(View of the North Shore and Grouse Mountain, notice the lack of snow and the Winter Olympics start this Friday! Not to worry, we have it all taken care of)
Over the last couple of years I have really been thinking about "what do I really want to do for work". This is one of the worlds great questions that I think a lot of people have a hard time answering. I have learned recently that perhaps, over my lifetime, I will get to do a few of these things because a lot of people change careers every 7 years. I have also learned that it could be quite costly to do everything that I envision. I would just love to be the jack of all trades! I'll share with you one...
1) Dietitian: I have know ever since I went to UBC to pursue my Human Kinetics Degree that I was interested in also becoming a Dietitian. Back then, I remember telling my family that I wanted to get a double major. Of course, that was until I realized that I would have to go back and get my Math 12 (high school). This program also involved a lot of Chemistry, including Organic Chemistry. What did Chemistry have do with being a nutritionist?, I thought. Let's just say, I got a little intimidated and just wanted to graduate as soon as I could so I could get my butt out of the classroom and start living!
I biked out to UBC on Tuesday because I had an appointment with the adviser from the Dietetics program. Before I made any decisions I wanted to be clear on how long it would take, cost, what courses I can skip because of my current degree etc.
I was in and out of that room in about 10 minutes. I think the C- in cellular biology may have given him that clue...just kidding (but not about the grade). You apply to the program after you have all your 1st and 2nd year prerequisites. The program itself is very competitive and they only accept 30 students a year. You need at least an 80% avg, which is what I have, but I am assuming that would have been very hard to maintain after all that chemistry!
We also discussed why I wanted this degree. I really want to be a nutritionist but with the understanding that I want to be self-employed. He told me that if that is what I wanted then there was no real need to jump through all these hoops (5 years worth) to get there. There are many other schools in my area that offer more of what I am looking for, without all that science!
The one I am looking into is called the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. You can go 1 x/week for 2 years or 2x/week for 1 year.
As I biked home, I was taken away by the gorgeous view of the North Shore mountains. I love being able to get up and go for a ride in the middle of the day. I started to think about how hard it would be to sit in a classroom for hours a day for the next 5 years and how unwilling I am to do that. I just don't learn that way and really didn't enjoy that aspect of University. I didn't really feel like I had many teachers who taught me anything besides how to take rapid fire notes from power point slides that he/she would regurgitate from the overhead projector.
My hands were absolutely frozen after the large decent into the headwind from the University. I did what any other road biker would do and hit up "grounds for coffee" for just that and a muffin. I really do have a soft spot in my heart for muffins but I rarely eat them out. This one was a chocolate banana espresso muffin and the top was so delicious and crunchy. I ate just over half and gave the rest to Peter when I got home. All in all the ride was 2 hours and 40 minutes. In that time I figured out 2 things...1) I am not going to be a Registered Dietitian (2) I need to figure out a recipe for that amazing muffin!!!
Yesterday, at the crack of dawn, Peter and I woke up to do our weekly Wednesday morning hilly run of DOOM! Alright, that was an exaggeration but it felt a little bit harder than normal. Perhaps that 2:40 hilly bike ride from yesterday tired me out. We ran up old mountain highway for an hour which is great training for Western States. I tried my hardest to keep my HR as low as possible and it hung in and around 160 bpm for the entire 7 switchbacks. I just couldn't wait until the top because we are rewarded with that sick mountain bike trail descent. Total time was 1:40 and it felt great to get another one under the belt.
Later in the day I went to watch Peter, Keith, and Gary from North Shore Athletics play in a mini Olympic hockey game just off of 14th and Lonsdale. They had set up a mini fake (plastic, but you never would have known it) hockey rink and competed in the covenant Poutine Cup. It was awesome and there were so many kids out to play and cheer on their dad's. The torch was heading by there shortly after and there were hundreds of people lining the streets. If the atmosphere around the Olympics was big before, well now it is CRAZY. It really is a great time to be in Vancouver.
Time to go to work!
See you in the trails.
4 comments:
You had to mention poutine! Now I'm hungry and 200 miles from where gravy on french fries is acceptable. Now that I think of it, I'm thousands of miles from Holland, where mayo is preferred.
Speedskating: Canada or Holland this Olympics?
Did you know I am half dutch!!!! I don't even know who to go for!!!!
They had free poutine at this Poutine cup, it was tasty, I had to try it!
When I was in Holland I found that weird. They served Mayo with everything, especially french fries.
I remember eating Poutine at a Canadian bar in London. It was an awesome one time experience :)
Nicola- you and I are like twins across the border. I have very similar career angst and also would love to be a nutritionist. Good luck with the program!
I just finished my diploma at Canadian School of Natural Nutrition! Its an awesome program and you come out of it with lots of knowledge and support! I hope you give it a try! You can definitely email if you have any questions!
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