“Your first job will most likely be the job you finish your career with.”
Throughout my career, I have heard an iteration of this quote on several occasions from colleagues, bosses, mentors and several people in between. The reason why I have heard this quote is that the message is as true as it gets.
Many students out there apply for the biggest and grandest job within the sports communication industry yet have very little to no experience necessary. That job is not unobtainable, but it may be out of reach without the proper experience first.
Experience is something that can set you apart from the next candidate. Wherever that experience may derive from, the more experience one can earn the better overall candidate one will be. For many, universities and colleges provide experience with clubs and organizations where young sports communication professionals can learn the necessary skills. I would highly recommend that students looking to enter this profession take advantage of those organizations to eventually place that experience on your resume.
My sentiment regarding clubs and organizations is that they can place a fantastic groundwork for you and your career, however, they should not be the only experience one may earn while earning a degree. I recommend those find an opportunity that provides real-life work experience outside of the constraints of a classroom.
Many organizations offer internships or freelance work experience in sports communication. Whether it’s from writing stories for the local newspaper or working for your university’s athletic department, this experience can help shape your view and skillset within the sports communication industry. We will discuss internships in a later blog post, but I find internships to be the most valuable experience for a student to earn in the pursuit of their career. Internships can build on from one a small experience to a competitive opportunity that places you in the job candidate pool separate from others who have not experienced a similar role.
This approach helps carry back to the original quote that was mentioned above. You will most likely not be working at the same place for your entire career, however, that small role at a minor league baseball team could turn into your dream role at your favorite NBA team.
That experience you learn at a small organization will translate upward in your career and help you land that dream role you have always wanted. You may have to make sacrifices in the short term, but as you build your experience and resume those sacrifices may become smaller and smaller over time.
Sports Communication is a completive field with several schools attempting to give their students as much of an advantage as they can. Experience pays off in the long run. You will not always be in that small role, it’s not your forever home. It can carry you forward in sports communication.