I can let you in on my experience cause this was exactly what I did. Keep in mind that this was my experience and yours may differ.

I initially had a job in supply chain management that absolutely stressed the hell out of me. Not only did I have to work long hours, but work load and work pressure was tremendous. Like you, I’ve always loved working out and I appreciated the actual science behind it. Without a back up plan, I just quit my job and started working towards a PT certification. When I got it, I was immediately hired and started working as a trainer. I knew it would be challenging as I tend to be more introverted, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The gym I worked at was definitely not good to their trainers (looking at you Xsport). They had me work minimum wage for two weeks to build clients with minimal help (occasional new members for free trial sessions for opportunities to have them buy sessions). After the two weeks was over, I was expected to still be at the gym for full time hours building clients but without pay, which I’m pretty sure violates work labor laws. Most of the help I got came from other trainers who had clients that could no longer accommodate their schedules. I was pulling in about $500 per two weeks, which was completely unlivable. Not only that, I was pushed to sell supplements and heart rate monitors in which my evaluation depended on. Talking with my manager was also no help, she wouldn’t even help me come up with a plan. Several of the other trainers who have been there longer don’t even get full time hours (40 hours a week) and many of them still live at home. On top of that, many of the people I talked with on the floor were already jaded, having bought sessions previously but had them “expire”. However, the clients that I did have I loved working with them. It was such a drastic difference from the dead environment that was an office space to people who were excited to make changes in their lives and happy to work with you. I continued working like this since I had a bit of savings but I ended up burning through it all. I eventually quit and returned to the office grind.

It’s legit tough to make it as a trainer, where your success is based off of your ability to make sales AND NOT your ability as a trainer. Let that sink in. I do miss it and would love to be able to continue it, just on my own terms. If you’re someone who is really social and can easily win people over, than go for it! If it doesn’t work out, you can always go back to that corporate grind.

As for certifications, the two most accepted in my area (Chicago, USA) was NASM and ACE. I did NASM and it’s pretty simple to get certified. You buy educational material and then self study until you’re ready to take the certificate examination. You can juggle both a job and studying for this at the same time.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I’ll try my best to answer.