WIS Podcast: Advice for Career Changers

Last month at WorkInSports, we drove home the findings of our inaugural State of Sports Hiring Report, in which 340 job seekers responded to our survey. These job seekers shed light on their experience with the job market and some of the challenges they have run into in their search. VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp closed September with a live webinar, now available on-demand, going over the information revealed in the survey.

Our latest episode of the WorkInSports Podcast hits an area in the middle of a slew of reasons for career changes as we approach what employment experts are calling the Great Resignation. We’ll let Bre, one of our newest listeners, set the stage:

“My name is Bre, and I'm a new follower of your podcast –which by the way, is so awesome and informational! I saw that we could send you emails with questions, so I thought I'd better reach out to you as I am seeking a career change. I am 24 years old. I'm currently miserable in my current career choice. I am a recent graduate who has received her master’s in a health-related field; yes, I work in the hospitals/health. I was extremely young when I chose to major in Speech-Language Pathology, and now I feel stuck. I am a former college athlete who still loves sports and would love to work in the field as an event manager/coordinator. The only problem is... I have majored in Speech Pathology for both my undergrad and graduate. I do have experience in event coordinating (my part-time job) but not event coordinating in sports.”

How do I become a top candidate as a person who only has a background in SLP?

1.) Do I have to go back to school to get my doctorate or masters in Sports Management? I really don't want to go back to college, but if I must, then I understand.

2.) Where would you start if you were me?

I do not know where to begin in this process. So, if you don't mind, please send me all of the advice you have because I really want to be in a career that is surrounded by my first love: SPORTS!!”

Job Seeker Sign In

Sign in with Google

Sign in with LinkedIn

Sign in with Apple

Or, use your email address:

Next

This is an incredibly common feeling, especially among college graduates. A year ago, a study came out that stated 61% of college graduates look back and say they wish they had changed their majors. Some of the reasons for wishing they changed majors include:

•    Wanting better opportunities
•    Seeking higher pay
•    Feeling burned out in their current career
•    Looking to learn more in-demand skills
•    Wanting to pursue something they are passionate about

The full episode will dive deeper into how to make this kind of drastic career change. Here are a few cliff notes on how to transition to a new career path:
•    Figure out specifically what you want to do.
•    Search for terms such as “coordinator” on job boards (*ahem, like WorkInSports) that are typically entry-level, as that would be where you would start.
•    Evaluate your current skills to the demands of the role that speaks to you.

Here's a little taste of the episode on our YouTube channel (which you should totally subscribe to!):

Again, catch the full episode for an in-depth discussion on this topic and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more wisdom on how to excel in the sports industry!