The Transition from College Athlete to Working Professional
The experience of college athletics is invaluable. The sense of community and life lessons learned can be immense. It is not without its challenges and downfalls, but I do believe it can set you up for success in many ways. For college athletes, the transition from the world of collegiate sports to the professional working world can be both exciting and challenging. Some things one might experience transitioning away from being a student-athlete and into the working world as a young adult include:
No longer having a built in community at your fingertips (or two doors down the hall). Teammates were not just teammates, they were also roommates, classmates, best friends, and family away from home. Maybe you always had built in friends via teams throughout your life and while my teammates can remain some of your closest friends, they might not be so intertwined in your life or geographically close by. You might have to go out of your way to make connections. Find ways to fulfill this sense of community. That might be through hobbies, work or other social activities. I think this is one of the reasons I have gravitated towards working in a treatment setting with a clinical team (ie. treating eating disorders with a therapist, dietitian, psychiatrist etc collaborating with the common goal of supporting the client) and seek out collaboration frequently now that I am in private practice.
Movement is no longer built into my sport and day. I had to figure out how to fit movement into my day and probably do it alone!? That’s no fun, but it can be! Find forms of movement that you genuinely enjoy. For some that is group exercise classes, for some its outdoor activities, early morning workouts before work, joining a rec league of your sport, walking, yoga etc. It's important to me in my relationship with movement to have balance and enjoyment. That was one of the great things about sports, was I was not going to practice to get a workout in, and sure that was part of it, but it was also about skills, team bonding, strategy, and working towards future goals like winning games. For me personally, I have learned I am not an early morning workout person and that’s okay! At first I compared myself to some of my former teammates or colleagues who would get up at 5:30am and get to the gym before work, but with time, and some compassion, I realized that is not morally superior to other forms of movement. You are allowed to fit movement into your life when and how it works best for you and that probably is going to be different than some of your friends.
Along with changes in movement/routine, your body might change and that is okay! Some of that might be a part of aging and some of it might be the changes in your activity level and diet AND THAT’S OKAY.
You might have to find ways to fulfill you competitive side. This could be at work, hobbies, workouts, etc. For me, in the first few years out of college some of that got channeled into graduate school and seeking and valuing self-improvement.
Who am I outside of (insert sport)? Being an athlete has likely been a huge part of your identity. Many athletes have spent thousands of hours training for their sport and all of the sudden, the many hours of training comes to a halt. Transitioning out of college or out of one’s sport whenever that is, can be emotionally challenging. You might find yourself with more free time or you might find your work to be more draining than you anticipated. Whatever your experience, that is okay. It's okay for your sport to continue to be a part of your identity, and it could be beneficial to allow yourself to invest in other parts of your life and find purpose and meaning beyond your sport. Explore passions, interests, invest in relationships and new experiences to foster a well-rounded sense of fulfillment. You are more than your achievements or accolades.
Leverage your skills. There are qualities that were likely a part of making you a great athlete can also make you a great friend, coworker, employee, and maybe even entrepreneur! Maybe it's your drive, strong communication, time-management, ability to collaborate, or lead and bring people together. Identify those parts of yourself and embrace and foster them! Highlight these skills in interviews, use them to your advantage in projects, and leadership opportunities.
Embrace continuous learning. As an athlete, you know there is always room for improvement even for the best in their sport. With your professional development, channel that hunger for knowledge and continued learning. This could be seeking mentorship, workshops/trainings, taking on a new role, project, or even career change. Be open to feedback and embrace learning from those around you.
The critical part. You likely have a part of you/your personality that has driven you to be a high achieving athlete and push yourself beyond your limits. This part of you has served an important function AND sometimes it can be a little too loud or mean. You are allowed to rest, give yourself credit, or not always need to do more or better. This is one of the aspects where therapy can be really helpful to learn how to be kinder to yourself while still harnessing the drive and functional aspects of this part of yourself. Just like rest/active recovery days are important in your physical training and injury prevention, time off of work is also important in preventing burnout and staying mentally sharp.
This one might sound obvious in an attempt to find work-life balance, but have things scheduled outside of work during the week. While weekends are great, if you find yourself just waiting for the weekends and this can contribute to burnout. While a college athlete’s schedule is incredibly demanding, it also tends to have a decent amount of variety in it with classes, practices, meetings, games/matches, social gatherings, travel for your games/matches etc. A traditional 9-5 can be a challenging change due to the lack of variety in your schedule. Some jobs might involve a variety of meetings, travel, independent work etc but other times you might have to be more intentional about incorporating these.
It is a time of a significant life change, but with the right mindset, support, and preparation, you can navigate it with resilience and thrive. Use the skills and experiences you’ve gained from your athletic journey to propel your career and life after college.
I specialize in supporting athletes and young adults struggling with life transitions, depression, disordered eating, and anxiety. If you would like to schedule a consultation call or discuss therapy for athletes, reach out via the contact page.