Changing Course on Traditional Thinking

I was raised to follow the rules.  When I took a lie detector test for the Army, the administrator told me that my "Momma must have raised me right."  I cannot lie without sweating and my pulse racing.  When I approach a problem, I typically take proven avenues to solve it.  So when I decided that I wanted to study nutrition, of course I choose the established, known path.  I decided to become a registered dietitian through an accredited state university (Kansas State) and the American Dietetic Association.  That the program would take me years to complete and included a long, unpaid internship were not deterrents.  Knowing that I would have a legitimate diploma and recognized certification at the end of the process was driving me.  Yet these past few months of job turmoil have forced me to question many of my past decisions and ask, what is the career path that will take me to where I will be happiest personally and professionally? 

One of the questions I keep coming back to is what is my ideal work?  I know I want to help people find health and wellness through exercise and improved nutrition.  Do I need to be an RD to do this?  Are there alternative ways to educate myself?  There are, but these alternative approaches go against my rule following nature and feel less legitimate on some levels.   

The program I'm now considering is the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.  The IIN program is a year long and ends with a Holistic Health Counselor certification. I had looked into this school previously and now they offer a distance only program.  It is affordable and convenient.  Plus, my former boss, guru, mentor and current cleanse guide is a graduate from there.  Another former AOL colleague is also a graduate.

So the next question that keeps coming up -- can I achieve what I want to with this alternative degree or do I need to be an RD?  My passions lie more on the side of coaching and wellness, than in clinical nutrition.  My intention was never to work in a hospital or a nursing home.  I want to help people.  The people who inspire me most aren't necessarily the most officially accreditted.  I am trying to let go of this old Koren way of thinking that requires me to follow tradition, but I keep being pulled down by doubt.

Part of my apprehension is not wanting to quit on the program I've just spent 15 months preparing for.  I've struggled through Chemistry and Biology, only to shift course now?  Will people judge me and think I am a quitter who took the easy way out?  Do I care what those people think?

A few years back I saw a counselor about a major problem I was struggling with.  I kept asking her "how will I know for sure?"  And she told me, "Koren, you know what you know."  Yes, I know it sounds ridiculously simple, but she helped me see that I just needed to trust in my inner voice (which ended up being right).

When I follow my instincts and not self doubt or traditional thinking, I always feel like I've done the right thing.  The "right thing" might not be exactly what I planned, but I end up learning, growing and moving forward.