Whatever path you've chosen in intercollegiate athletics, how do you get ahead? Sometimes it seems that everyone wants to work in athletics. How can you stand out from the crowd?

There are specific steps you can take to advance your career in intercollegiate athletics, whether you are just starting out or are looking to move up.

The first issue you must consider is your plan for your career. There was a time, not that long ago, when the average worker didn't have to worry about planning a career. You sought training, took a job with a company and probably stayed at that same company, in the same field, until retirement 20 or 30 years later. The work world is not like that anymore.

"The average person will have an average of 10 different jobs now, with four different careers," said Becky Heidesch, chief executive officer of Women'Sports Service and co-founder of the Women in Sports Careers Foundation. "You've really got to manage your career the way you manage your checkbook. You just can't pick it up once a year and expect to be successful."

Managing your career means several things. It means having a plan, with long-term and short-term goals. And those goals need to be achievable. For example, a reasonable goal for a young athletics administrator would be to gain experience in marketing and promotions.

It also means keeping your résumé up to date, just in case an unexpected opportunity presents itself. It means looking for every chance to gain more experience, meet new people and develop new skills.

"You also need to be flexible and be moving forward with professional development opportunities," Heidesch said.

And there are challenges unique to athletics that make it an especially tricky field in which to manage a career. There may be little job security, especially in some professions in athletics, and there also is the simple fact that more people want to work in athletics than there are positions out there. As professionals in other fields across the country are enjoying the benefits of low unemployment rates, athletics remains a very competitive market.

"We need to understand the challenges of managing a sports career today. Some of those challenges are because of the laws of supply and demand," Heidesch said. "You've got to understand the sports industry and understand that there aren't many industries like it."

Having a plan with an idea of where you want to go and how you want to get there helps, Heidesch said. "Managing our careers has become very stressful. You've got to be empowered to take control of your career so your career doesn't take control of you."

Schooling yourself for success

Especially if you're early in your career, your plan may include graduate school. Jane C. Meyer, NCAA director of education outreach, taught graduate students in sports management for six years before coming to the NCAA. She recommends a graduate degree, but only after you've attained some work experience.

"My advice to anyone who's interested in graduate school is to go work in the real world for two to three years," Meyer said. "You do not need to have a job in athletics, but get a job doing something. You need to be out on your own, working a full-time job and living in the real world. Then, once you come back to graduate school, everything makes a lot more sense."

Meyer points out that work experience teaches you how to relate to others in a work environment, which is a new experience for many students, especially student-athletes. It may be the first time you've lived on your own and had those attendant responsibilities, and it also may be the first time you've had to deal with a boss instead of a professor or a coach. Internships are helpful of course, but few things take the place of the experience gained in that first real job.

Work experience also gives you real-world examples that make your graduate school lessons more relevant. If you worked at a sports facility, for example, you might be better able to relate to the portion of your sports law class that deals with institutional liability. Remember that time there was the big leak in the hallway? What if someone attending the game had fallen and been injured?

In addition to being able to relate your experiences in the work world to what you're studying, you'll have the chance to develop your people skills. You'll learn more about relating to others, which is an enormous part of being successful in the work world.

Meyer, who also has worked extensively in athletics administration, advises undergraduates to think about what skills they have that might enhance a career in sports management. Then, instead of limiting yourself to an undergraduate and graduate degree in sports management, for example, you may want to consider an undergraduate major in another field in which you have interest and skills.

"I'm an advocate of obtaining a physical education degree or a teaching degree or an undergraduate business degree, for example. For those who want to get into interscholastic sports and be a high-school athletics director, you need a teaching degree. And that teaching degree will never hurt you. It only enhances (your career) because you learn how to deal with a wide variety of people."

Meyer does encourage people who are interested in advancing in athletics to eventually pursue a relevant master's degree in sports management, education or business.

"You cannot expect to come out as an undergraduate with a degree in sports management and get a job making $50,000. You may not even be able to get a job with just an undergraduate degree in sports management," she said.

Nona E. Richardson, senior woman administrator and assistant director of athletics at Valparaiso University, agrees that graduate degrees help.

A physical education major as an undergraduate and volleyball student-athlete at Michigan State University, Richardson completed a master's degree once she had been in the work world for several years.

"Employers don't look at you further (for advancement) sometimes if you don't have a graduate degree," she said. "Did I really need it to help me in my job? Probably not. But is it important as you move up? Yes."

Richardson also points to graduate education as a way to develop yourself personally and intellectually.

"You may learn a lot by simply learning how to think outside the box," she said.

Building a foundation

The NCAA's Meyer also points out that intercollegiate athletics is a field with many different opportunities, and even those who seek to become athletics administrators benefit from many types of experiences.

