A Career After Coaching

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From elitefts™ Q&A

I was hoping I could ask you a few questions about your transition from college strength coaching to working for elitefts™. My reason for asking is because for a variety of reasons, both professional and personal, I find myself more and more looking to exit the college strength coach profession. In an effort to start evaluating my options moving forward I thought it would be worthwhile to learn about jobs working in the fitness equipment industry because I feel I could be a good fit, however I admittedly know very little about those types of jobs since the college strength world has been my life. I was hoping you might be willing to share with me the pros/cons of the job, how strength coaches can make the transition, what your normal day/week is like, if you miss coaching, and how somebody like myself might go about pursuing such a position. Really, any info and insight you would be willing to provide would be greatly appreciated.

Ian, I totally understand where you are coming from and you are correct in saying I just went through the same transition for basically the same reasons. I lucked out, but at the same time I hope the work that I have done and the reputation I built opened some doors. It's the same thing for you. Everything you have done and what you do now will make a difference for your future. Feel free to call me at 888.854.8806 if you would rather talk on the phone about it. Here are some options. I am not a business person, but maybe these will help. My mind works in bullet points so here goes. Figuring out the destination while keeping your options open. Write the following things down:

1. What would your ideal day look like?
2. If you cannot coach, what would you do? Teach, write, research, etc.
3. Why did you become a coach in the first place?

The reasons for the questions is to figure out what you want to be doing, how you want to do it, and who you will be working with. Basically, if you won the lottery and didn't have to work a day again, what would you do? After, you should cross-reference what you are passionate about doing with what you are qualified to do. Most strength coaches transition to one of five places.

1. The Private Sector
2. The High School Setting
3. The Clinical Setting
4. The Tactical Side
5. Sales

Based on your undergrad, the clinical setting may be what you are most qualified for, but your experience would allow you to do any. Here are some steps for each. You just need to figure out the path.

Equipment Sales

I will list the pros and cons of it below, but you asked specifically about it. Here is my opinion. There are equipment companies that operate with integrity and produce quality equipment. They are people oriented first. There are some of our competitors that I really can't say anything negative about. Except for I really think ours is a little better and I can feed my family if you buy from us. There are also companies out there that don't have a backbone or any heart. I guess if you pin down an entire market which you are the only endorsed equipment company you can get any with shitty products, shitty service, because people are told to buy from you...and those sheeple listen and do exactly what they are told. Here's the rest of my opinion on an exit strategy.

The Private Sector

1. Opening your own gym

• Pro: You are the boss and you can brand your vision
• Con: You will need some capital to start this up

2. Working at another sports performance facility

• Pro: You are still coaching athletes
• Con: You will need to acquire clients and you will need to follow a protocol. Selling is the same value as coaching

3. Training kids out of your garage

• Pro: it would be a great start and you can create your own culture
• Con: You will still need to acquire some equipment (I know a place you can get some)

4. Personal Training

• Pro: It will keep you somewhat involved
• Con: Your clientele may not fit the mold you are hoping to work with

The High School Setting

1. HS S&C Coach

• Pros: You have an even bigger impact on this age group as a strength coach
• Con: There are not many of these positions and most are just stipend

2. HS Sport Coach

• Pro: This allows you to be more involved in the school and can lead into a weight room stipend
• Con: These are also volunteer or stipend positions

3. Teacher

• Pros: This will get you some stability and a steady pay even if starting out as a sub
• Cons: You will need to get certified and the job market can be tough

The Clinical Setting

1. Sports Medicine Facility

• Pro: Still working with athletes
• Cons: This still forces you to gather billable hours to post-rehab patients

2. University Research

• Pros: Depending on who you are attached to, you may get to do some cool research with a variety of athletes
• Cons: You could get lumped in to some research that has nothing to do with your passion

The Tactical Side

1. Police & Fire.

• Most of these won't contract out, but they are starting

2. Military

• Pros: This is the largest field for S&C coaches and where a lot are heading
• Cons: These can be based off military contracts and be year to year

Retail and Sales

1. Equipment Companies

• Pros: You will still be able to interact with coaches and be involved in weight room set-ups and addressing equipment needs of coaches.
• Cons: You may be in a position where it is 100% commission. Every month you may not know how much your paycheck will be. The travel and time away from home may be just as much, depending on how much you want to hustle.

That list is just based off my opinion. My advise is to continue to send your resume out to every facility and school district you can and keep your eyes open for any and all positions. Remember, even if you are working in a non-coaching position, you can still train athletes and blog on the side to keep you involved in the field. To sum it up:

• Private Sector – not a ton of money still can be long hours.
• High School – harder to get into, good hours and can be good money if you can get in as a full-time school employee
• Clinical – best hours and best money
• Tactical – good money, but location will be a factor

I sent you an update Facebook message with my real opinion on other equipment companies. Call me if you need anything else. Always, MJW