Go where the jobs are!

Recently, a career services colleague of mine asked me how the job market is looking for graduates with Sport Management degrees.  I paused for a second as I contemplated giving some economy or recession cop out answer.  The truth of the matter is that the Sports Industry remained fairly steady over the last few years.  The notion that is out there is that “sports are recession-proof” and while that isn’t entirely true, it isn’t that far off base either.  The sports industry did take a hit over the last few years- there have been hiring freezes and layoffs across the board.  At the same time, companies like Teamwork Online, Turnkey Sports and Entertainment, Workinsports.com, Ascension Sports Partners, and Prodigy Sports all seem to have job boards that are overflowing with great opportunities.  So how is the job market for graduates with Sport Management degrees?

 

It depends.  It depends on your geographical limitations.  It depends on your specific job preferences.  It depends on your track record.

 

Let’s start with the location first.  Being mobile in the Sports Industry is a must.  That doesn’t mean that you have to move all over the country (or internationally); nor does it mean you have to move every 3-5 years.  You simply must be open to the idea that for the right job, you’d be willing to consider leaving “home”...at least temporarily.  As Bon Jovi said, “Who Says You Can't Go Home?”  If you are not willing to do so, others will.  My suggestion- at the very least be open to a specific area of the country.  For example, if you live in Philadelphia, be open to anywhere in the Mid-Atlantic and/or New England.  That grows your professional, minor league, and college prospects from a few dozen to a few hundred opportunities.

 

That takes us to our next point about your specific job preferences.  I cringe when I hear a student tell me that they only want to work for a specific team, in a specific league, doing a specific task- it goes something like this “I want to work for the Philadelphia Phillies doing Marketing.”  Well if I had to guess I’d say there are about five of those positions that exist, so good luck.  I’d rather hear “I want to work in Ticket, Group, or Premium Ticket Sales in any of the four major sports on the West Coast.”  All of a sudden the blinders aren’t on and the number of possibilities available to you just tripled or quadrupled!

 

Finally, let’s look at your background or track record.  If you want to work in Ticket Sales, it would be helpful to have made a cold call before.  If you want to work in Marketing, but don’t know what the four P's (aka, the marketing mix) are, you might be in trouble.  When graduating, you have to realize that there are going to be many other candidates with Sport Management or Sport Marketing degrees.  While the diploma and your 3.5 GPA are great, what separates you is the practical (and relevant!) work experience that you bring to the table.

 

So the job market for those graduating with Sport Management degrees is not that bad but you have to be flexible.  You have to be willing to adjust your thinking a little bit and just for the time being put the “dream job” on the backburner.  That will come with time…