# Choose Your Next Step

Part of the Sports Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/sports/guide/index.md)

*6. Beyond Participation*

> **6.** Do ONE of the following:

You must choose exactly one option from this requirement. Both options ask you to think beyond your current season, but they point in different directions.

## Your Options

- **[Req 6a — Explore a Sports Career](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/sports/guide/req6a/)**: Research careers that use sports knowledge, then take one seriously enough to study training, education, costs, pay, and long-term goals. This option helps you see how sports skills can become professional work.
- **[Req 6b — Build a Sports-Based Lifestyle](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/sports/guide/req6b/)**: Explore how sports can shape a hobby or long-term healthy lifestyle. This option helps you think about enjoyment, growth, and sustainable habits beyond organized competition.

## How to Choose

**Choosing your final option** — Pick the path that best matches your real interest

- [ ] **Career curiosity:** Choose 6a if you want to know whether a sports-related job could fit your future.
- [ ] **Lifestyle focus:** Choose 6b if you are more interested in how sports can stay part of your life for fun, fitness, and personal goals.
- [ ] **Research depth:** Both require real research, but 6a usually asks for more information about credentials, salaries, and job prospects.
- [ ] **What you gain:** 6a builds career awareness and decision-making; 6b helps you design a realistic long-term activity plan you could actually keep doing.

> **Tip**
>
> If you already find yourself asking, "Could I do this for a living?" choose 6a. If you are asking, "How can I keep this in my life for years?" choose 6b.

Whichever option you pick, the goal is the same: use what you learned in this badge to make a thoughtful next-step decision instead of letting your sports experience fade away.

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- Previous: [Train, Compete, and Reflect](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/sports/guide/req5/index.md)
- Next: [Explore a Sports Career](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/sports/guide/req6a/index.md)