"There are many different paths to success," she said. "Too many people think you have to have studied sports management the entire time or you have to be a former coach, and that's not true."

What does help people advance is a broad base of knowledge about athletics, offered Dutch Baughman, executive director of the Division
I-A Athletics Directors Association. Baughman, who often presents a session at national conferences on "Becoming an Athletics Director," also consults with institutional representatives and serves as a resource for presidents and search committees who are seeking candidates for athletics director positions.

"One piece of advice I always give young administrators is to be eager to accept and develop as much responsibility as you can," he said. "Athletics directors are responsible for so many different things -- fund-raising, marketing and promotions, budgets, facilities management, personnel, etc. -- that in order to be prepared for that someday you must make a conscious effort. Look at how you can develop expertise in areas that perhaps are not your responsibility now."

Eugene Marshall Jr., athletics director and women's basketball coach at Ramapo College and member of the NCAA's Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, brought a business background to athletics. A former student-athlete, Marshall had a business administration background, working at IBM for several years. Marshall has been an athletics director for the last 12 years, and he's also coached both men's and women's basketball.

"The skills I use on a day-to-day basis now are the same skills I used at IBM," he said. "To be successful in athletics you need people skills and customer-relations skills. There's not any one way to get (ahead in athletics administration). It really doesn't matter what your major is. It matters much more that you learn how to manage people and that you have a role model to help you see where you want to be."

Marshall also thinks his experience coaching helps in his current administrative position. "As an athletics director, I'm a coach of other coaches. A lot of the skills I used in coaching are the same skills I use now in administration."

Taking on volunteer opportunities is one way to get experience and build your skills. And again, because so many people are interested in careers in athletics, unpaid opportunities may be a good way to get your foot in the door.

Jim Wright, NCAA director of statistics, comes from a sports information background. And because he's had a 25-year career in sports statistics, people frequently ask him how to break into the field.

"I always recommend that you volunteer your time," he said. "In most cases, volunteering is the best way to get your feet wet. For example, if you're interested in sports statistics, go to the sports information office and find out if they need help with volleyball statistics or field hockey. You won't start out with football or basketball, but you may end up doing statistics for one of the other sports."

Wright notes that if you make a good impression as a volunteer, people will remember you and your work. Wright also points out that volunteer opportunities exist at institutions, conferences or even high-school leagues. "Many times those groups are short on people -- and perhaps short on funds -- but there's always plenty of work to be done," he said.

Meyer agrees. "Don't be afraid to volunteer," she said. "In athletics anymore, you've got to pay your dues. And volunteering is one way to do that. It also helps you gain a broad range of experience in a variety of areas."

One way to hone your skills in business, marketing or other areas is to take advantage of professional development opportunities offered by professional organizations. Look for workshops, seminars and national conferences.

The National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) offers many different educational and professional development sessions at its annual fall forum. And for those who are further along in their careers, the NACWAA/
HERS Institute for Administrative Advancement provides a week-long residential program designed to offer women administrators and coaches intensive training in athletics administration.

The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) has a sports management institute as well as an athletics business workshop that is held in conjunction with NACDA's annual convention. Other professional organizations offer a variety of different programs. (For a list of organizations relevant to intercollegiate athletics, see http://www.ncaa.org/conferences/affiliated.html.)

Other sources of professional development opportunities include those produced by commercial entities. Several entities with a Web presence might be of interest to you, including http://ww3.sportsline.com/u/sportscareers, http://www.sportsjobs.com, and www.WomenSportsJobs.com.

"The beauty of the Internet is that it offers information and resources that might be otherwise difficult to find," said Heidesch, whose Women in Sports Careers Foundation supports the site at www.WomenSportsJobs.com. That site, which is affiliated with the Franklin Covey company, supports free online career forums and offers subscription-based job listings as well as a sports directory that includes contact information for 40,000 different entities within the sports industry.

Depending on your individual circumstances, you might be able to pursue institutional funding for your professional development. Richardson, who attended the 2000 NACWAA/HERS Institute, was surprised that her institution picked up the tab.

"I looked at the cost of attending, and I recycled the mailing (from NACWAA)," she said. "But then I received a copy from my president and one from the athletics director, both asking, 'Would you be interested in attending this?' The two of them and the vice-president who oversees athletics here were the keys to my attending."

Richardson, who was named NACWAA's Nell Jackson Award winner, an honor that is bestowed annually to an up-and-coming athletics administrator who demonstrates vision and outstanding leadership, said attending the NACWAA/
HERS Institute had been tremendously valuable to her professional development.

"That's had a major impact on what I've done this past year. I strongly encourage anyone who wants to get ahead in our profession to attend NACWAA/HERS."

Richardson credits the faculty at the institute with her determination to push for additional responsibilities, and she credits the experience itself for giving the athletics director the confidence in her to take on those responsibilities.

