Jennifer Hubbard
Career Goals
11/15/2010
Planning for the future requires reflection on the past. In order to make clear
where I am going, I’d like to start with how I got here. My first experience at the
University of Tennessee began in 1999 when I entered as a freshmen with a major in
Marketing. I chose Marketing because my parents wanted me to be in some sort of
business major, and I felt Marketing “sounded” better then business administration. My
goal was to get in and get out. I did what I needed to pass my classes and attended
summer school so that I could finish quickly. I graduated in 2003 and began my job
search with only one criteria - that I would work anywhere as long as it was not
sales…with a Marketing degree? What was I thinking?
I started working for a weight loss company in an entry level sales and nutrition
counseling position, with emphasis on sales. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it a great deal and
was even successful at the sales aspect of the job. Nutrition and wellness have always
been a hobby of mine. I understand the challenges of weight loss, having dealt with the
issue myself. This understanding has always allowed me to better relate to my clients and
meet their needs.
Eventually, it started to become clear that sales wasn’t the only thing I was good
at; the nutrition aspect came naturally to me as well. I became the go-to girl for questions
concerning menu plans and was soon promoted to Area Trainer. In this role, I was
responsible for teaching new employees the weight loss program and nutrition counseling
techniques. I was supervised closely by Registered Dieticians as I traveled around the
southeast holding training classes and helping to build business for new weight loss
centers.
Six years later, I realized my true passion was in nutrition, specifically in disease
prevention and treatment. I remember the exact moment it happened. I was meeting with
a client who was dealing with numerous health problems - heart issues, diabetes and
others. She continued to refer to a women who had given her excellent advice on
controlling and treating her health concerns. She spoke of her like she was her best
friend, using only her first name. I asked who she was and my client said with a warm
smile, “my nutritionist who worked with me twelve years ago after my first heart
surgery.” I knew at that moment this was what I was meant to do. I could see the
difference she had made in my clients life, and that day laid the foundation for my next
five years.
For the remainder of the year my time will be devoted to expanding my
experience in as many different areas of the field of nutrition as possible. This along with
working to increase my GPA will ensure that I achieve the most important step-getting
into an internship program in the fall of 2012.
Beginning in summer of 2011, I plan to visit at least three of the schools that I
will be applying to for my Dietetic Internship. Vanderbilt University is at the top of my
list. I feel they offer “big picture thinking,” with a concentration in clinical dietetics and
emphasis in disease management and health promotion. I am attracted to the idea of
working in a level one trauma center as well. This summer, I will be studying
introductory-level Spanish as advised by several of our class presenters.
To date, I have been in weight loss and nutrition counseling for seven years and
have earned valued experience under Registered Dieticians. I volunteer in the NEAT
program and work with children in nutrition education. I have scheduled job shadowing
with Valerie Wilkins at Blount Memorial Hospital this month.
In the near future, I plan to schedule volunteer work with Cheryl Hill from the
health department if available. I am most excited to shadow an RD in private practice, if
possible, dealing in eating disorders. It will also be beneficial to investigate some of the
research projects of several professors and begin contacting them for volunteer
opportunities in a research lab at the University next fall.
Once my internship is complete in 2013, I am going to pursue either a job in
clinical dietetics at a hospital or work with a medical doctor in private practice. My goal
is to gain experience centering around treatment of eating disorders, disease prevention
and wellness. My participation in the ADA and other peer groups will afford me the
opportunity to surround myself with the best of the best. This will allow me to
successfully achieve my ultimate goal of owning my own private practice specializing in
treatment of eating disorders, wellness, and disease treatment and prevention by 2015.
My aspiration is to impact the lives of others the way my client was impacted by
her nutritionist so many years ago. I want to use my career to spread the message…take
care of your body and it will take care of you.