Before the Season Ends: The Career Moves We Keep Putting Off (November 14, 2026)

Have you ever heard a song on the radio and felt like its words were what you needed to hear at that moment?

Recently, I heard Cody Johnson’s “’Til You Can’t” on my way to work. The song stayed with me for the rest of the morning. It made me think about the chances we delay, the conversations we put off and the goals we keep waiting to pursue until life gets less busy.

I wondered if someone might read this post and need a little encouragement to take a step they’ve been postponing.

What are we waiting to do until the timing feels perfect?

That question hits home in college sports, where the calendar is almost always full. Seasons overlap. Deadlines keep coming. There’s always another event, another responsibility or another reason to say, “I’ll think about that later.”

I’ve made a career move when the timing wasn’t ideal.

In December 2010, I left Texas A&M University-Commerce, now East Texas A&M, for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. December is a difficult time to change jobs in college sports. The season is underway, the work keeps coming, and a move means stepping into a new place while leaving familiar people and routines behind.

I went into the transition thinking about the job and the department. I came away learning more about myself.

The change showed me that I could enter an unfamiliar setting, listen, adjust and keep learning. It also made me think about what I wanted from my work beyond a title or a school name: a chance to contribute, room to grow and people I could learn from.

The job taught me about the department. The transition taught me about the kind of professional I wanted to become.

That doesn’t mean every opportunity is the right one or that you should make a major decision on impulse. Timing matters. So do your responsibilities, your goals and the people affected by your choices. But waiting for a perfect moment can become a way to avoid making any move at all.

If you’re trying to build a career in sports, your next step doesn’t have to be dramatic. You don’t need to have your whole career mapped out. You need to identify one useful action and take it.

Maybe that means applying for a job where you meet the main qualifications, even if you don’t meet every item on the list. Maybe it means asking someone in the field for a short conversation, creating a work sample, updating your resume or thanking a person who helped you get this far.

A small step can give you information. You may learn that a role is a better fit than you expected—or that you need to prepare in a different way. Either result helps you move forward with more clarity.

A few steps you can take this week

1. Name the step you’ve been putting off. Be specific. “Work on my career” is too broad. “Ask an athletic communications professional how they built their portfolio” is something you can do.

2. Put a date on it. Choose a day in the next seven days and block out 20 minutes. A step with no date can stay on your list forever.

3. Reach out to one person. Send a short, thoughtful message. Introduce yourself, explain what you’re exploring and ask one clear question.

4. Create one piece of proof. Write a game recap, build a sample social campaign, prepare a mock event plan or organize work you’ve already done. Give people something concrete that shows how you think and what you can do.

5. Reflect after you act. What did you learn about the role, your interests or your readiness? Use the answer to choose your next step.

If you’re working toward a career in sports and aren’t sure what your next step should be, I’d welcome a conversation. Send me a message and tell me what kind of work you’re pursuing, what you’ve tried so far and what feels difficult right now. You don’t need to have it all figured out before we talk.

What’s one step you’ve been putting off—and what could you do this week to begin?

How to Get Noticed—and Find the Right Fit—in Sports (November 13, 2026)

Image created with ChatGPT

Your Sports Career Has a Drafts Folder Problem (November 2, 2026)

You found someone working in the sports industry whose career interests you. You opened a message, introduced yourself, and asked for a few minutes of their time.

Then you read it again.

Too long? Too basic? What if they think you should already know the answer?

If that sounds familiar, you may be trying to solve two problems at once: learning how to enter the sports industry and avoiding the embarrassment of looking unprepared.

The second problem can keep the first one stuck.

I understand that hesitation because I recently had to face my own version of it.

I admitted that I was not asking for as much help as I needed. I also had not engaged in two meaningful conversations I needed to have.

I am in my 26th year in college athletics. Experience has given me plenty to share. It has not made me immune to putting off a conversation.

That is an uncomfortable admission for someone who encourages students and emerging professionals to build relationships and take action. It also means the advice applies to me.

You can know your next step and still avoid taking it.

So what do you do when another round of preparation becomes another reason to wait?

Start by naming what you are avoiding.

Maybe you want advice about getting experience, but you are worried someone will notice how little experience you have. Maybe you want feedback on your résumé, but you would rather keep editing it than hear what needs work.

You do not need to shame yourself for that. You do need to recognize when it is making your decisions.

A search for “how to network in sports when you have no experience” can help you find useful guidance. But eventually, you have to give someone a chance to know you.

That does not require a perfect introduction. It requires a respectful, specific request.

Here is a sample you can adapt:

Hi [Name], I am a [year/major] student interested in [specific area of sports]. I saw your work on [specific project or role] and would like to learn how you got started. Would you have 15 minutes in the next two weeks for a conversation? I would especially appreciate your advice on one skill I should practice this semester. Thank you for considering it.

