Many former athletes and coaches have productive and financially rewarding jobs after they retire from their professional careers. Some become even more popular and richer after their stint in sports. Terry Crews, Kate Fagan, Vinnie Jones, George Foreman, Becky Hammon, and Jason Statham are just some examples of ex-athletes who have become even more successful in their second careers.
If you are a former athlete or coach, know that there is life after sports. Listed below are eight typical jobs that you may aim for:
- Life Coach
Ex-coaches and athletes can be great life coaches because they know what it’s like to work hard, achieve their goals, and live a disciplined life. If they become life coaches, they can share their experiences to help inspire clients in attaining career and life goals. Also, shifting to a career as a life coach is relatively straightforward because all you need is a life coach certification.
- Teacher
Most professional athletes and coaches have college degrees under their belt, so it’s easy to transition to a teaching career. Ex-coaches have a lot of experience mentoring kids and teens. They can use this experience to inspire and help their students learn both academic and practical lessons.
Besides, making a lesson plan is not that different from developing strategies and plays for big games. So, teaching will be easy for former coaches and athletes. If you want to work with kids and teens, you can become a teacher. But if you desire to work with adults, you can become a life coach. Both teaching and life coaching aim to equip individuals with the qualities and attitude they need to overcome difficult situations and live a fuller life.
- Personal Trainer
Many fitness clubs hire ex-professional athletes to work as personal trainers or exercise instructors even if they do not have certification or experience as instructors and trainers. The reason behind this is that clubs believe former professional athletes can help promote their businesses. If you are interested, here you may check jobs for the online personal trainer.
Who can best give boxing training if not a past boxing coach or boxer Besides their firsthand experience in training, ex-coaches and athletes already possess exceptional personal trainer qualities that include persistence, punctuality, and enthusiasm.
- Sales Professional
A career in sales is financially rewarding but requires hard work, flexibility, and dedication. Since hard work is nothing new to former coaches and athletes, they are the best candidates to join this business field.
Additionally, former sports professionals thrive in competition, and they do not back down easily when faced with challenging environments. It’s the reason they fit perfectly in sales. Getting the deals and working out impossible contracts can give former athletes the adrenaline rush commonly linked to winning.
- Digital Communication Officer
A new trend that former professional athletes and coaches can dip their toes in is becoming an influencer and a role model. Many social media users look for individuals who can inspire them to be the best they can be.
Besides, pro athletes and coaches probably already have massive followers, so transitioning to a digital communication career would be effortless. Of course, to succeed in this job, you need to upgrade your social marketing and other skills related to digital communication.
- Recruitment Consultant
Most athletes and coaches have outgoing personalities and excellent interpersonal skills. So, it would not be a stretch to consider recruitment consultancy as their second career. As a consultant, you will be looking for people with the right skills and attitude to fill vacant positions in businesses.
- Public Relations Officer
Athletes and coaches have a lot of experience and knowledge about maintaining a good public image. A career in public relations, which oversees the public’s perception of a company or brand, is a good transition job for retiring pro athletes and even coaches.
Suppose you have maintained an excellent public image during your pro career. In that case, many companies will want to capitalize on that goodwill and be willing to let you handle their public relations. However, to succeed in this job, you must be comfortable talking to the public and the press.
- Community Development Officer
For those coaches and athletes who want to give back to the public and take a second career that will impact the greater good of the community, they can opt to work in community development. Many nonprofit organizations, local groups, and charitable institutions will need people who can help them organize recreational, sports, and educational activities for the community.
As a former coach and athlete, you are already a good role model in your locality, so it would not be hard for you to encourage more people to participate in activities sponsored by your company or group.
Final Thoughts
Retired coaches and pro athletes can have a happy, productive, and contented life after sports. Many have found successful second careers because of the qualities that they have developed during the time they spent in pro sports. The good news is there are many jobs that you can apply for as a former professional athlete or coach.
Author Bio: Donald Scott is a retired basketball coach. He has been in the industry for more than 12 years. Donald shares his expertise and knowledge through guest blogging. During his free time, Donald loves camping, boating, and mountain climbing.
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