Pros and Cons in a Career as an Athletic Director
Athletic directors have a lot of responsibility to serve as a coach, mentor, manager and administrator. Examine the pros and cons of this career below.
| Pros of Becoming an Athletic Director |
|---|
| Multiple employer options (high schools, colleges, non-profit organizations)*** |
| Bonuses possible (90th percentile earned $5,709 annual bonus amount as of July 2015)* |
| 90th percentile earned $97,052 in July 2015* |
| Allows you to use skills in sports and management*** |
| Cons of Becoming an Athletic Director |
|---|
| May have an erratic work schedule (Night and weekend work is common)*** |
| Jobs are usually held by white males (89% of athletic directors are white, 90% are males)** |
| May have heavy workloads at the beginning of sports seasons*** |
| Required to be skilled in a variety of areas, such as finances, management, coaching*** |
Sources: *PayScale.com, **University of Tennessee, ***I Have a Plan Iowa.
Career Information
Job Description and Duties
As an athletic director, you'll be in charge of planning and directing sports activities. You'll manage all sports activities for your employer and the related events, publicity and finances. It's also part of your job to manage the coaches and others involved in running each sports activity. As the leader of the sports program, you must ensure that all proper funding is in place, equipment is safe and available, coaches are properly trained and sports events are being properly advertised. You may also have to work with other department heads to organize and coordinate activities.
Job Growth and Salary Information
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expected postsecondary education administrators, a category which can include athletic directors, to experience growth of 15% from 2012-2022 (www.bls.gov). This increase is due to the expected increase in enrollments in postsecondary school between 2012-2022. However, the demand for athletic directors may not be as high as 15% because this category includes all administrators, include admissions officers and academic deans.
PayScale.com reported in July 2015 that athletic directors in the 10th-90th percentile range earned a base salary of $31,040-$97,052. The total pay with bonuses was reported as $30,564-$97,119.
Career Skills and Requirements
To work as an athletic director, you will likely need to have at least a bachelor's degree. Some employers may prefer that you hold a master's degree. You may earn your degree in areas such as athletic administration or management. Some employers may want you to have teaching or coaching experience. It's usually required that you understand sports and have knowledge of the regulations for the sports you will manage. Skills that can benefit you in this field include:
- Leadership
- Management
- Organization
- Interpersonal communication
Job Postings from Real Employers
In job ads posted in March 2012, employers wanted to find athletic directors who were willing to take on many job duties, ranging from managing coaches to developing new sports programs. Employers wanted to find someone who had a background in athletics and could start working with minimal direction. Specific ads said:
- A public school in Connecticut was looking for someone with proper state certification, a coaching permit and at least five years of experience coaching or directing in high school sports.
- A Catholic high school in Maryland was looking for a director with experience in coaching and sports management in a high school setting.
- In Pennsylvania, a high school was seeking an athletic director with coaching experience and interest in working with a new sports program.
- A Massachusetts school was looking for someone with fundraising experience and a master's degree.
- A Vermont school district wanted a candidate with a proven background of working with students and parents and the ability to work with other school staff.
How Can I Stand Out?
Since many employers expect athletic directors to have previous experience working with players and coaching sports, you may be able to get an edge over the competition by accumulating experience through volunteer coaching positions. The position of athletic director involves more than just being conscious of sports, so you may also get ahead if you diversify your skills and gain experience in areas such as management.
You may also consider voluntary certification through an organization, such as the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA). The NIAAA offers the Registered Athletic Administrator, Certified Athletic Administrator and Certified Master Athletic Administrator designations.
Other Fields to Consider
With a meager job growth prediction, you may want to consider looking at other careers. If you want something that is similar to an athletic director position, but with less responsibility and more job growth potential, then you may consider becoming a sports coach, fitness instructor or instructional coordinator.
Coach
As a coach, you are responsible for only the sport that you coach. You may have many of the same responsibilities as an athletic director, but on a smaller scale. Coaching positions may be found at all levels, even elementary school. There are also no specific education requirements to become a coach. The BLS projected the 2010-2020 job growth would be about 29% for athletes, coaches, umpires and others in this field.
Fitness Worker
As a fitness worker, you may direct fitness activities for individuals or groups. The education you need largely depends on where you work, but typically it is minimal for entry-level positions. The BLS projected a 24% job growth for this field from 2010-2020.
Instructional Coordinator
An instructional coordinator helps to develop educational and training programs through creating curriculum, textbooks and other materials. In this position, you are still functioning as a leader within an educational setting. Typically, instructional coordinators focus on one subject area. Training is needed in your chosen area, and licensing is required if you will work in a public school. The BLS projected a 20% job growth from 2010-2020.
