Guest Blogger: Andrew Griffiths 2008

Having studied Sport & Exercise Science at Loughborough University and graduating with First Class Honours, I decided that I wanted to specialise in sports nutrition. After researching online for several weeks, I decided to enrol on the Exercise & Nutrition Science MSc programme at the University of Chester. I initially started studying full-time, but after starting a business as a personal trainer, I eventually moved to part-time study.

It took me just over two years to finish my MSc. I was relatively pleased with finishing the course in this time frame, as I managed to also fit in a three-month stint in New Jersey USA coaching football/soccer. I also found the dissertation quite challenging but also very interesting. The lecturers were extremely helpful – especially Mike Morris who gave me some valuable tips with the maths statistics.

My career took somewhat of a change in direction a few years later. Having built and coded my own personal training website, I became interested in marketing. I was fortunate to get my first job in “SEO” or Search Engine Optimisation (getting websites near the top of the Google results) and have worked for several companies in various digital marketing roles over the last few years.

I’ve recently combined my love for fitness and sport with my online marketing career by starting a digital marketing position at Wrexham-based Net World Sports.

The fitness industry is booming right now. It’s been rapidly growing since I left university. If you want to improve your chances of working in fitness and sport, sometimes it can help to widen your skill-base by completing a course and gaining experience in a slightly different field, like marketing, web development or finance.

With so many businesses going online and fighting it out to gain market share, courses like the university’s Digital Marketing MSc can give you a key advantage in the job market. A degree in Sport Science or a programme in Exercise & Nutrition can help you tap into the fitness, nutrition and sports industries, which are all growing rapidly.

I decided to study at Chester because it’s close to home, is located in a beautiful city and has an excellent reputation for Sport Science. The gym was also really impressive when I came for a look around! The course was extremely interesting, and the lecturers were all at the cutting edge of the latest science, but also very helpful and down to earth. I also played for the Rugby League team and had an extremely enjoyable time studying and meeting people at the University.

Images courtesy of Andrew.