Just Living The Dream

That's what I say to myself every time my low-paying internship grates on my nerves. This is what I signed up for after all. I went back to school a few years ago, paid the graduate tuition out of a loan in my name which I'm certain will take me a over a decade to pay off, and knew it would be an uphill climb. But it is what I signed up for. When I interviewed for my present position they told me that sometimes you have to do the mundane, the minuscule, the minutia and without hesitation I told them I was their man. "Whatever it takes to get the job done" I said, head held high, confident chin, firm handshake and all that. This was an important stepping stone I believed; my 3rd internship in three years and fresh off of getting my master's degree I just knew that with the sheepskin and the work experience finally a rewarding, full-time job in the sports field would be waiting for me when I completed my year here.

That was last July and as I began my job with as much zeal and energy as a young, single man could I thought I was making a good impression and building solid relationships. In truth I was and still am, but the problem has been the economy. Working in college sports I have seen blow after blow that the current situation has dealt to athletic departments and conferences. The big names have not been left unscathed but it has been the smaller entities that have really felt the crunch and inevitable crush from the downturn. Teams have been cut left and right, a few athletic programs for an entire school hang in the balance. This was not the job market I was looking to enter once my current internship was finished.

The best I can do now is, as Bob Dylan said, "...keep on keepin' on like a bird that flew," and that has to be your attitude in times like these. Wallowing in woe is me thinking will not get you any closer to your goal. Even when this internship had me cursing the fates and shaking my fist angrily at unknown forces that put me in this position, in the end I was still thankful to at least be somewhere, mostly because I have been nowhere, and it is not too fun. Sports are one of the main forms of entertainment we have in this country so many assume they career in sports will be just as radiant when they enroll in Sports Management programs. I had no illusions but I love sports more than just about anything on this Earth so I felt I had no choice.

Below is a New York Times article by Ken Belson highlighting the current situation for recent graduates who are hitting the job searches just as I am this summer. I wax poetic more on my situation but I have to go run errands for my bosses and print and stuff nametag clips. Just living the dream my friends, just living the dream.

In Sports Business, Too Many Hopefuls for Too Few Positions [New York Times]