Careers in Kinesiology: Experience A Day in the Life!
- Austen Zentner
- Nov 13
- 5 min read
The Kinesiology Association of Saskatchewan shares career opportunities with our professional and student members. If you'd like access to these opportunities, please sign up for membership through our national partner, the CKA.
What is A Day in the Life?
A Day in the Life: Kinesiology as a Career provides kin students a chance to learn about careers in kinesiology. This hands-on event gives students a chance to meet with professionals for a day in the life of kinesiology careers. But what if you can't make it to the annual event in Saskatoon and Regina? This article provides an overview of a few different careers in kinesiology and how they might fit with your interests. If you're still curious, you can contact the Association to learn more.
An Overview of Careers in Kinesiology
2025 was the second year of A Day in the Life and provided a great opportunity for students to experience career options that don't require additional education, like a Master's or Doctorate degree. Over the years, we've had representation from professionals practicing with their kin degrees, working in careers including:
Clinical musculoskeletal kinesiologist,
Mental health and career support kinesiologist,
Strength & conditioning coach,
Professional Kinesiologist - geriatric specialty,
Certified Personal Trainer,
Online fitness & lifestyle coach, and
Administrative/management careers in kinesiology.
These career paths don't fit the typical kin pipeline: many kin students go into a graduate program, like physiotherapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic, or medicine. But these programs aren't available or appealing for everyone -- they may have stringent entry requirements or competitive admissions, not to mention students experiencing academic burnout, or just choosing not to pursue more school. Maybe your passion for exercise led you to kinesiology, but you don't have a solid career plan lined up yet. Maybe you are just realizing that life as a physiotherapist isn't for you, and you don't have a Plan B. But if you've got a kin degree, there are more options!
Regardless of what brought you into a kinesiology program, there are career options available without grad school. A Day in the Life exists to showcase those opportunities.
Clinical Kinesiologist: The Exercise & Rehab Professionals
Most of our members work as clinical kinesiologists or in a similar role, like exercise therapist. A clinical kin works directly with patients, often as part of a care team with a physiotherapist, chiropractor, or other regulated health professional. They provide exercise prescription, motivation, coaching, and programming. Their day-to-day might include client assessments, working 1-on-1 with clients, directing a group session, providing ADL counselling or work hardening, or supervising a clinical/gym setting. Like other clinical and healthcare careers, a clinical kinesiologist is responsible for taking professional notes, remaining HIPA compliant and upholding the ethical standards of the Canadian Kinesiology Alliance.
KAS is devoted to expanding the roles of clinical kins to include health promotion, preventative medicine, and a larger role in Saskatchewan's medical system as we build toward establishing kinesiology as a regulated health profession, like in Ontario.
If you're interested in learning more about clinical kinesiology, check out our blog What is Clinical Kinesiology?, and if you'd like to prepare for a job as a clinical kinesiologist, we recommend taking the online course Clinical Kinesiology Fundamentals developed and hosted by the Alberta Kinesiology Association. In partnership with the AKA, we offer our Professional and Student members a discount for this course -- contact us to learn more about discounts!
Strength & Conditioning Coaches: Unsung Heroes of the Sports World
Sports are a formative part of Canadian life, with nearly 70% of kids engaged in sports and over a quarter of adults continuing to play. A kinesiologist can hold many roles in sports, offering professional opportunity while pursuing your passion.
A knowledgeable, effective coach can make a massive difference in an athlete's sports experience. The right coach can encourage lifelong growth and build skills like proprioception, balance, and general and sport-specific fitness. A kinesiology graduate is uniquely prepared to work in a sports, strength, and/or conditioning coaching environment, bringing skills and attributes well suited to effective coaching. They are well-versed in the anatomy and physiology necessary for improving physical fitness and sports performance, and most kin programs will cover the basics of nutrition and sport psychology. Depending on the university, they may even have specific opportunities to study or work as a coach, like the University of Saskatchewan's Coaching Practicum.
The Kinesiology Association of Saskatchewan supports our Members who as coaches, administrators, volunteers and other important roles in sport.
Professional Kinesiologist: The Lifestyle Interventionist
A Professional Kinesiologist has a very broad scope of practice, and many make a living providing exercise, rehab and movement therapy services in a commercial gym, private facility, home gym, or in clients' homes.
A Pro Kin holds a similar role to a personal trainer or lifestyle coach, but with more possibilities and a deeper education in the important components of health and movement. Under KAS and the CKA, a Professional Kinesiologist must be well educated and properly insured to protect their clients and their profession - something that may be lacking with personal training certifications.
Even without a medical professional designation, kins' services can improve health and quality of life. Exercise alone can improve health and treat chronic conditions, and kins are educated and insured to deliver exercise plans safely for general and special populations. To learn more about the difference that kins can make in their clients' lives, check out this article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal about the impact of exercise on health and aging.
One fantastic example of the difference kins make is First Steps Wellness Centre in Regina, SK. First Steps works primarily with spinal cord injuries and is a national leader in exercise-based rehabilitation services, with professional kinesiologists leading the way.
Administration, Management, Academia, and Other Professional Options
Some kinesiology professionals maintain KAS membership when working in a non-kinesiologist role. Many of our members work in sports or healthcare administration, in clinic or fitness facility management, in disability or insurance case management, in academia including research and education, and in other professional fitness or healthcare-adjacent roles. These professionals may not follow the same pathway as a typical kin graduate, but they can still find rewarding professional employment that puts their degree-level knowledge and skills to use.
What's Next?
If you're a kinesiology student and you aren't sure what path to follow, check out the resources below for more information on kin careers. You can also contact the Kinesiology Association of Saskatchewan for more information about the careers listed in this article, or to speak to a potential career mentor.