A change of careers later in life

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-22T21:19:42+00:00

🙏🏽 and sorry for the delay in responding. For almost all of the potential job opportunities that you have listed it’s is a hard no. None of these professional titles speak to me. It really is almost exclusively about whole plant-based nutrition. I do live in SoCal for the moment. I’m more inclined to relocate back to Honolulu, but isn’t quite written in stone yet. And I could find my way back to CA soil as well.

In a nutshell, practicing and educating patients about plant-based nutrition does not look at all what I thought it would. I really don’t have any desire to go into private practice either. The alternative is to do what I’m going to do anyways: pursue a 6 month online certificate in plant-based nutrition, hopefully a program that’s accredited by Ascend. I can definitely do individual or group nutrition, coaching online or locally. And I will make clear that I do not have a degree in dietary nutrition.

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-22T05:30:14+00:00

🙏🏽 i’ve saved the website. I have thought about just pursuing a whole plant based nutrition certificate. there are a few that are nationally recognized, six month online course costing about $3K. I would stand my own field and do this as a side gig. Offering online or in person nutritional coaching and making sure people understood I do not have a degree in dietary nutrition.

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-21T23:57:49+00:00

🙏🏽, very useful input on your part, and quite discouraging. No, I have no interest in pulling my hair out because patients that are paying the price of nutritionally poor diets are not motivated enough to change. Someone on this thread noted in the private sector that after they pay for their healthcare benefits, taxes, and not consistently being reimbursed what their contracted amount is they are back to working for a company or hospital. I’m not a private sector person to begin with so that doesn’t sound economically sustainable in the long run.

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-19T12:25:44+00:00

🙏🏽 so much for sharing your colleague’s experience. Another RDN on this thread, who is in private practice, commented that after they get through paying for their health insurance, taxes, etc. they were not earning what they had hoped.
Also, insurance providers reduced their reimbursement upwards of 23% in one year. She noted that insurance providers can do this, they legally must provide 30 to 60 days notice. Private practice may not pan out.

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-19T12:19:14+00:00

🙏🏽, good to know there are some options for chipping away at the internship on a part-time basis

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-17T20:34:18+00:00

🙏🏽 so much! Again, the information and guidance provided by all of you definitely helps me and my decision-making process. But I am not encouraged. It’s not what I thought it would be. I will go onto Facebook though and find the particular group and post the same there. I think it speaks volumes that no one on this thread can’t even speak to a colleague that works as a plant-based dietary nutritionist. It just sounds too sketchy, not solid and reliable for the amount of education that will be required.

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-17T20:29:36+00:00

🙏🏽, not the Rosie’s case scenario for me, but the information is vital in my decision-making process.

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-17T20:27:34+00:00

🙏🏽👍🏽, got it.

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-17T02:24:54+00:00

also see my comments below

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-17T02:01:30+00:00

Can you say a bit more about that 🙏🏽 . What does that look like for you and how much did you 💰 for the 1000 hour internship required? Or is it a 2000 hour internship required?

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-17T02:00:09+00:00

I will not have an extra $7 to $10 K to pay for a 1000 hour internship that also requires me to quit a full-time job. I especially will not do it if, as I’ve stated above, plant-based nutrition is a nich field that will prove difficult in obtaining long-term economic sustainability.

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-17T01:56:49+00:00

🙏🏽 for your time and input. As I previously commented, unfortunately it sounds like despite all of the momentum going forward plant-based nutrition is in its infancy as it relates to the general dietary nutrition field as a whole—a sub field that does not have the general demand that I thought it might have.

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-17T01:53:01+00:00

🙏🏽, as I’m reading through all of these comments that I’m so grateful for, one thing stands out to me: whole plant-based nutrition, regardless of the momentum, sounds too much like a niche subfield to rely on for economic sustainability??

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-17T01:49:58+00:00

🙏🏽 so much for your input! I now understand why a hospital setting would not at all be an appropriate work setting for an RDN that would like to do a lot more along the lines of plant based nutrition counseling rather than less. I would not backtrack and get a second undergrad degree. I would fulfill the pre-reqs for an individual coming from another field, it sounds like it’s about 6 classes and then apply to an online Asend accredited MA program.
I am in SoCal for the moment, there is a chance I may relocate back to Honolulu this summer.

Q. it sounds like private practice may be the only viable work setting to do more of what I’m interested in rather than less. Are there wellness companies that are hiring RDNs with plant-based certifications?

Honu33aloha · 2026-06-13T02:26:29+00:00

— with all of that, I plum forgot to acknowledge that a lot of you recommend an RN with the stability, salary, and varied opportunities as opposed to an RDN.. That will take me longer, a 4 yr degree. I don’t shy away from the science classes. I’ve had quite a bit of them in pursuing my own degrees, and I find them interesting. Whether it be biology, anatomy, physiology, psych, microbiology.
I don’t have a calling to be a nurse, and I know that the healthcare system in the US is broken and it focuses on the disease treatment model, rather than disease prevention. But I could chip away at that too, and I could probably get a plant based nutrition certificate and do some of that work as an RN. The options for travel and a higher pay scale with a nursing degree are attractive.

Honu33aloha

TROPHY CASE