Want to turn your NCAA sports career into a successful work career? Read on.
Athleticism and athletic experience help improve a person’s leadership skills and their ability to work within a cohesive unit. Likewise, at the college level, students who participated in NCAA sports may have advantages over other college students.
College sports build a personal network, which will become an asset in the professional world. You can find and build on that asset to become as successful in the professional world as you are in athletics.
Skills learned on the field and in the locker room will help improve a student’s communication and critical-thinking skills. Students interested in sports are also forced to invest in their studies in order to stay on a team academically.
This ultimately helps many students pursue degrees that may stimulate their interests and, instead of chasing a dream in the professional sports world, the athlete may become a scientist, writer, engineer, business leader or some other successful professional.
5 Successful Careers To Create After Playing NCAA Sports
However, there are plenty of careers a person can become within athletic careers. Here are the five ways a person can take their NCAA sports experience and work in a career related to athleticism and sports.
Law
The athletic world requires various legal representation in order to protect the safety and livelihood of players and athletic organizations. When one plays NCAA sports, they may see how injuries can become legal issues for colleges or for the athlete.
In addition, within the professional sports world lawyers help to protect the public image and contracts of players. Legal support is needed at college athletic programs, news outlets, athletic equipment companies and professional sports businesses. All of these can be protected by a lawyer or legal aid.
Using one’s NCAA sports experience to supplement a law degree can help immensely in this field; especially because you will have a strong network built in the sports field. Having an existing knowledge of the field, plus a law degree will definitely help you get your foot into the door of a reputable sports law firm.
Management
There are many departments and operations that go into a professional or NCAA sports team or league. Managers are needed to command workers within a particular department and work with other managers to coordinate a well-working sports team or league.
The leadership skills that a collegiate sports experience offers students are an excellent supplement to studying management in a business program. What a student knows on the field can really help them become the managerial leaders that are needed for particular departments associated with a sports team or league. You can even become an agent and manage the entire aspect of an athlete’s career – from what team they play for to which commercials they appear in.
Finance
Sports can be a big business venture. Because of that, financial departments for sports teams or leagues need to handle large flows of money, revenue and credit in order to maintain the operations of the business.
College athletes may become aware of the large amount of revenue and money that is invested in collegiate operations when they are students. Majoring in finance can be a perfect supplement to one’s athletic experience and insights.
Marketing
Anyone can see that sports requires an immense marketing infrastructure in order to get information about teams and players to as many fans as possible. The marketing departments for leagues, sports teams, colleges and athletes are immense businesses and a college athlete who studies marketing can land a quality job in the marketing sector.
As a marketer you may represent the public relations of a specific player or help with conventional marketing campaigns for collegiate and professional teams. Being a former collegiate athlete, you can have a deeper understanding of how sports connects to fans and how specific marketing techniques can tap into that connection.
Administration
One of the most essential jobs in any organization are administrative jobs. All collegiate and professional sports teams or leagues need administrators to help manage the daily and essential business responsibilities. Kirk Lacob, Assistant GM for The Golden State Warriors, talks about how to get that administration job in sports as well.
Many colleges provide online athletic administration athletic programs. Collegiate players can learn about the administrative needs of athletic programs on the road or at school.
Take Your NCAA Sports Career And Create A Professional Career!
Being a college athlete has its own perks and professional enrichment attached to playing NCAA sports. However, supplementing collegiate athletics with a particular degree of study that can help land a job in a sports-related career is an incredible opportunity. If you don’t plan on continuing on into professional sports, but also want to take advantage of years of athletic experience, there is a job for you! College athletics is just one part of the college experience – an experience that will ultimately enrich a person’s life and lead toward a potential career.
Played NCAA Sports? Here’s Five Ways to Make a Career Out Of It