Looking back, it was a remarkable decision to change career when I did.
I had a permanent government job, which was reasonably well paid. Not FIFO money, but having a permanent job and the feeling of security that comes with it, has or had value.
I had previously worked with multinational computer companies, training sales and support staff, training their customers and writing manuals. I spent some 25 years in the IT industry, so it was a HUGE decision to walk away from a financially rewarding occupation.
At the time, we still had children at school, and when I retrained to study my Diploma of Remedial Massage, I could not get a cent of Austudy or any form of help for over two and a half years of study. That blew all the life savings and more!
So why did I make the change?
I had been in pain for years
I spent years and thousands of dollars on chiropractors, physiotherapists and acupuncture. I got nowhere. A bit of temporary relief occasionally, but essentially getting nowhere
I had lower back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, couldn't turn my head, wore a neck support
One day whilst driving I turned my head to the right and it got stuck in that position!
I finally started attending massage course, not to learn how to do it, but to present myself as a broken body for students to experiment on.
I had about a dozen treatments by a seond year TAFE students which really helped
I started studying with Myopractic courses and with Barry Harwood, once my interest was piqued.
There were only half a dozen Remedial Massage practitioners back then, and I felt more were badly needed
Some practitioners I saw wanted to keep booking you in for more and more appointments with little improvement. I decided I would try to offer a service which was both affordable and effective with the minumum number of appointments.
Surprised that none of the practitioners I saw when in pain had ever recommended I try Remedial Massage, I decided to retrain as a Remedial Massage Practitioner to help get the word out about the benefits of Remedial Massage.
I operated a Remedial Massage service at the Rockingham Foreshore from 2004 to about 2012. That definitely did the job of promoting the benefits of Remedial Massage!
I was the only Remedial Massage practitioner in Australia ever to offer Health Fund Rebates in a beach front location in Churchill Park.
It really did help get the word out about Remedial Massage.
Would I make the same decision again?
If I had known I would not get a cent of Austudy whilst retraining for two and a half years after paying taxes all my life, I probably wouldn't have changed careers. Financially those times were a bit rough because I spent many thousands on extra courses, DVDs, books, so that I could have the best possible training. Did I say financially rough? I meant financially disastrous!
In the same position again now, probably not, as now there are over 50 Remedial Massage practitioners in the area. The population has grown, more people use Remedial Massage than 20 years ago, but I doubt if I would feel the same urgency to add to that number today.
Although there were initial financial difficulties, becoming a Remedial Massage Practitioner is the best decision I have ever made!
Yes, because I am so passionate about what I am doing!
Yes, because people can be sailing along one minute and something happens and their lives can be turned upside down in an instant, requiring Remedial Massage to sort things out.