"I came back (from the institute) with some ideas," she said. "And I asked again for more responsibilities. This time I got them."

The right fit

Many administrators just starting out make assumptions about where they'd like to end up, without considering where their skills and personal philosophy would make the most impact. Several people say it's a mistake to automatically assume you'd like to be active in Division I, just because it's the most visible NCAA division.

"The right fit for an athletics administrator doesn't necessarily mean Division I," said Baughman. "Not everyone should strive for a position in Division I-A.

"Instead, you should work to understand the philosophy and mission of each division. See where you're compatible. Know what's important to you, and know what kind of an environment you want to work in.

"If that means the best opportunity for you is in Division III or Division I-AA, or whatever, recognize that as a wonderful opportunity. You really need to understand what the whole profession has to offer."

Meyer agrees, noting that you might even be able to gain different experiences at different divisions during different points in your career.

"It depends on what you're looking for. If you want a broad range of experiences, you need to look at Division II, Division III or smaller Division I schools.

"On the other hand, if you know you want to be an academic counselor, for example, and you just want to concentrate on that, Division I might be the best place to do that since you'd be more likely to just work in that area."

Making connections

Professional development workshops or institutes are opportunities to learn more about the profession, meet others and expand your network, as is involvement in professional organizations.

Bridget Belgiovine, NCAA assistant chief of staff for Division III and a former campus athletics administrator, stresses involvement in professional organizations. Belgiovine just completed a term as the volunteer president of NACWAA, and she and the new NACWAA president, Judith M. Sweet, recently named the new NCAA vice-president of championships, presented a session at the 2000 NACWAA fall forum focusing on the importance of mentoring and getting involved in national organizations.

"I've gained so much more than I've given," Belgiovine said, noting that she's gained experiences and met people she would otherwise have not encountered. Involvement in professional organizations opens the door for networking as well as mentoring relationships.

"I think involvement in a professional organization is critical to career development. I also think that once you get an opportunity to get involved at any level, you need to make sure you make an impact. You never know who you're going to meet, and you also never know what you will be doing down the road."

Belgiovine also advised NACWAA attendees to attempt to get involved in athletics on a conference and regional level, since there may be more opportunities for greater involvement there. She advises learning about the organizations' structure and governance as well as making sure that your colleagues are aware of your interest in the organization.

"You have to make a commitment to involvement. It doesn't just happen," she said. "You have to commit and you have to make the time. Too many people say they're too busy to go to national conventions or conferences, for example. My point is that you will never have the time unless you make the time."

Through your involvement with professional organizations, you can expand your network and also seek appropriate mentors, a suggestion offered by many in intercollegiate athletics.

"I was lucky to have some important role models. One of my former coaches was Jim Calhoun," said Ramapo's Marshall. "And I had a mentor -- Professor Davis -- who took me under his wing, and I could always go to him. Mentors do so much for you. It's important to have people you can call and ask their advice -- that's how you really succeed. The people I've had as mentors in my life helped to put me in situations where I felt I could succeed. I think it's important to have people like that behind you, so you're not going into it alone."

Marshall also recommends a network of individuals who can give you advice when you need it.

"I built up a network of people around the country I could call for advice, and now people call me," he said. "It's a very rewarding part of my job."

The NCAA's Meyer suggests young administrators seek out someone who is willing to help. "It's important that you find a mentor. Don't be afraid to ask someone if it's OK to call them. Many times we idolize people and are afraid to ask them for help," she said.

"Recognize and value the fact that they are busy, but also recognize that there are many people who know they had someone help them and they are often willing to help others."

And seasoned athletics administrators need to take time to reach out and be mentors, Marshall said.

"The more we have people in athletics who are willing to be mentors, the more we're going to have student-athletes entering careers in athletics, and the more we're going to have people of color. I would like to see more student-athletes become interested in athletics administration as a career because they bring a love and a passion that would benefit future student-athletes."

A passion for the job

Most people who are involved in athletics, especially intercollegiate athletics, have a passion for sport. The most successful people have a passion for sport, for education and for student-athletes.

"You've got to love what you're doing and realize that everything we do in intercollegiate athletics impacts student-athletes," Meyer said. "You've got to constantly ask yourself, 'How would my decision here impact student-athletes?'"

Baughman, of the Division I-A Athletics Directors Association, agreed. "As you advance in athletics, you get pulled in so many different directions. It's easy to lose sight of why you were interested in it in the first place. You have to have a passion for student-athletes as human beings," Baughman said, noting that the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills program -- which emphasizes the well-being of student-athletes -- plays an important role in his organization and in intercollegiate athletics as a whole.

"Don't ever lose that passion for the student-athlete. You can't ever lose sight of that. "