Are you drawn to activities and hobbies in which you use your hands to create, build, or manipulate something? You may have a high degree of bodily kinesthetic intelligence. In other words, "it means being able to take ideas and concepts and using your hands to translate those ideas into something," says Martha Russell, a career counselor in Battle Ground, Wash., and the president of the National Career Development Association. You may enjoy a career that draws on that strength.

In the November/December issue of Career World, you read about three people who use this strength daily in their "hands-on" careers as a sculptor, a woodworker, and a bicycle mechanic.

Here, Career World explores hands-on work in the health care field. Meet massage therapist Cynthia Ribeiro!

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Cynthia Ribeiro is a massage therapist and founder of the Western Institute of Neuromuscular Therapy, a massage-training school, in Laguna Hills, Calif.

Handy Work: Massage therapists work their hands and fingers on a person's soft tissue to help increase circulation. They are trained to help in treating aching muscles, rehabilitating athletes after a sports injury, and reducing people's stress.

What She Likes About Her Work: "I love people and being in close contact with them. It's a thrill to help people achieve their athletic goals or to take away whatever pain they're feeling."

Daily Challenges: "People see all the different massage techniques and aren't sure which one would be best for them. A lot of people say, 'Make me feel better,' but it's not until after I've seen them a few times that they'll mention something that happened years ago that explains why their back hurts today."

How She Got Started: "I started out teaching swimming and managing sport spas. I then went into surgical nursing so that I could learn more about the human body. I've always been told that I have a 'good touch,' and when I added knowledge of the body to that, my 'good touch' intensified 10 times over."

If You Want to Get Started: "The American Massage Therapy Association requires a minimum of 500 hours of training to be certified. To join my school, you have to have at least a high school diploma, and then we want to know if this is the right career for you: Do you like to touch people? Are you interested in anatomy and physiology? Find a school in your area, and ask if you can sit in on a class."

Words of Wisdom: "Being a good massage therapist is a lot like being a good person: you should always be curious and willing to listen to what people are really trying to tell you."

Learn More: American Massage Therapy Association

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