College Sports Information Directors of America

by Jennifer Cross – Athlete Viewpoint, Co-Founder  @JennCrossPLS



There are several important facets of career planning that will help you focus your energy appropriately and feel a greater level of job satisfaction. Here are four key areas and questions for personal reflection and planning.

1. Job vs. Career
These are not the same thing. A job is a place you go to work and perform duties in exchange for compensation that provides for you and your family’s needs. A job can be short- or long-term, hourly or salaried. People in “jobs” rarely take them home – either through working after-hours, or by thinking about the job outside of work. Successive jobs may or may not interrelate.

A career typically stems from passion, interest or deep commitment to a professional field. It involves the creation and achievement of professional goals and can span multiple jobs – each building in scope, responsibility and authority. In addition to financial compensation, feelings of satisfaction, contribution, loyalty and responsibility to the organization and profession are common.

Both jobs and careers provide you with experience, personal and professional learning opportunities, and of course, compensation. While neither is better than the other – it’s important to have clarity about which lens you have about your work.

Ask: Is my current position a job or is it a step on my career journey? How attached am I to my profession and organization? Do I know what – if anything – is next? Is this the career for me?

2. Know Your Goals
What are your professional goals for the next two, five or 10 years? Goals need to be flexible (think the unexpected disruption from COVID-19) but targeted enough to provide you with a blueprint for what you are working toward. It is easy to get caught in a state of drift: you wake up one day and find you’ve been performing a job for years with no plan and diminished satisfaction at work.

Goals should be realistic and achievable. For example, if your goal is to climb the ladder of responsibility/authority but you work in a small department with no prospect of upward mobility, you may have to relocate – changing your job, institution, geography or career path - to achieve that goal. Are you willing to do that?

Your goals should be yours, not someone else’s or perceived societal expectations and benchmarks. Never set goals relative to someone else’s career path, industry ascent or salary. Remember, comparison is the thief of all joy.

Ask: What are my professional goals? What are my personal goals? Do they complement each other or are they misaligned?

3. Stay Curious
Life likes to throw curveballs. One of the best ways to succeed and hit the pitches that can buckle your knees is to stay curious and keep learning about new things both within and tangential to your industry

Education can be formal with credentials and advanced degrees, but there has never been a better time to be a life-long learner. Many new skills are only a workshop, webinar or free YouTube video (and a little practice) away.

Ask: What could I learn in the next month, six months or year that would significantly increase my value to my workplace and enhance my career prospects? By what deadline will I begin?

4. Do Your Homework
When you decide to make a professional move, know what you are getting into, as the grass isn’t always greener. Leverage your networks to find out about your prospective new role, the institution and your future colleagues. What is their budget situation? How stable is institutional enrollment, student retention, government support and endowment health? Use the data from the recent CoSIDA Compensation and Career Satisfaction Survey to research compensation and benefits relative to geography, work responsibilities etc. so data can inform your position negotiations.

Ask: What are some things I dislike about my current job and how do I learn about those things relative to a new opportunity? Am I running toward an opportunity because it fits my goals and excites me…or am I running from my current situation?


We are in uncertain times and there is no single way to chart your path. While the job market is tight right now, people will remember how you adapted, supported others and contributed your expertise during this challenging time long after the pandemic ends. Your future career always depends on your performance and attitude today. Be sure to show up each day with a posture of professionalism. Stay flexible, be intentional, be positive and open to the unexpected possibilities that life - and your career -have to offer.


Athlete Viewpoint specializes in survey research and analysis for intercollegiate athletics. The Athlete Viewpoint student-athlete survey, daily COVID symptom screening tool, the AV Alert! any time reporting tool, and senior exit survey platforms provide departments with comprehensive information and timely data. Athlete Viewpoint partnered with CoSIDA on the 2020 CoSIDA Salary Survey. 

Learn more about Jennifer Cross or Athlete Viewpoint at AthleteViewpoint.com.