If you love watching athletes sprint by to finish their laps, or have always thought of working with famous sports icons, there are many avenues that you can use to reach your goals. One of them is getting a sports management degree. But if you thought that such degrees can only get you jobs where you have to work with athletes, think again.

Doing sports management courses would help you get a clear idea about various fields like sports, management, finance, and leadership. Armed with such knowledge and the requisite skills, you can get an opportunity to see the corporate and business side of the world of sports. So, if you wonder what kinds of jobs would await you once your course is completed, here’s a brief overview:

• Executive positions with reputed organizations and sports teams: This is probably one of the most-sought positions, where you can get a chance to work with NFA (National Basketball Association), NFL (National Football League) or other reputed organizations. Though these positions are extremely demanding and come with a high degree of expectations and responsibilities, they pay well too.  You can work as a general manager, development director, sports information director, or marketing director, to name a few.
• Talent scouts: You can bring talents under the spotlight by acting as sports recruiters or scouts. You can combine your skills and education to find talents that would be lapped up by teams, be it the teams of colleges and universities, or those playing the professional leagues. If you want to become a sports agent, you could even think of getting a law degree as it would be a worthwhile investment. Similarly, doing a course in international relations from a reputed international relations university could make it easy for you to negotiate with people belonging to different countries and cultures.
• Coach: You may either work for a specific sport, or opt for health- and fitness-focused positions if you would love to work directly with the athletes.
• Sports tourism: If you want to put your degree to good use, albeit in a setting that’s less demanding as compared to those working with reputed organizations and sports teams, this could be your ideal choice. You can work as an outdoor pursuits manager, fitness centre manager, holiday representative, or a sport and exercise psychologist. You may even take up a bachelor in hospitality management course to get an edge over your competitors in this arena.

There are many other jobs like journalists, event coordinators, compliance directors, athletic academic advisers, sales professionals, public relations managers, positions in the retail industry where you represent sporting goods stores, and fund-raising coordinators. So, all you need is to pick the right job that interests you, and armed with a desire to succeed in the industry, you can shine for sure!

Summary: Sports management courses can open a wide variety of career options before you. Read about some of them here.

About the author:

I write on education/career building, avenues in education. Have been part of advisory committees across schools in South East Asia, India & Europe. I like staying abreast with what all is developing globally in the field of learning and science. I am a net enthusiast and I enjoy travelling.

Photo Credit: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/