As many of us know yesterday could have easily been referred to as "Black Wednesday" for ESPN and the whole sports media world. Keeping a close eye on Twitter the last couple days has taken up a lot of time for me! Of course there have been college recruiting stories, MLB updates, and the coverage of the NFL Draft, but seeing all of the names ESPN let go was definitely the big story. I'm not a sports journalist, I don't claim to be, and don't really want to be, so other than knowing Dallas Braden won't be popping up on Sunday Night Baseball anymore *sigh*, the only tie I have to these lay offs are as a sports fan and someone going into (a different part) of the sports world. I saw a lot of sports reporters stating that they went into sports journalism because they loved reporting, journalism, and sports. Not because they thought it was an easy path, great pay, or job security. Hmm let my thoughts begin.. By some coincidence a friend shared an article on Facebook about the 10 best and 10 worst Master's degrees of today. Guess what was #2.. on the 10 worst list.. Sports Management. It was a little surprising, but I kind of expected it to be on the list somewhere to be honest. When I kept reading I saw the three key points. 1. Early-career pay: $43,900 2. Mid-career pay: $67,200 3. Projected job growth: 7% Okay, so not exactly things that should make everyone run to get their sport management degree, both Bachelor's and Master's.. but that's where the post title comes in, For the Love of the Career.. or for the Money? - And with these quick numbers let my thoughts continue. So if I'm not going into sports journalism, why does my first point matter? The combination of these two things made me realize a few things. 1. Even with the sports industry thriving and bringing in lots of money, people working for one of the largest sports related companies in the world are being laid off. 2. Knowing this, those let go were, publicly, gracious to the company and their time spent with them (via tweets), and those not affected by the lay offs were stating that they are in sports journalism because it's their passion. 3. I've known the salaries can be low for sports industry professionals, but I feel the same way as these sports journalists who are going to continue because it's their passion and are thankful for what they have learned from their experiences. 4. I need to control my shopping habit because $43,000 a year won't support that lifestyle ;P I've decided to follow my passion, knowing that the starting salaries might not be as high as other industries, that it's going to take a lot of work to get to the top, and that even though the sports industry is bringing in crazy amounts of money it is a competitive industry and jobs aren't guaranteed (similar to the ESPN situation). I love the sports world and even after seeing such a devastating blow to ESPN's employees and average salaries I, like all of the journalists mentioned earlier, will continue with my education and career in the sports industry because it's what I love. No matter if you choose the money, the passion, or the job security I wish you all the best! And who knows, maybe one day we'll all realize we can achieve all three of these things!All jokes aside, the question that we all need to ask ourselves is this. What is most important to us, money or following your passion? Now those lucky ones who are passionate about engineering get the best of both worlds, but that's not how it works for everyone unfortunately.. If you've visited my Learn More page, then you might have seen my reference to the "Find something you love to do and you'll never work a day in your life" quote. Now don't get me wrong, money is nice and I have been called high maintenance a time or two in my life.. but when I think about my career I would much rather enjoy it than be miserable just to bring home a big check. So if you're reading this and you're thinking about going into the sports industry, ask yourself the question of what is important to you? While you're at it, make sure you consider the long, unconventional hours and how busy you're schedule might be. To me, those things are exciting and do not outweigh the environment and atmosphere of working in athletics I enjoy so much! - No matter what industry you're about to enter, or are in, the question of what is important to you applies though! P.S. If y'all are still thinking I'm crazy for taking the time and money to earn a Master's degree remember that I'm gaining experience through my athletic graduate assistantship and that if I continue in collegiate athletics a master's degree and GA experience are the best ways to get your foot in the door. I have my reasons, I'm not completely crazy ;)
