No not at all.
You need a cert to have a job, if you know someone who owns the gym you could likely get on without one.
The main thing is if the gym has insurance.

America, the only place on earth where you need a cert to train people but you can be a teacher without having gone to the university.

i dont know about the states but in can-can you wont get hired anywhere without your bachelors in anything and a 1-2 year teaching degree

Most certifications are a joke. A lot of bachelor degrees are also fairly useless other than for the most basic information. Self education is the best way to go.

degrees provide you with a LOT of helpful info but as usual (with most fields) its all about how you apply and build on that knowledge with your own experience and research. above all else, a bachelors degree teaches you how to think for yourself

Thanks.
Anyone else?

This makes me so sad. You'll probably end up getting a job in a good gym with a kinesiology degree. It's required in a lot of gyms in Quebec and it makes me want to choke on acid. Once you're done with a kinesiology degree, there's no way you know how to train athletes. You can train newbies and fatties in the gym, but the minute you get something complex to build you're stomped. it annoys me that the degree is seen as required to be a trainer.

i'm a personal trainer.

lol