"If you love what you do, you'll never work another day in your life!"

Confucius hit the nail on the head with that one!

I was just talking to bff, Kristen (she's the ICU nurse), in Chicago and we got on the topic of work. While yes, life is monotonous (especially after getting hitched!), and some days I get sick of listening to diet recalls by 3pm...I truly love what I do. I'm passionate about what I do. And I have aspirations of a title beyond "dietitian". Specifically, I am wanting to become a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE). And currently, I am racking up the hours and years of experience to pursue this credential. I need:

- a master's degree in one of several fields (nutrition be one of them) - CHECK!
- 2 years (minimum) of diabetes self-management education - in progress!
- 1,000 logged hours of diabetes self-management education experience - in progress!
- current employment in a defined diabetes educator role providing diabetes self-management education a minimum of 4 hours per week

I think all RD's should be encouraged to seek a specialty, similar to nurses. It's great to love it all, but I honestly wouldn't be satisfied working in pediatrics. Or renal disease. Or oncology. And there's dietitians out there that couldn't be paid enough to agree to working in weight management and diabetes exclusively. Me, however...sign me up!

What else is out there for RD's to pursue? A whole lot! To name a few: Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD), Board Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition (CSR), Board Certified Specialist in Pediatric Nutrition (CSP), Certified Lactation Educator (CLE), Board Certified Specialist in Gerontological Nutrition (CSG), Board Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition (CSO), etc.

As I know many of my readers are young professionals or in the medical field -- what are your goals or career aspirations? What areas of nutrition are you MOST passionate about?

I've enjoyed the long weekend (Happy Labor Day, by the way!)...but I won't be sad to head to work tomorrow. Even with it being my long, 13-hour work day. I must love what I do!