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This story is part of our CSC 360 package for May 2023, to view more stories, click here.
The challenges and opportunities of battling mid-career malaise
Seven members at the mid-point of their careers weigh in on what keeps them going.
by Barb Kowal – College Sports Communicators, Director of Professional Development and External Affairs
Research shows that the mid-career employee segment, not the entry- or junior-level employee segment, is the
largest group leaving jobs today. This group — roughly representing those who have put 10 to 25 years into their careers — are leading the disruption in the “Great Resignation” trend.
Adding to their demands at work, this demographic tends to be responsible for managing responsibilities at home and in their community, too.
Professionals at this point in their career have acquired knowledge and experience, are thinking about the next step in their career, and often question what their next 10, 20, or 30 years in the workforce going to look like.
We all have times where we wonder, “Am I at the right organization? Am I in the right job? Is this all there is?” These questions are especially agonizing for mid-career professionals who may be searching for fulfillment while juggling demands at home.
These are questions and concerns that many of our CSC mid-career members are facing. We asked several CSC members for their opinions and perspectives. They are:
- Mindy Brauer – MIT, Assistant Director of DAPER Communications, Promotions, and Marketing
- Sean Cartell – Sun Belt Conference, Assistant Commissioner, Communications & Branding
- Lamar Carter – New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Assistant Media Relations and Digital Strategy Officer
- Rob Garcia – Academy of Art, University Associate AD, Media Relations
- Adam Ledyard – East Texas Baptist University, Assistant AD for Communications
- Herman Hudson – SMU, Assistant AD/Public Relations
- Jessica Paré – University of Alabama, Deputy Director of Athletics, External
Among many questions, we started off by asking these members what message they have for others to help them navigate the field now, if they are in that 10-25 year stage?
“While the day-to-day might be rapidly changing, it’s important to not lose sight of the foundations of a communications professional. Don’t be afraid to lean on the younger generation for advice and best practices when it comes to some of the recruiting elements and social media as they may be more in tune with what works there,” noted Paré, who is Alabama's first female head of communications, being named associate athletics director by Greg Byrne in 2017 before her promotion to senior associate AD in 2019. “At the end of the day, we’re all part of a larger entity, and teamwork and collaboration are extremely important.”
Hudson, who is approaching 25 years in communications, with 19 of them at SMU, is married with three sons (ages 12, 6, 6).
“This is a career that can overwhelm the calendar, right? While my enthusiasm for the work has not changed, my life certainly has. I am fortunate that our leadership at SMU is intentional about emphasizing the value of time away to recharge,” Hudson noted. “While every season is unique, I try to be conscious of the calendar and the windows when I can plan extra family time.”
Sean Cartell (far left) and Herman Hudson (far right) volunteered at the 2023 Women's Final Four.
Cartell, who has worked in both campus and conference offices during his tenure, understands the pulls of mid-career professionals.
“This is an interesting time for mid-career professionals in athletics communications. Most of my contemporaries and I entered the profession learning from many of the legends and trailblazers in a time before social media existed and our careers have grown with the rise of social and digital media as a major part of our jobs,” he said. “It can be challenging because we are the last generation that didn’t grow up (both as people and professionals) with social media.”
To address concerns, you don’t necessarily need to switch jobs. Instead, our CSC members suggest making small changes to your routine. Seek out an immersive project, join an internal committee that will stretch you, or negotiate a different schedule. These small changes can have a big impact on your outlook and perspective.
Building trust with administrators is key to this, too.
“I have worked for 20-plus years and about five years ago I had to learn to delegate more and trust more in my position. And then I had a life-threatening health issue, which opened my eyes,” said Ledyard, who is married with four young sons. “It’s very hard to do that but to have a balance for family and work I had to let go of some items and trust my graduate assistants and students. In the past two years, I have been able to miss some home events to see some of my children’s games. This would not have happened if I didn’t trust my workers and talk to my administration.”
How are CSC members making changes and staying relevant?
Mindy Brauer (left) working the table at an MIT game.
“I try to take advantage of professional development opportunities as my schedule allows,” noted Brauer. “In addition to what CSC offers, I'm fortunate to be a member of MIT's social media working group, which is led by our director of social media strategy. Over the past few months, the Slack channel has been very active about all the things (and MIT's approach to these changes). I also receive the NACDA Daily Review emails, so I try to read the articles pertaining to strategic communications, leadership, and DEI topics.”
Lamar Carter offers these thoughts. “If you're at this stage and you still desire to stay in the field, you have to work to find ways to make yourself as efficient as possible in whatever roles you have. The allure of burning the candles at both ends and overworking has faded at this point in our careers and has been replaced with, ‘How can I do my job at a high level while still allowing myself to have a life outside of the press box?’ Think hard on all this.”
More Q&A with CSC Mid-Career Professionals
How to stay relevant is a big issue for those in communications, especially since we live and work in a rapidly changing 24/7 communications world. How do YOU stay relevant today in your athletic communications position? And, what message would you have for others to help them navigate the field now, if they are in this 10-25 career year of work stage?
