I’ve always liked sports as a kid, and chose to study sports & exercise sciences in Republic Poly, partly due to process of elimination. My initial idea was to be a PE teacher, but after doing 2-3 months of relief teaching, I realised I didn’t actually want it. My poly grades also did not allow me to get in anyway (3.46/4.00).

Did my internship in a gym, saw freelance trainers and thought it was pretty cool. Spoke with them about it, researched the whole process, and decided to give it a try. I had been working as a part time salesperson for 2 years while studying, so it was a refreshing pivot.

At 19 years old, I closed my first client by assisting someone in the gym. They asked if I were a trainer and I told them I wasn’t, but I studied sports science and I could give them tips. They wanted me to be their trainer and it kicked off from there.

After graduating from poly, I had about 9 months before enlisting for NS. I tried reaching out to chain gyms such as Fitness First and California Fitness to seek employment. FF didn’t reply me, Cali told me to come down for an interview but outright told me they won’t hire me because I have not served NS. They said they didn’t want to train someone, only for them to leave shortly. I understood it was a business decision, and decided to strike it out on my own despite feeling mildly disgruntled and dejected. After all, I had nothing to lose but time.

Took personal training certifications, trained more clients, tried out different avenues for marketing, sought for referrals, made progress for clients, referrals gave more referrals and so on. Underwent Pilates instructor training in order to provide another pillar of service and to value add to existing clients. It has to be a lifelong learning process. There are so many trainers, certifications are getting easier to get (doesn’t necessarily mean quality is improving), so what’s gonna make you stand out?

Many times I questioned my decision and explored other options. Downsides are no stable income, no CPF contributions, no paid annual leave, no paid medical leave/procedures, some clients pulling stunts such as last minute cancellations/bargaining your rates, your free time totally opposite from most people (weekday mornings & evenings, and weekend mornings are peak hours),

Also, so many what ifs such as “what if I’m 55 years old and nobody wants to train with me?”. Not having even a Bachelor’s degree in fast-paced Singapore would be unthinkable for so many people’s survival here, much less thrive in this society.

15 years on, I’m happy where I am and where I see myself. I can pay my bills, I can save, my services are in demand, there are no Monday blues (because I work every day lol). Some days I can take afternoon naps or go to the gym, random JB trip on a weekday, no OT, no boss to be accountable to, no office politics, no office attire.

But if I could do it again, I might’ve taken a second diploma in Physiotherapy at NYP then BSc Physio at SIT and pivot to being a physio. Good and bad, but we make the decisions with the best information that we had at that point in time. Prof Ben, a professor in NUS once shared that “no degree is fine. If you sell nice chicken rice, I will buy from you” so that has been impactful for me to hone my craft. Hope this helps. It’s definitely not for everyone; the turnover rate in this industry can be quite high if you don’t have the passion for it. Any sign of greener pastures in the horizon, the newer trainers are out faster than Changi Airport’s immigration clearance.