Before sending it, do the homework that makes the request useful. Learn what the person does. Check whether they have already answered your question in a public post or interview. Make sure you can explain why you chose to contact them.

Then send it.

They may decline. They may not respond. Respect their time and boundaries. A request gives someone a choice; it does not create an obligation.

But leaving the message in drafts guarantees they never get that choice.

The cost of waiting is easy to miss because nothing dramatic happens. Another week passes. You still have the same question. You reach the next application without the feedback you hoped to get first.

That is a cost you can do something about this week.

Picture a different Tuesday afternoon. You finish class, send one thoughtful message, and put a reminder on your calendar. A classmate knows you committed to sending it and checks in with you.

You do not have a job offer. You have completed a step you were avoiding. If a conversation follows, you arrive with questions and leave with one skill to practice. You can then show the person what you did with their advice.

That is how a conversation can become useful work.

It is also the kind of follow-through I am building The GetSET Program to support.

The program is being developed as a six-week hybrid experience to help students and emerging professionals turn advice into action as they prepare for opportunities in the sports industry.

Its three pillars give that work a structure:

• Strategic: Choose a direction and identify the next step. For this week, that might mean selecting one role to learn about and one person to contact.
• Engaged: Prepare, reach out, listen, and follow through. After a conversation, put one piece of advice to work.
• Teamwork: Make your commitment visible to someone who will check on you, and do the same for them. Accountability goes both ways.

Planned student work includes a 30-day action plan, a goal and people map, résumé and LinkedIn updates, informational interviews, and a portfolio that shows what a student can do.

Those pieces should connect. A conversation helps you identify a skill. You practice it. The work becomes something you can show. Your next conversation has more substance because you acted on the last one.

The program's value will need to be demonstrated through that work and follow-through. That is a standard I need to hold myself to as I build it.

For now, you can start with one commitment:

Before next Tuesday, send one thoughtful career message you have been putting off.

Choose someone you have a clear reason to contact. Ask a focused question. Tell an accountability partner when you will send it.

If the message needs more research, do the research. Give that work a deadline, too.

I have conversations of my own to start. This is a commitment I need to keep alongside you.

What career conversation are you putting off, and when will you start it? Share the action and your deadline in the comments. Keep names and private details to yourself.

Experience Does Not Speak for Itself (October 27, 2026)

Students Must Learn How to Turn What They Did Into Proof of What They Can Do

“I have experience working in college athletics.”

That statement may be true, but it does not tell an employer very much.

What did the student do? What responsibility did the student earn? What skills were required? What problem did the student help solve? What changed because of the student’s work? Is there an example that shows what the student can produce?

Experience matters, but employers should not have to guess what it means.

Throughout my career in college athletics, I have worked with students who completed meaningful assignments, handled important responsibilities and contributed to their departments. Yet some struggled to explain that work on a résumé or during an interview.

The problem was not always a lack of experience.

Sometimes, the problem was that the student had never been taught how to examine the experience, document it and explain why it mattered.

That is a career-

readiness gap colleges can help close.

When My Experience Was Not Enough

That lesson became personal for me in 2013.

I spent approximately nine months out of work and submitted more than 80 applications. I already had years of experience in college athletics, but application after application failed to produce the opportunity I wanted.

It was frustrating. It also forced me to confront some uncomfortable questions.

Was I applying for positions that matched my experience? Was I clearly showing employers what I had accomplished? Did my application materials explain the value I could bring? Was I using my professional relationships appropriately, or was I relying too heavily on my résumé to tell my story?

I had experience, but experience did not automatically explain what I had learned, the problems I had solved or how I could help another organization.

During that period, I continued taking coursework in social media design and human resources. I could not control when an employer would say yes, but I could continue learning, strengthening my skills and becoming better prepared for the next opportunity.

In September 2013, I returned to college athletics at LeTourneau University.

That season taught me that rejection can provide information, but it does not explain a person’s entire worth. It also taught me that simply listing previous positions is not enough. A job title tells people where you worked. It does not always show what you contributed, how you grew or why someone should trust you with the next responsibility.

That experience now shapes how I work with students and emerging professionals through The GetSET Program.

I do not want them to wait until they are facing rejection to begin examining their experiences. I want them to understand what they are learning, document what they are producing and practice explaining the value they can bring.

That process begins by recognizing that showing up is only the starting point.

Showing Up Is the Starting Point

Students need opportunities to observe professionals, ask questions and learn how the work is done.

But being present does not automatically mean someone is prepared to perform the job.

There are at least four levels of experience:

1. Observed: The student watched someone perform the work.

2. Assisted: The student helped complete part of an assignment.

3. Executed: The student completed the assignment independently.

4. Improved: The student made the process, product or result better.

All four levels can be valuable. The important part is describing them honestly.