Adam Ledyard: “I have learned to stay relevant by seeing what the great schools are doing in athletic communications from graphics, video, stories, and web. Early in my career, it was seeing what schools were doing with game notes and items on the web to now watching the trends in graphics and video. My department can’t do what Power 5 programs do, but we can tailor what we see they do to something at our level. It can be hard, but we figure out what is best for our program and recruiting at that time and build around it.”
Sean Cartell: “I would provide two pieces of advice: (1) Relationships are the most important aspect of our profession and permeate every task and responsibility that we have. Athletics communicators who build great relationships will always be relevant. (2) Always be open to learning new ways of doing things. Stay current on trends and be adaptable. Be mindful of the fact that something that was a best practice in the past may not be one today, and adjust.”
Lamar Carter: “The best way I've been able to stay relevant is by continuing to add to or refine my skill set. At NJIT, that's manifested itself in the increased quality of our photo and video efforts, which coincides with my growth in those areas over the years. With our positions here including a digital strategy mandate (plus the general nature of staffing in our business), I've been given a level of creative autonomy and resource support that I don't think many at the mid-major level have, so I've been able to take the lead on those areas in addition to making sure I'm still good in our primary roles (writing, stats, social).”
Mindy Brauer: “This year we launched a liaison program which connected several student-athletes from each team to their sport contact. Through this, we've learned the type of content that resonates with each program. We explain the challenges associated with some of their requests such as lack of human and financial resources, but let them know that many of the teams are asking for the same things which in turn might help our office evolve in the future.”
Rob Garcia: “Ultimately, the student-athletes are a huge resource when it comes to staying relevant if you embrace them. Some wise advice I often come back to was: ‘Figure out how your student-athletes are sharing content and develop a presence there.’ For example, as we look at social media platforms that are meaningful to your student-athletes, we try to tailor the content we create to fit those spaces. It’s important to try to keep it simple. We all know the hours are long in this industry so utilizing templates and doing little things like preparing a tweet or email beforehand to help make life easier for your future self can really help.”
Rob Garcia (left) working an Academy of Art tennis event.
Taking control and not letting the job envelope us, swallow us up, is a big challenge. What are some of the things you do that have helped you either align yourself or gain some balance and perspective? And, if you feel like you do NOT have this, what are some things that you are willing to try to accomplish this?
Jessica Paré: “It’s important to find some time for yourself every day. What you do in that time may look different, but at least have that to where you know you can focus on something for you. There are many days I feel like that’s impossible, and on those, it may just be 30 minutes to run to the store or read a book, but I make a point to do it.”
Adam Ledyard: “It took me being in the ICU with Covid to really change my perspective on my position. I had started to change some items before that but had always put my job first before anything else. Being in the hospital for a week and a doctor telling you ‘I don’t know how you are alive’ really makes you change your thoughts on life. From that point on, I started to take better care of myself with working out 2-3 times a week in the morning, leaving at 5 p.m. on days that I didn’t have events, not letting the job dictate everything for my family events and seeing what I can really go to instead of saying ‘I can’t go because I have work’. And, leaving work at work. It will be there tomorrow. Your health and family will not. I also look to my faith to help balance out my days when items become stressful.”
Rob Garcia: “These thoughts don’t really find their way into my head even though I’ve been in the profession for close to 15 years. Starting at an early age helped, but I feel like my approach has centered around being open to new ideas, not putting pressure on myself to be an expert, and staying current when it comes to trends in the industry whether they be related to social media coverage, statistics, graphics, etc. To me, the work I do every day is still fun and dynamic enough that I don’t look at my career threatening to plateau at this point.”
Herman Hudson: “I make sure to have a gap during setup for events to visit with my family when they can attend. I believe this has made me better for SMU, our coaches, our student-athletes, my staff, and my family. It also forces me to be more efficient. One of the most important pieces has been the investment of time with new staff, which allows them to get acclimated more quickly. It allows me to focus on other departmental items and carve extra time for my family.”
Sean Cartell: “The best thing I ever did from a balance standpoint was to get a dog. It gives you responsibility outside of your job and it forces you to be active and spend time outdoors. I became a lot more efficient in my job and found myself getting tasks at work accomplished much quicker and without wasting time, as you know you must leave the office to take care of your dog. Maybe that means working at home in the mornings or evenings, but even that is much better for balance than evenings in the office. Plus, you have a best friend who is there to help you through the hard times, always willing to listen and always put a smile on your face!”
Adam Ledyard makes it a priority to make more time for his family.
How else are you trying to keep perspective and integration of family life-outside responsibilities-and work life?
Mindy Brauer: “Being at MIT, I’ve adopted the mindset of ‘I’m not saving the world, the students are.’ I acknowledge it’s a luxury to have that perspective as our institution isn’t enrollment driven and our department (athletics, physical education and wellness, intramurals, club sports, and recreation) is valued by campus leadership. In terms of achieving balance, I try to work out three times a week (or more if my schedule allows). A lot of the content I consume (TV, podcasts, books, movies) isn’t sports related and I often listen to music while I work.”