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Happy Tuesday! I've been a little stuck and unsure on what to write about in the past week. It may be because of temporary writers block, or maybe it's because motivation is lacking when your team is 3-9.. but I decided my next post should be another networking post! It's not a how to, it's an example of networking actually working! The best part? It worked for me! If you read my networking series from a few months back you have read about: Networking, What is it?, Where and How, & Keeping Your Connections. Which are all helpful, but if you're like me, you probably want real life examples. Well here ya go! Earning a degree in the sports industry (like many others) is oftentimes not enough to land the big time job you're hoping for. You need experience. Probably more importantly, you need a network. And even with these three things, it's going to take time landing where you ultimately hope to land. I've been aware of this from the get go. You'll notice a pattern in my posts on my College Life and my Careers pages, getting out of my comfort zone and/or taking extra steps. I HAD to get a job in college, but I didn't HAVE to get three.. I also didn't have to make sure every job/internship I took was related to my ultimate career goals, I could have just worked in retail for 4+ years (probably making no money because, let's be real, I'd spend it all at wherever I worked..). I've been deliberate with my job/internship choices, volunteer choices, and organization choices, and guess what? I feel like it has paid off! As you saw in my Attention! I'm Moving post, I'm heading to the south for graduate school in the fall (YAY!!) - Since making that decision I applied for a few graduate assistantships and have accepted one (YAY again!!). I'll talk about that position a little later on, but for now lets move on with the networking payoff. One of the GA positions I applied for had a traditional approach; application, cover letter, resume, references. The other, well I emailed them my resume and asked if they had an opening and was interviewed shortly after. Seems like they took way different approaches right? Well maybe, but the common denominator in both? References and experience. Anyone can fill out a job application and cover letter. (Okay cover letters can be a huge pain, but if you do your research and put in some effort, anyone can write an impressive cover letter!) What you can't "fake" is your experience and your references. If you lie on a resume, shame on you and good luck.. It's pretty easy to know by talking to someone or reading a job application to determine if their experience is what they say it is, so let's all just agree to keep our resumes accurate alright? - So I kept my resume accurate and answered the interview questions honestly, but what I think got me offers from both positions..my references! (AKA, my network!) Let me take a step back with some background. I intern with Mizzou Athletics and the GA positions I applied for are at University of South Carolina, within Gamecock Athletics. Both SEC schools, which means they know their counterparts at the opposite school. The director of ticketing at USC knows the director of ticketing at Mizzou, and the director at ticketing at Mizzou knows his coworkers at Mizzou Athletics. You can see where I'm going with this right? One of the GA positions I applied for is within the same department I intern for at Mizzou, therefor my direct boss and the head of USC's department know each other well. I know that there had been emails and phone calls exchanged between the two departments before and during my interview process. I guess they went well, along with my interview, because I was offered the position! - The more surprising example of a network and networking coming through was with the other position. I already mentioned that it was kind of a nontraditional application process, but after submitting my resume to them and scheduling an interview I learned that they had reached out to Mizzou Athletics before interviewing me, and without me giving them any references. This might scare some people, but surprised was more of what I felt! They called their counterpart at Mizzou and asked about me. Well, I don't know that person, BUT he reached out to the director of the department I intern for and after speaking with her, he called USC back and recommended me! - If this isn't a prime example of a network and networking paying off, I don't know what is! - After the recommendation and two interviews, I accepted the position! They never asked me for a reference list, they just reached out the one time, interviewed me, and looked at my resume. So my point for all of this is that throughout college (and post grad life..) I've built a network, and worked my butt off for my bosses and coworkers to establish good relationships and tried to impress them with my performance. I believe that I have been successful in doing this. The most, take a step back and saw woah, part of this for me is that someone I've never met, in a high level position reached out to a coworker, took her word, and recommended me to people in high level positions at another university. I had heard of instances where things like this happened, but never witnessed it first hand. To have it happen to you, and help you achieve one of your goals, is definitely a moment where you realize your hard work has paid off. - Believe that if you work hard, be a good person, and establish relationships, it will pay off. There have been plenty of long days, unappreciative people, sleepless nights, and coffee filled mornings where the "is this worth it?" thought has came to my mind, but I can tell you that when you see it all paying off, it is one of the most rewarding things you'll experience! I'd love to help y'all out with networking or anything career and college related! Leave a note below or reach out on my Learn More page!
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