Different Paths to Success
By Karen McCarthy
 Maybe you’re just finishing high school and the thought of four more years of study to earn a university degree is daunting – and expensive. Maybe you’ve been kicking around for a while doing jobs that do nothing to support your personal values. Maybe you’ve always wanted a career that will allow you to help people, but you’re not interested in nursing or med school.
Whatever direction your education and career are currently taking you, Mount Royal College in Calgary has some new paths for you to explore. Within just one year of classes and practicum placement, you could earn a certificate as a Massage Therapist, Personal Fitness Trainer or Funeral Director and Embalmer. Each of these certificates is also offered on a part-time, distance learning basis and can be completed in two years.
Jacqui Titherington, now 32, had been working in the food and beverage industry as a server. Candace Arcand, 30, was a self-described “paper pusher” fighting a serious illness. David Root was on track to become a pharmacist, taking university level science courses while working part-time in the family business, a funeral home.
All three paused to re-evaluate the course of their lives. Jacqui and Candace were looking for something more in their lives – work that was more in sync with their personal values. David began to realize that his true calling was the family business.
All three turned to Mount Royal College for a mid-course correction in the form of a professional certificate program that led each of them to a fulfilling career.
In the fall of 2006, they enrolled in one-year certificates through the Faculty of Continuing Education at Mount Royal College, Jacqui in the Personal Fitness Trainer program, Candace in the Massage Therapy program and David in the Funeral Director and Embalmer program. They completed their certificates in 2007 and each was selected by fellow learners to be class valedictorian at the graduation ceremonies held in October 2007.
Jacqui now works as a personal fitness trainer at Heaven’s Fitness downtown, one of Calgary’s most prestigious fitness establishments. She works one-on-one with clients to enhance their overall health and fitness. Jacqui is on contract with Heaven’s Fitness, so has autonomy over her hours and number of clients.
Candace is a licensed massage therapist working out of a chiropractic office and also treats clients in her home in northeast Calgary. “I had been thinking about doing this for about ten years,” she says. “My illness led me to re-evaluate what was important in my life. Pushing papers wasn’t. Helping people was. I am friends with three or four previous graduates of the Massage Therapy Certificate and they all stressed the quality of education and instructors at Mount Royal.
David works as a funeral director at Pierson’s Funeral Service, a company owned by his uncle. “I meet a new challenge every day in this business,” he says. “We have such good families coming to us, and it’s an honour to help them through a difficult time in their lives.” He was encouraged by his uncle to take Mount Royal’s Funeral Director and Embalmer Certificate, a program which is endorsed by the Alberta Funeral Service Association.
“The length of time of Mount Royal’s program was attractive to me,” say personal trainer Jacqui. “And I spoke to trainers and fitness leaders. Mount Royal’s Personal Fitness Trainer Certificate came highly recommended by people I knew in the industry. Meryl Wheeler [Distinguished Faculty Award winner] presented information in a fun, accessible way. She was outstanding. All of the instructors were available outside of the classroom and the students all learned from each other as well.
“The best thing about the program is the practical, hands-on knowledge vs., say, a kinesiology degree. The practicum directed at actual training work was most beneficial to me,” Jacqui notes. In fact, her practicum placement was at Heaven’s Fitness. The Personal Fitness Trainer program administrators work closely with leading local fitness facilities to place and supervise students in a professional setting.
Candace Arcand also found the camaraderie among the massage therapy students inspiring. “It was so great to have people from the ages of 18 to 54 all struggling together. I mainly went to the grad ceremony so I could do a little happy dance for each of them as they received their certificates. I love to watch people succeed.
David Root did his practicum at Pierson’s and now works there full-time. “The program taught me all the principles I need to know and how to implement them,” he notes, adding that the combination of theoretical knowledge with hands-on practical experience, all presented within a one-year time frame, was invaluable.
There are exciting and rewarding opportunities in these growing fields, and a professional credential helps graduates to establish their new careers. Many Personal Fitness Trainer and Massage Therapy graduates establish their own practices while others find employment opportunities with a variety of health and fitness related businesses. Funeral Director and Embalmer graduates most often join existing funeral service operations. Most significantly, over 90% of graduates of each of these certificates find work in their field within six months.
Mount Royal College’s innovative Personal Fitness Trainer Extension Certificate is designed to respond to the demand for well-trained and knowledgeable personal fitness trainers. Established in 1997, this 712-hour program guides the student through a combination of academic and technical courses as well as practical skill development.
Mount Royal’s 1100-hour Massage Therapy Certificate provides learners with marketable massage therapy skills and proficiencies. This comprehensive and innovative training program has just undergone a review and the result is an accelerated program that can be completed full-time in nine months instead of 12, and part-time in two years instead of three.
The Massage Therapy Program is recognized by CCMTS (Canadian Council of Massage Therapy Schools), ARMTS (Alberta Registered Massage Therapists Society), NHPC (Natural Health Practitioners of Canada), RMTA (Remedial Massage Therapist Association) and MTAA (Massage Therapists Association of Alberta).
The Funeral Director and Embalmer Certificate help you develop the required skills and proficiencies to become a purposeful member of this helping profession. Last fall a Funeral Director only option became available through distance learning. Graduates of both programs are eligible for licensing by the Alberta Funeral Services Regulatory Board.
New programs for all three certificates begin in September 2008 and January 2009. Applications are now being accepted:
Personal Fitness Trainer: http://conted.mtroyal.ca/pdf
Massage Therapy: http://conted.mtroyal.ca/cche/massage.shtml
Funeral Director and Embalmer: http://conted.mtroyal.ca/fde
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