On Nov. 6, 2010, the NCAA sponsored a Regional Career in Sports Forum, where 44 NCAA student-athletes currently in their senior season from all over the West convened on the campus of Long Beach State to learn more about the possible careers in the field of athletics and what steps were needed to get there. Two of Seattle University's own athletes, cross country runner Allison Prather (Carpinteria, Calif.) and baseball player Josh Kalalau (University Place, Wash.), attended the forum. The following paragraphs are their comments on the experience.
Prather: Over the weekend we gained a wealth of knowledge specifically about each individual field that we were seeking to pursue. We talked with a panel of five sports professionals: sprints coach, athletics director, compliance director, soccer coach, and a distance coach, and were able to ask detailed questions and dive into the nuances of their careers, as well as the cold hard truth of the actual process, such as the pinching of pennies, rejections, working their way up, connections, and the power of references. The forum further consisted of presentations on networking, self-branding, how to define yourself, how to take the next steps, a resource fair with a mixed assortment of career options, a social etiquette session, and a wonderful keynote speaker, Marcellus Wiley, a former defensive end for the Buffalo Bills of the NFL. Not only was it an invaluable weekend of information, professionalism, and specific guidance for the careers we all hope to pursue, but additionally it was a time to interact and get to know athletes just like ourselves from schools across the west under a common purpose.
Kalalau: The sports and leadership forum broadened my eyes in ways that will benefit me in the future. The NCAA put on the forum and it was basically a forum on what jobs there were in the line of athletics. Not only did it help with areas of work you can go into that involves athletics, but it also helped you prepare yourself. Two things the leaders of the forum stressed were "networking" and "self-identity." I never realized how important networking was and that there is always an opportunity to network, whether it is in an elevator or at a dinner with alumni. There is always an opportunity to present your self-identity. Self-identity is so important because if you do not know who you are, then you do not know what will drive you.
Prather: The two days opened many doors of possibilities for each of us as well as provided us with important information that will jump start our career processes. It provided us with a handful of new skills to aid our transition out of college and collegiate sports and into a career in athletics. I personally walked away more confident and certain in the career path I wanted to pursue as well as feeling better equipped to take my first steps toward actively pursuing and transitioning into working in the field. However, the information I took away will impact all areas of my life. I was specifically struck by a comment that our keynote speaker, Marcellus Wiley, said, "Most athletes say hi when they need to say goodbye." Make the connections now, and remember that you have "to give to get." Life, and work, is not a one-way street. Additionally, he spoke to the importance of creating a game plan in life. "Make your days around what your want to do, draw up a mental game plan" and in it, know yourself because "when you know who you are you won't let anyone expect or tell you otherwise."
Kalalau: It was a great experience to be involved with this forum. It taught me to be more social and begin networking. More importantly it taught me the steps of going about getting a job and was very helpful in opening my eyes. I had always thought I was going to be playing baseball for the rest of my life and now that my career is coming to an end I need to begin adding more tricks to my bag of goods. Marcellus Wiley, one of the guest speakers who is a sports analyst, told all of us that, "If you have your sport in one hand, then it is hard to make noise with only one hand but if you have your sport in one hand and fallback plan in the other, then you will make lots of noise." Basically, he said you needed to know that you're going into your sport expecting a divorce down the road. You cannot rely on sports to carry you through out your career.
So my advice to others is to take full advantage of interacting with others and learning the proper ways of interacting. Networking will take you a long way because in the end it's all about who you know and not always what you know.
Prather: A few tidbits of information to leave you with:
- - It only takes 4-7 seconds to make a good first impression, but it takes 7 consecutive attempts to correct a bad one.
- - Find your help in another person: a mentor, a coach, or a friend.
- - To get where you want to be, you'll have to make sacrifices.
- - Know your industry.
- - Make an impression and stick out.
And most importantly, "Find a job you like and you will add 5 days to every week." ~Jackson Brown Jr.