Balling Onward: Athlete To Successful Business Person

“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated” 

-Maya Angelou

After completing my degree and time playing at the collegiate level, life changed. For me that meant beginning to work outside of sports. For you that may have meant that you signed a professional contract to continue to compete, or you start to look for employment outside of sports. At the end of the day, life will be different. While I was in Texas, after completing my collegiate career, I first worked in a sales position. This position was not something I wanted to do at all but was a job that would allow me to gain experience. One of the main reasons I was selected for this job was because I knew the owner’s wife, who was also a former women’s basketball player. Prior to being selected for this sales position, I searched around for a number entry-level jobs that I felt I would be interested in but was so unaware of what I was looking for at the time.  I had no professional work experience, so a bulk of my resume had to do with volunteering experience I gained while I was a student-athlete, my education and my role as a Division I collegiate basketball player at the local institution. I remember when I first started looking for employment out of college, that I was almost embarrassed to tell people that I was looking for a job…

Tip for The Current Student Athlete:

I was so used to being treated like a student-athlete at a larger Division I institution, where alumni would be pleasant and give you hope that you would be okay if you stayed tight with them during your collegiate career [LOL].  That isn’t true. Your parents or coaches may tell you to be cordial with the alumni who own businesses or may have something to offer who are in support of your athletic program, but when it is all said and done, student-athletes must remember, college athletics is a business for many.  Once your eligibility is complete with the higher education school you committed to, there will be no more ties. Unless you are contributing to the institution’s reputation (By bringing in money while you contribute to winning seasons as a student-athlete or having a reputable name once you have completed your time as a student-athlete), you are no longer a priority. Don’t take offense to relationships that you once had while you were a student-athlete that you no longer have when you are done competing. Just keep in mind that those who once seemed to be your biggest supporters are the biggest supporters of many current student-athletes. Be very respectful to contributors and supporters of your higher education institution but always look out for your own growth and development along the way. Do not rely on all ties that you made along the way as a student-athlete.

What is important while you are a student-athlete is being as active as possible with student organizations, departments that assist students, department leads, etc. Research has shown that students who are able to interact and involve themselves with student organizations perform better in school. Of course, this is difficult for a student-athlete because our schedules are so hectic. Despite our busy schedules, it is important that we meet and build relationships with some of those department leads and student groups. You never know what departments around campus will be looking to hire when you are finished playing sports; who can connect you with someone they know in different organizations; or even who can write you a letter of recommendation when you do begin searching for employment. During our time as student-athletes, our main focus is on sports. Politically, the correct thing to say is that as student-athletes, our focus is on school and sports but let’s be real, at that age, many of us are focused on being the best we can as an athlete. It is important to think about the relationships you may be able to build during your time as a student-athlete. We get comfortable in that role and with this title but our journey of four years of eligibility as a student-athlete will come to an end.

Use your title (Student-Athlete) just as the university uses it. Use the title while you hold it to your benefit.

I wasn’t used to having to ask around and really hustle for an opportunity for employment.  As you get older, you realize that life presents obstacles for every adult and it is totally normal and acceptable to share with people that you are looking for opportunities for employment. Most people will at least acknowledge that you reached out and keep you in mind if they come across any opportunities they may hear about. I was given the advice from an Athletic Director at a higher education institution that the more people you can meet and interact with to share your interests, the better. He said if someone is approached and asked if someone knew someone who would be fitting for a position, the people who you have reached out to will think about you, even if they didn’t know of any open positions at the time you spoke with them.

…Learn from your journey after sports…

Currently, I work for a large urban school district who has been known for the past years for its financial issues. Our department particularly has been through many ups and downs. We heard that there was a possibility of our department being cut. Although we have yet to hear a valid reason as to why those in power do not see the validity or the need of our department, we knew from prior practices within the organization that it could be a possibility that the department could be cut. We currently have 4 people in our department maintaining the workload of the what used to be composed of 12+ people. Over the years the department, which is critical to managing funds for the district, had been cut more and more. I hadn’t realized the morale within the district until after I accepted the role with the district.

Side note: Research, research, research jobs you are interested in! There is nothing wrong with accepting a job and then changing your mind once you are hired, but you do want to avoid short-term jobs to avoid burning bridges. You may be able to ask that supervisor for a recommendation. You don’t want to be known as someone who committed to something and left when you were presented with challenges.

Although sudden departure from a job is not ideal, I have noticed that after 2-3 years with an organization, it is not uncommon to move to an organization that is offering something more appealing to you. Some people preach that longevity on your resume is something an employer looks for, but I have heard from management that growth is appealing (Even across different organizations).

