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I am going to grad school for this degree next year after mulling back and forth and deciding if I should give up on the field. But because of my work demands, I am doing an online program.
I don't claim to know everything about the sports industry, not by any means, but based on what I do know, I don't think one internship is enough when it comes to finding jobs. Did you do any volunteer stuff outside of your internship? For example, I am volunteering at the Super Bowl this year and talked to a Twitter follower who said some students at his school are doing the same. I also do some writing, which you may be able to tell by username, and it doesn't pay of course.
What about networking? Have you e-mailed people in the kind of jobs you'd want to have, tried to make connections, things like that? Believe me, I know networking isn't fun...as I can be kind of introverted and it gets me nervous, but I know I have to do it to be successful in the field. What kind of work ethic did you have at your internship? What did you accomplish?
You really have to be willing to do some more dirty work is my immediate guess. Whether you volunteer at a sports event or go to grad school to get more internships/network that way, try to find something. It doesn't have to be the Super Bowl, as my understanding is that even smaller scale organizations and events could use some help.
PM me if I can help you any and you'd like a networking contact. I work in media right now and got my current job by working my way up from being...yep, an unpaid intern!
I am going to grad school for this degree next year after mulling back and forth and deciding if I should give up on the field. But because of my work demands, I am doing an online program.
I don't claim to know everything about the sports industry, not by any means, but based on what I do know, I don't think one internship is enough when it comes to finding jobs. Did you do any volunteer stuff outside of your internship? For example, I am volunteering at the Super Bowl this year and talked to a Twitter follower who said some students at his school are doing the same. I also do some writing, which you may be able to tell by username, and it doesn't pay of course.
What about networking? Have you e-mailed people in the kind of jobs you'd want to have, tried to make connections, things like that? Believe me, I know networking isn't fun...as I can be kind of introverted and it gets me nervous, but I know I have to do it to be successful in the field. What kind of work ethic did you have at your internship? What did you accomplish?
You really have to be willing to do some more dirty work is my immediate guess. Whether you volunteer at a sports event or go to grad school to get more internships/network that way, try to find something. It doesn't have to be the Super Bowl, as my understanding is that even smaller scale organizations and events could use some help.
PM me if I can help you any and you'd like a networking contact. I work in media right now and got my current job by working my way up from being...yep, an unpaid intern!
^I agree that writing experience can really help.
I have an econ degree and don't work in sports. After I graduated I got an unpaid writing internship for a popular travel/cultural magazine and in my most recent job interview (I got the job) they were really impressed with my writing experience. The job I got isn't about writing, but having the experience is probably a plus in the eyes of many interviewers.
My main pronlem is that I went to a large state university and because I didnt know any better , I really only found out about internships and such my last year. Now , because I have a large amount of student debt , I simply cant do internships anymore unless their paid. I also couldnt do grad school either because Im already in enough debt from undergrad. I dont even care tbh about sports anymore , I just simply cant get a job anywhere because I think noone really understands what the degree is. Im more of just loooking for any real job(outside retail) to start a career and then if later down the line I want to go back to sports , I might.
Thanks for all the responses so far. I wanted to work in professional or collegiate sports. Athletic departments or front offices. I dont really care where I start , I just cant seem to get a start.
To the enterprise comment , I tried that route and then after reading alot of reviews , backed out . It just seemed like a nightmare and not what I think I would be into.ALso , you would think what you said about general business would be correct considering if any employer saw my course load , its literally almost identical to a business degree , but I think for some reason people just think its a joke major.
To the person saying connections , thats my biggest problem , I have none.
You should be able to get entry level business jobs. Make sure your resume highlights your transferable business skills. You should be looking nationwide and at some of the large national banks for jobs in operations.
Crazy question, but have you visited the employment section of EVERY professional and collegiate sports team? Are you signed up for "Future Notification Only - NFL Teams?" This a service provided by the NFL that alerts people of job openings. Sports teams have all types of jobs.
Don't blame your degree. You didn't know about internships until last year?
Last edited by charlygal; 11-25-2013 at 05:33 PM..
My niece who recently graduated with a Sports Management/Finance degree recently attended an job fair sponsored by Major League Baseball. They had representatives from all the major teams. Check all the leagues' websites for future job fairs. Also, if your degree included some physical science courses, check out the major hospital systems.
charly , Ive literally applied to everywhere lol..anything you can think of in sports ive done. Ive even done some of the sites you pay for like jobsinsports and workinsports.
what I mean by the internships thing is that I was always under the mindset to just graduate and I really didnt know that I should be taking internships all throughout college. I just sort of realized at the very end that I needed more experience and now because of my financial situation ,it's to late. Ive also tried all entry level business jobs and get nothing back. Maybe Im not doing my resume right , IDK
btw , I tried the networking thing and it didnt work , literally emailed everyone I could think of just asking how they got their jobs , nothing to do with helping me and they all ignore you. I had one person at ESPN thats sort of a family friend and spoke to him on the phone but he didnt offer to help me get a job.
charly , Ive literally applied to everywhere lol..anything you can think of in sports ive done. Ive even done some of the sites you pay for like jobsinsports and workinsports.
what I mean by the internships thing is that I was always under the mindset to just graduate and I really didnt know that I should be taking internships all throughout college. I just sort of realized at the very end that I needed more experience and now because of my financial situation ,it's to late. Ive also tried all entry level business jobs and get nothing back. Maybe Im not doing my resume right , IDK
If you want to message me your resume (leave your name/address/phone number/email off though) I could try to offer some advice/input.
I was in a similar situation to you until last Friday.
How long have you been applying for jobs?
Edit: or you can post your resume here (leave out all identifying info) and get multiple people's feedback
The OP should have done a wee bit more research about this. Back when HBO had the Arliss show on it was a pretty hot major but as there are tiny number or successful sports agents and a finite number of professional sports franchishes this is clearly a field where folks who want in greatly outnumber available slots.
The fall back plan is often pretty bleak -- going door to door for Comcast to get people to sign up for premium sports packages, working as bus boy in a sports themed chain resturant (BW3...), desk clerk at a health club...
Success in this kind of field is all about CONNECTIONS, and if you have parents that will foot your bills as you "volunteer" as gopher for some minor league baseball team in some rural community maybe you can build a resume and wax the car of some up and coming player then ride their coattails into a bigger market.
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