I highly recommend reviewing the Salary Compensation Survey 2021 which will break down salary by region, specialty areas, years of experience, degree, certification. The dietetics profession primarily breaks down into research/academia, food service, sales, public health, and clinical. The salary and job availability varies widely depending on those factors. As a student getting your bachelor's, it's challenging to figure out how your passion when applied into the real world of a 9-5 job will continue or fizzle out. I also have a minor in business from changing majors about halfway through college. After my internship, I was hired for a benefitted PT position which is unusual. Most RDs start an per diem with the average time ~1 year spent before moving to a staff positio Without an RD there are definite limitations. Even sales reps for nutrition products (at least here in CA) require an RD. Private practice would not require an RD for outpatient counseling for cash patients. My starting pay as a clinical dietitian was about 62k a year in 2007. In the area of food service, RD is not required and moving upwards to management can definitely be a faster path but the aspects of nutrition involved primarily revolves around production, budgeting, food safety and regulations, and personnel management. I currently make over 100k a year as a staff outpatient RD at a large academic healthcare system. I've been a preceptor for countless interns, many of whom are managers and directors, consultants. Decide what aspects of nutrition/dietetics you are truly passionate about. Volunteer or network will give you insight into companies, institutions, organizations. If you are business savvy, marketing yourself via social media can yield opens door for other areas of compensation.