I start Monday, i am extrmemly excited! The questions I have are:
1. How difficult is it to pass the exam to get your state License? I’m in SC and I’m a great student and plan on working my a** off. Any statistics on the pass/fail rate?
2. Once i graduate, I plan on doing massage therapy part time at first. Is it possible to make this into a full time career? Making decent money?
3. I would eventually like to add other things to my massage business such as Reiki, Hot stone therapy and things like that. What are some other similar techniques I can look into and do you need to be certified to those as well?
Any feedback and/or advice is appriciated! Thanks!
State licensing or certification requirements vary widely. But it’s likely you’ll need to take a national exam, like the NCBTMB. Fear not – if you graduate from massage school, and you’re paying attention and serious about your studies, you’ll do fine. Your school should be able to give you data on the pass rate of it’s graduates.
Doing massage full-time is a challenge. And not just to make "decent" money. Also consider your need for benefits, like health insurance, and how you’ll access that. Plus, it’s physically demanding work to do full-time. It’s possible, of course, but requires a strong set of skills, and a thoughtful plan. You don’t need to decide now, of course. But as you finish school and prepare to launch your career, be sure to spend some time objectively and concretely articulating your goals and financial needs.
There are many other adjunct techniques, some of which may offer certification. As you progress thru school, you’ll get a chance to learn more about them, and to make some judgments about which are valid and valuable, and which are hokum. There are plenty of both out there.
Good luck!
Dave