Beyond Participation

Req 6a — Explore a Sports Career

6a.
Identify three career opportunities that would use skills and knowledge related to a sport. Pick one and research the training, education, certification requirements, experience, and expenses associated with entering the field. Research the prospects for employment, starting salary, advancement opportunities and career goals associated with this career. Discuss what you learned with your counselor and whether you might be interested in this career.

This requirement helps you look past the field, court, pool, or track and ask a bigger question: who keeps sports running? The answer includes far more than athletes. Coaches, trainers, physical therapists, officials, sports journalists, equipment designers, recreation directors, and many others all use sports knowledge in different ways.

Start with three possible careers

Choose three careers that honestly interest you. Good options might include:

Then pick one for deeper research.

What to research about your chosen career

Career research checklist

These are the details your counselor will want to hear
  • Training and education: What degrees, courses, licenses, or certifications are needed?
  • Experience: What beginner experience helps someone enter the field?
  • Expenses: What does training or certification cost?
  • Employment outlook: Is demand growing, steady, or limited?
  • Starting salary: What might someone earn at the beginning?
  • Advancement: What higher roles become possible later?
  • Career goals: What does success look like in this field?

Compare carefully, not casually

A sports career can sound exciting from the outside, but your research should test the reality. For example, becoming a physical therapist usually requires years of higher education, licensing, and significant expense, but it can lead to stable, meaningful work helping people recover and perform well. Coaching can be rewarding, but pay and job stability vary widely by setting.

National Athletic Trainers' Association Professional organization with information about athletic training, career pathways, and the role athletic trainers play in sports safety and performance. Link: National Athletic Trainers' Association — https://www.nata.org/ American Physical Therapy Association Learn about physical therapy careers, education paths, and the role movement science plays in sports and rehabilitation. Link: American Physical Therapy Association — https://www.apta.org/

If you discover that a sports career fits your interests, great. If you discover that you love sports but not the career path, that is valuable too. Either way, you are learning how to make informed decisions.

If you want a different way to carry sports into the future, the next option looks at hobbies and healthy living instead of jobs.