Career Education Gains More Focus in Collegiate Athletics!

Another class of college athletes has reached that pivotal milestone, graduating from their respective universities and entering the "real" world for the first time. But, the economic landscape this class faces is far different from that of previous graduates, and is forcing collegiate athletic departments to find ways to better prepare their athletes for life after the final whistle blows and the caps and gowns come off.

Over the past 10 years, more than 600 universities nationwide at all division levels, including institutions such as Clemson, Illinois, the University of Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Syracuse, Kansas State University, and the University of Missouri, have taken advantage of the services Career Athletes provides their athletic departments and student-athletes to assist them in career education and making the all important career transition.

Now, the NAIA has displayed it's commitment to career preparedness in college athletics by entering into an exclusive partnership with Career Athletes to provide career education services to it's member institutions and athletes. "We want to provide as many resources as possible to ensure the success of our student-athletes not only while they are in school, but as they are preparing to enter the workforce," said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. "We're excited to partner with Career Athletes because they have an outstanding track record in providing career education and career opportunities for collegiate athletes."

2008 ushered in the worst recession in over 50 years, which has resulted in massive job losses and little job creation. With un-employment rates officially hovering near 10% and rising, employers are significantly reducing the number of new hires they bring on board, especially recent graduates. According to a survey of employers conducted by NACE earlier this year, 44% of the companies said they planned to hire fewer new graduates with another 22% planning not to make any new hires at all this spring. 16% of employers are bolstering their current staffs with internship positions, many of which are unpaid. While this works out well for the employer, it does little to help recent grads with few resources and student loans to boot.

Athletes are particularly hard hit because of the unique situation they experience during their college years. Many people outside of the college athletic scene view athletes as coddled, lazy, dumb jocks who are handed everything on a silver platter in return for a few hours of work on game day. While a very small minority may fit that description, the vast majority of college athletes are the antithesis of this profile.

"We base everything on the 25 traits and skills athletes develop from their experience in college athletics," said Marc Boerigter, a former NAIA and NFL wide receiver and currently an account executive with CareerAthletes.com. "If you didn't display those traits, you wouldn't have made it on the team. These are the same traits companies want in their employees."

Accountability, competitiveness, discipline, team work, the ability to perform well under pressure and take criticism - all are required to survive and balance the demanding commitments athletes face during their 4 years on campus. And for all of the grief college athletes face over academics, many find a way to thrive in the classroom as well. Take for instance Myron Rolle, former Florida State University starting safety for the football program and recently awarded Rhodes Scholar. Only 32 Americans receive this scholarship each year, and on top of that, Rolle received his bachelor's degree in two and a half years. While Myron Rolle may be an exceptional example, many athletes graduate with honors and begin pursuing post graduate degrees as well.

"We know that most athletes want to play professionally and we're not trying to kill that dream, but we let them know that the stats show they are going to have to do something else at some point and that's where we come in," said Chris Smith, founder of Career Athletes and former University of Hawaii and Missouri State football player. "Over the past ten years, we have conducted over 800 training and development seminars educating more than 250,000 student athletes on the importance of being prepared to make the transition to life after athletics, and how to successfully navigate the career search. We also offer an online platform to continue their career education and present them with great career opportunities from over 300 employers they can pursue after graduation."

"In today's economic environment, career education is more important than ever, especially for student-athletes who already have incredibly demanding academic and athletic workloads," said Smith. "We are very pleased to be working with hundreds of athletic departments and the NAIA, its member institutions and their 45,000 student-athletes. This is a testament to the commitment the NAIA is making regarding the overall well-being of its student-athletes."