Currently I’m working in a cubicle next to a high school drop out. Ten years ago this kid still had baby teeth in his mouth and was walking around here snaggletooth, with a runny nose that he licked what was collected from the top of his lip when he thought no one was looking.
I have a Associates Degree. I have a Bachelors Degree. I have a Masters Degree. Did you hear what I just said ?! I said I go to work everyday and I am getting paid the same thing as a high school drop out. How does that happen?
As a former collegiate athlete I always thought that just having a degree was the goal. It didn’t matter what the degree was in. Just get a degree. To be honest, the only reason I was in college was because I wanted to play my sport a little longer. They messed around and told me that they’d be willing to pay for all of my education because they could use my ability to play the sport I loved. Oh yea. I’ll stay in college for as long as they will have me. We’ll figure out the academic portion later. The school portion was just a necessary evil. That perspective is a big reason of why I have a 17 year old to the right of me trying to explain what “aura" is. (I don’t care.)
Here’s a cautionary tale for current collegiate athletes that are thinking about changing their major to something easier like “washing your hands with soap” or some other major that it’s only purpose is to keep you eligible to play your sport.
Don’t do it. Fight the urge. And here’s why. Aside from being competent everything about succeeding in your career field will be based upon two things. 1. Your ability to create, cultivate and sustain meaningful relationships that will benefit you and 2. Your ability to separate yourself from the competition that wants the same position that you desire. Right now lets focus on number 2.
If you want to separate yourself, don’t wait until you graduate to do it. Do it now. Choosing the major that’s tougher but has a better and more lucrative career is ideal.
Spare me with the get a major that you’re passionate about foolishness. I’m trying to get you paid and until you can pay your utilities bill based off your passion for your Pokemon collection. Just trust me on this one.
Don’t do what I did. I picked my major because it was versatile and it was broad. You don’t want broad. You want direction. You want a stable path.
Do you think I would be in this situation if I would have stuck to my plans of being a Physical Therapist? Probably not. Do you think I’d be making a lot more money and a lot more opportunity for growth financially ; instead of making peanuts? Absolutely .
Now in order to get that , you have to understand that it will not be easy. Some of you may be coming from a academic background that makes studying for the class within your major, tougher than it is for those that came from a better academic background.
That’s okay. That’s not a problem. The only problem is if you’re not willing to put in the extra work required to bring you up to speed so you can excel in the class.
When you wait to until after you graduate or leave college to try to separate yourself from the rest of the crowd you’ll have to fight twice as hard. All it takes is an unexpected baby, unexpected health, car issues , a speeding ticket or something else you didn’t plan for and the money that you thought you had, instantly disappears. Now your in quick sand with a slow body that gets slower and slower as you age and as the stress builds.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you can’t succeed when those unexpected things happen. Because that wouldn’t be true. But hear me when I say; it will be tougher the longer you wait. That’s why its important for you to do the things in college that will separate you from the competition that are desiring your same career path. You want to give your self a head start when it’s time to me a full-time grown up.
Some people might interpret that as making sure you have a high grade point average and they couldn’t be further from the truth. Unless you’re getting into a graduate school / post graduate school; you won’t be asked what you grade point average was as often as you think.
Here’s some questions to prioritize that will help separate you from the competition that are seeking your desired career path after you conclude your time as a collegiate student athlete:
- Have you participated in multiple internships within your career path? You don’t need to be assigned this in a class. You can prioritize this and make it happen. Given that you are a student athlete, you may have to wait until the summer but you still get the experience to see if this is what you want to do and you get to build a network of friends in that particular industry that will be helpful in post graduation.
- Have you spoken to the Chair of your academic department , professors, academic advisor on a consistent basis? The goal is to familiarize yourself with them and prioritize having career focused conversations.They can potentially put you in contact with people they know in the industry or alumni that are doing well after graduation that might can introduce you to other industries that match your interest, that you may not have even been aware of previously
- Have you committed to sending out invites to your competitions and thank you letters after the game or the season for coming out? Send this to people that I mentioned in #2 and those that in your career industry. People are generally happy to help young ambitious students and being a college student athlete only amplifies that willingness to help.
- Have you avoided racking up on unnecessary debt that you have to pay back later? It’s easy to spend money you don’t have with the mindset that I can just pay it back later. Later because burden, each day that you delay and interest piles up. Adopt the mentality that college should be tough. If you do it right, you shouldn’t be comfortable all the time. There’s no growth with 100% comfort. That means you might not get to go on every spring break outing. You may not get to eat at different restaurants at the same frequency as your peers. You may not be able to buy the designer clothes and handbags. That’s okay. Saving and investing that money will take you a lot further in the future.
When your career path is broad but you have your heart set on one particular career; you have to get a job in the meantime. That job most likely wont be glamorous and might not even have anything to do with your major.
That’s currently me. In between jobs within my career but I still have to eat. Though I know this job is not permanent , I can’t say the same for the scars to my ego I’ve developed while working this job. It was the first place where I’ve worked that the treatment and the pay were exactly the same.
Poor.
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For more articles and list of careers dedicated to assist collegiate student athletes of "making it" after their eligibility has elapsed; check out : https://www.jobs4studentathletes.com/
"Because not all collegiate student athletes want to be a coach or a trainer."
-- Jobs 4 Student Athletes
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