College athletes do not just specialize in their respective sports while attending college, they are also taught some valuable life lessons that they might not even know they are learning at the time. As a student-athlete, you are pushed hard to perform not only on the field, but also in the classroom. Balancing time between practices, team workouts, class, homework and socializing is what a college athlete has to balance on a daily basis. Being a former student-athlete, I have personally been through these experiences firsthand and have been able to apply what I have learned in college to my job today.
Here are a few of the transferable skills that former athletes possess that can make an immediate impact:
Time Management
Time Management is one of the most important lessons you learn as a student-athlete that you can apply to your career. Being able to balance practices, workouts, and school you have to be organized. They have plenty of experience in managing their time and prioritizing tasks.
Teamwork
They have learned to work on a team and interact with many different people and personalities, just like you do in a company. Individual people have varying skill sets, working together proficiently is essential to successful teamwork. They understand the value of teamwork and the contributions each individual makes.
Commitment
Their commitment to their sports, playing for the love of the game, not being paid to play. It takes a lot of commitment to show up every day and put your blood, sweat, and tears into a sport you love. Their commitment to do what they love and give it 100% of what they got is something that is beneficial to a company. They have grit, they are loyal, and they know what it takes to work their way up.
Never Quit Attitude
They are taught to not stop playing until the final whistle. They cannot quit or give up until the game or match is over. This is very important for when they are trying to close a client and keep getting denied, but that former athlete won’t take “no” for an answer. A student-athlete has been trained with the mindset that if they fall 9 times, they get back up 10.
Not Being Afraid to Fail
They will not be afraid to fail. An athlete understands the impact of failure and do their best to avoid it. But when the inevitable loss happens, they know there is something that needs to be worked on. In the working world, especially when they are starting out, they are bound to have some mishaps. The importance is that instead of beating themselves up over it, it drives them even more to succeed.