Sean Cartell: “As this is not a 9-5 job and since we are accessible at all hours, one of the things I did that really helped my balance when I was on the campus side was when our team had its NCAA-mandated “off day” for the student-athletes, I would do my best not to come to campus that day. It really helped me get through the season without feeling burned out.”
Herman Hudson: “It’s easy to get on autopilot at times, but staying focused on the people I impact and how best to serve them helps me keep my passion for the job while feeling confident that a break or focus on personal time doesn’t compromise the quality or volume of work coming from our office.”
Sean Cartell at the 2023 Women's Final Four in Dallas.
Over the years, coming out of Covid, have you found yourself making small or large changes to your routine to help combat questions like “Am I at the right organization? Am I in the right job doing the right work? Is this all there is?” Or, do you NOT think that way?
Jessica Paré: “There have certainly been challenging moments and lots of hours spent working, but at the end of the day, when I’m out spending time with our coaches and student-athletes, it reminds me I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. Always come back to your ‘why’.”
Sean Cartell: “I now fully understand that my work culture is so important. Working for great people is an important key to striking balance in this profession. When you’re deciding on jobs, place much more importance on who you’re working for and with – your bosses and your head coaches – rather than the name or prominence of the school where you’re working. We work so many hours and being at a place where you can have flexibility in your day is really important.”
Mindy Brauer: “Stretch yourself. Since innovation is a focus at MIT, we’re encouraged to pursue professional development opportunities and serve on committees. Several years ago, I felt stuck and decided to apply for the CSC DEI committee (my degree is in behavioral science, so it was probably time to use it). After joining that committee, I was selected as a member of the MIT Division of Student Life DEI committee, and then our department created a DEI committee. By no means I’m deeming myself an expert in this space, but I’ve learned the value and impact this work has. I also know that it’s rare for an assistant at a Division III institution to be able to serve their department, campus, and their professional organization in this way.”
Adam Ledyard: “There are times that I have been contacted about positions – in and out of the industry – but I pray about what God wants for me and my family. Yes, I do have thoughts about whether I would be able to find something outside of our industry but I know this is what I am supposed to be doing right now. If that time does come where I feel it is time to move out of the industry, there are former athletic communicators I know that I can consult to talk me through the process.”
Jessica Paré with Alabama football trophies.
Has anyone given you some recent advice that has helped you professionally?
Rob Garcia: “I was just at a softball tournament with other SIDs and a lot of memorable exchanges were constantly happening there. I remember hearing good reminders to trust your instincts, take care of yourself, and find a balance between work and your personal life that makes sense for you.”
Lamar Carter: “Advice that still sticks with me from a few years ago is when Greg Goings, who is a 2023 CSC Hall of Famer (!) shared with me that ‘the work will be there tomorrow.’ Meaning — outside of deadlines and time-sensitive things, obviously — you don't have to do everything at once all of the time, especially if working on something later will allow you some time for some of the life part of ‘work-life’ balance. I don't regret being so intense in how I handled the early portions of my career, but I think keeping this advice in mind as I get older has allowed me to keep burnout at bay and keep everything in perspective.”
Adam Ledyard: “You have to continue to love what you do. Enjoy what you have because it may not always be there.”
Lamar Carter (back middle) having a light moment with the NJIT volleyball team.
The key to minimizing the “mid-career crisis” is to effect change before our mid-crisis professionals reach “the point of no return.” If they can see that they are being heard and changes are being made, then some of the “triggers” for mid-career staff departure (focused around not being respected, heard, challenged, or appreciated) can be minimalized.
Most of the respondents agreed that “talking shop” and getting connected with fellow colleagues in the same career mode is beneficial.
“Talking with colleagues is always valuable so I would be in favor of supporting through regular meetings,” Garcia said. “The more we can share the better so reminding folks about CSC resources and keeping that updated is always appreciated. And I think just any programming that relates to battling burnout goes a long way.”
Cartell stated that “Since mid-career professionals are probably the largest group of experienced and qualified people leaving our profession right now, I think it’s important to do what we can to help retain this talent in the profession. I’m all for connecting!”
“I would love a standing monthly or quarterly Zoom just for a social aspect if for nothing else,” noted Carter. “Since the pandemic, I personally have felt a little disconnected to my colleagues in the business, have not been able to attend the conventions, and many people I know have left the business. So even having a chance to just chop it up between conventions would be great!”
With all this in mind, stay tuned for some CSC mid-career “coffee shop” type programming and gatherings to follow later in the summer. And, don’t be surprised to see some of these members, highlighted above, leading your discussions!
Note: As a mid-career professional, if you want to contribute to future programming or content for 360 or csccommunicators.com content, please contact
barb@cscommunicators.com.
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