Prepare for long hours (classes and required clinical experiences). Clinicals consist of doing mostly **** work that actual certified athletic trainers do not want to do.

Depending on the degree route you take you may need to go to graduate school. That is of course if you actually want to be an athletic trainer.

Course load is somewhat difficult. You deal with evaulation and treatment of injuries so you would be required to know human anatomy, rehabilitation, injury mechanics, etc.

If you really want to do it, it can be partly enjoyable. You really have to want to do it though. It takes up an extraordinary amount of your time (between classes, practices, games and anything else that you are required to do–often students are required to return to school in early August to cover preseason practices.)

What really stands out though is how fake it all is when you are a student. Times are decent because you are with your friends. They never really tell you how when/if you get a job in the field you will be alone and work long hours and be respected by no one and that is really is a shitty profession. Especially for how specialized it actually is.