandoning a perfectly good massage business for 72-hour work weeks! I'm proceeding cautiously with the hope in the back of my mind that something will re-ignite the spark in my heart for massage!

Do you mind sharing your disillusionment with massage, Rob?

Robert Chute said:

I've often heard the magic five year number. If you stayed in MT for five years, so went the rule of thumb, you would probably continue for a long time.
Lots of people keep their hand in (no pun intended) though their time commitment might remain very minimal. I can think of two factors that influence this off the top of my head. It can be difficult to make the transition to being paid a lower hourly rate in a new entry-level job. Also, in recent years it seems the age of new MTs has shifted down and so (you're right) they are more prone to go through several career incarnations and be more fluid in their occupational choices. I'm sure there are also some (who haven't spoken yet) who are dissatisfued with their MT situation as well. We haven't heard from them but I know they are out there since I've been disgruntled by turns myself.

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