Tips for Undergrads seeking a Sports Career Job

3 years ago

Sports has always been a lucrative career option for newcomers. There are many options available in this field. Some of the examples are becoming a sports person, a coach, a referee or umpire, sports manager, sports administrator, dietician, nutritionist psychiatrist, psychologist, PR manager of players, gym trainer, physical education school teacher etc. Even though so many possible career opportunities exist in this area, the undergraduates have some or the other confusion in their minds

Often, we see that the newcomers in the sports industry find themselves in a turmoil about what steps they should take for an excellent start in this industry. So here are some tips for the undergraduates seeking a sports career job.

Tip No. 1

Skills

First and foremost, the aspiring candidates should inculcate the following skills and traits in their personalities to be at least eligible for a decent start.

•Passion

This is the driving force which propels one to start a career in sports and henceforth sustain in it. Passion for the game transforms one’s success curve into an exponential one. As an example, all the successful sports persons are very passionate about their work and it is evident from their body language itself. 

•Determination and Perseverance

These are actually the most essential traits in any field. The success is kind of directly proportional to the determination shown towards respective fields. Same goes with sports. The reason determination’s value being so high in sports is the uncertain nature of the industry. One may perform excellently in one season but fail to do the same in another. This is known as inconsistency of performance, and in turn, becomes the reason for the delay in attaining success. And thus, determination and perseverance become utmost important to start a career in sports.

Tip No. 2

•Decide Your Role

This is the foremost question one should ask oneself before joining the industry. What role does he/she would like to see him/her performing in this very appealing industry? The answer to this question actually resolves much of the doubts, as after the role is decided, it becomes easy to think about what skill sets to develop and the courses to take. This is like a junction where many roads meet, each one taking you to different destinations. In the context of sports, you may understand ‘role’ as, whether you want to become a player, coach/referee, manager, dietician, sports nutritionist, sports journalist, sports administrator, physiotherapist, psychiatrist, fitness trainer etc.

Tip No. 3

•Academics

This is one area that most of the undergraduates tend to ignore. Though this is not a necessary criteria for specifically becoming a player, it is definitely a compulsion if you want to pursue your career in the form of coach, psychiatrist, psychologist, sports teacher. Moreover, it is highly recommended to attain a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education even if you want to become a player. And after achieving the bachelor’s degree, the person can directly pursue the sporting profession that he likes or can enrol for higher education like Master’s, Diploma and PhD.

There are different courses available at a postgraduate level according to the area of interest (read our article on sports courses after 12th and sports courses after graduation). So, after you have decided what role or profession you want to pursue in the sports industry, enrol in a course synchronised with your interests and passions.

Tip No. 4

•Skill Set

This quality helps you in rising up at high levels in your field. In the era of competition, what matters the most is what unique thing do you bring with your personality to an employer. Having a good skill set will let you last for a very long time in your work. Whether you want to become a player, coach, manager, administrator, the common thing to succeed is how well skilled you are in your field. So, along with pursuing the course you have taken, if any, you should side-by-side work upon furnishing your technical, social, emotional and managerial skills that would help you in the long run.

Tip No. 5

•Basic knowledge of the Sport

At times people misinterpret things as ‘If  I want to become a manager, why do I need to know about the game’ or of what importance is the knowledge of game to a dietician or psychiatrist. This is an entirely wrong perception. If you don’t know the basics of the sport you are working in, there’s no way you can do good for the team or player.

Tip No. 6

•Have Confidence and Believe in yourself

After the completion of the undergraduate course, it is likely that one may not find a job of his/her liking, or even may not find a job at all. This is a very dicey situation, as most of the people tend to lose their focus and confidence upon themselves and switch to a different career option other than Sports. A better option in this type of situation will be to give some more time to yourself in the field and try to explore more skills and experience in your sporting field. 

These are the tips recommended for the undergraduates seeking a sports career job. Moreover, they should follow their passion and sport very sacrosanctly to achieve higher success.

Suyash Ranjan

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