In my most current year with this employer, the district notified our department, with no kind of reconciliation for issues that our department had surfaced as an issue over the past couple years and they decided to cut the department. My first reaction, as a sole provider with a 2-year old baby, and a mortgage to pay was, “What the heck am I going to do?!?” I am sure for many of my colleagues, their reaction was not much different. The emotional stance of the entire district was decreasing. We came to work after getting the news that we could possibly be unemployed in the next two months. The news was discomforting and frightening to say the least.  The first thing that I did was get my resume together

.…I had to provide so “Eff” feeling sad…

My resume was already up-to-date as I had been applying sporadically over the years for opportunities that I would see browsing employment sites or LinkedIn but at this point, it became more an urgent matter.  I applied for a ton of jobs through online employment sites. Submitting your resume to an organization’s online employment site, in my opinion, is like a mini emotional roller coaster. You read a job description that you like, you think you are the perfect fit, your resume aligns perfectly, you fill out the application and answer all the questions that allow you to elaborate with hella detail. You wait and wait and wait, hoping that you will get a response different than a generic email from the organization or even a phone call. A month or so later, you receive a generic email that reads: “Dear Casey…Thank you for submitting your application for (Whatever position). The Screening Committee has completed an evaluation of your application materials and we are writing to inform you that the committee has not forwarded your application for further consideration.” [Ummm…Okay] I’m pretty sure I became numb to the generic emails denying my applications and made it a practice to continue to submit my application to different organizations with hopes that I will get a real response from a real person.

Lesson Learned: We need to experience what it feels like to be denied or to “fail” in order to understand the feeling of reaching our fullest potential!

Having in the back of my mind that I had applied for at least 70+ jobs in the past year by submitting applications online (Many of which were followed by an email I would send to a person who I assumed held an influential role within the organization that I applied too), I now have to start widening my horizons. We get in the habit of searching for jobs only in the line of work that we have the most experience in. In my opinion, this limits your chances to look and possibly be considered elsewhere. Consider your skills, rather than your field of work. Take risks!

How can I apply my experience in the field that I have been working in for so long to different types of fields?

I am currently working on my PhD in higher education with a proposed dissertation topic on the student-athlete group in higher education. Keeping that in mind, I look for positions where I could use the knowledge that I have developed while pursuing my PhD to add to my credibility and allow me to grow within any organization that I commit to. This would mean, ideally, I would want to work at a Higher Education institution, like I have in the past. Well, FYI (to myself and everyone else reading) it is extremely difficult to get in with a higher education institution as an external candidate, unless you know someone higher up or were recommended by someone to apply. I had lived in Texas for 8 years and now live in California (Who is going to be my “plug” out here?).

Welcome advice you get from others but only apply advice that will work for YOU!

I had been given the advice from a faculty member, who had to relocate for his current position, away from his family (Wife and 3 kids). He shared that he did not choose to be at the higher education institution where he was currently located but had to sacrifice in order to get where he wanted to be eventually. That sacrifice meant relocating. He essentially gave me the advice that in order to get where I want with my PhD degree, I needed to be able to be flexible and relocate to other places (Outside of California). This was one of those moments where I accepted and respected his input but had to say “Yeah, I understand” and think nothing of it later. I am a single mother with a 2-year old daughter, who sees the joy in my daughter’s eyes every single time she is with her family. She can see her aunts, uncles, her grandpa, grandma, cousins whenever she wants. I refuse to take that away for a professional upgrade.  Everyone has had to make sacrifices and difficulty choices in life to get where they want to be. My advice would be to never forget your values or what is important to YOU.  This person was very respectable and gave advice that he thought would benefit me, so I appreciate him sharing for that reason but after being away from home for 8 years, I see how special it is for my daughter. Everyone’s circumstances are different, this faculty member was able to travel home after he completed teaching his scheduled semesters to visit his wife and kids who have accepted his role and the journey he chose to get to where he has in his career. Despite being 3-4 years into this PhD program, the sacrifices I make, will be made with the goal of teaching my daughter “…by being”, how happiness is the most important thing in life.

My sacrifice was to look for places to work outside of the educational system as well. I started to reach out to people who I knew in the area who may know someone (i.e. family friends and family). I went to a networking event that my sister was speaking at for her company and shook some hands and I sent my resume to friends and family and shared that I was looking for a new start.

Lesson Learned: Along with happiness, will come opportunities. Focusing on happiness allows your inner wants/needs to surface. Don’t forget your passions in the process of chasing titles and money. That stuff will come when you are in an industry that fulfills your happiness.

Lastly, you may be or have been given the advice to compare the business world to athletics. In my opinion, that’s not completely true. My last year playing in college, we played in the NCAA tournament. We were awarded a high seed in the tournament after a solid season so were able to play on our home court. Our team wasn’t in the best place mentally at the time despite having success on the court. We played against the lower seed and were expected to win. I probably played one of the worse games ever in this last college game. Our team ended up losing. When we loss, we were out… No more games to play in college for the Seniors on our team. It was tough, knowing that that would be my last game competing in college. In the NCAA tournament, that is exactly how it goes. When you lose, you are done!

In the professional world, after sports, it is totally opposite. You will fail over and over and over again. You will feel defeated and feel like you lost the match. The difference is, you get as many chances as you need if you don’t give up! Keep pushing with the mentality that all failures build you for your desired position.