A student who observed game-day operations gained exposure. A student who helped prepare credentials contributed to the operation. A student who managed the credential process demonstrated responsibility. A student who developed a better credential-tracking system showed initiative and problem-solving.

Those are four different experiences.

Students hurt their credibility when they describe observation as leadership or assistance as full ownership. That language may survive the résumé review, but it usually falls apart when an interviewer begins asking questions.

Honesty does not weaken a student’s story. It makes the story believable.

Turn the Task Into Evidence

Students are often asked what they did during an internship or campus job. Their answers may sound like this:

• I helped with social media.

• I worked athletic events.

• I assisted with statistics.

• I created graphics.

• I wrote stories.

Those answers name the task, but they do not show the contribution.

A stronger explanation answers four questions:

What was the assignment?

Explain the responsibility clearly. Did the student write a game recap, create a promotional graphic, enter statistics or help manage an event?

What action did the student take?

Identify the work the student personally completed. Avoid claiming credit for the entire department’s effort.

What was the result?

Describe what was completed, improved or learned. Results do not always need to be massive numbers. Completing accurate statistics under pressure or meeting a deadline without supervision can demonstrate readiness.

Where is the proof?

The proof might be a writing sample, graphic, video, event plan, statistical report, analytics summary, supervisor evaluation or interview story.

This is how experience becomes evidence.

Build the Proof While the Work Is Fresh

Too many students wait until they need a job before trying to remember everything they accomplished.

By then, important details are gone.

They may not remember the challenge they faced, the feedback they received or the steps they took to complete the assignment. They may no longer have access to an approved work sample. Their supervisor may have moved to another organization.

Students should document their development while it is happening.

After a meaningful assignment, they can record:

• The assignment or challenge

• Their specific responsibility

• The skills they used

• The result

• Feedback they received

• An approved example of the work

• The name of someone who can verify their contribution

• The next skill they need to develop

This process should not become another empty form students complete and forget. It should help them update their résumé, build their portfolio, prepare interview stories and decide what experience they need next.

The People Who Believed in You Before You Had Proof (October 23, 2026)

Before You Apply for a Sports Job, Build Proof You Can Do It (October 13, 2026)

“I want to work in sports.”

I hear that from students often. It’s a good place to start, but it’s too broad to guide your next move.

Sports is an industry with many different jobs. Teams and organizations need people who can write, sell tickets, plan events, manage budgets, create graphics, track statistics, raise money and serve fans.

Before you apply for a job, get specific about the work you want to do. Then build something that shows you can do part of it.

A résumé says what you have done. A work sample helps show what you can do.

Start with one job

Choose a role that interests you. It could be athletic communications assistant, ticket sales representative, event operations coordinator or marketing intern.

Find three job postings for that kind of work. Read them closely and write down the skills that appear more than once. Maybe employers want strong writing, attention to detail, customer service, social media skills or comfort with spreadsheets.

Those repeated skills give you a starting point. They show what employers may expect from someone entering that field.

Make a sample

Pick one skill and create a small project that lets you practice it.

If you want to work in athletic communications, write a short game recap or create a sample media guide page.

If you are interested in marketing, plan a week of social media posts for a team or campus event.

If you want to work in ticket sales, write a sample email to a fan who is deciding whether to buy season tickets.

If event operations interests you, build a simple checklist for setting up a game day.

Keep the project focused. You do not need a full campaign or a perfect website. You need a clear example of how you think and work. Label it as a sample, and do not present practice work as if an organization hired you to create it.

Share it with a purpose

Social media can give your work a place to be seen. But posting often is not the same as building a strong professional presence.

When you share a sample, explain what it is and what you were trying to show. For example:

I’m exploring a career in athletic communications, so I created this sample game recap to practice writing a clear story from a box score. I’d welcome feedback on what could make it stronger.

That tells people more than “Here’s my latest project.” It shows your goal, your effort and your willingness to learn.

You can share a sample on LinkedIn or include it in an online portfolio. Choose the platform that makes sense for your field and your audience. Before you post, check that the work is accurate and that you have permission to share any photos, logos, statistics or other materials.

And remember: likes are not job offers. A post can help people discover your work, but you still need to build skills, make connections and apply for roles that fit.

Connect the sample to your job search

When you find a job you want, compare its requirements with your sample. If the posting asks for writing, link to a writing sample. If it asks for event planning, share your event checklist.

Add your strongest samples to your portfolio or résumé, and include the link in your application when it fits. In an interview, explain why you made the sample, what you learned and what you would improve.

A sample will not guarantee an interview or a job. It can give an employer a better sense of your skills—and give you a specific example to discuss.

Ask someone to review it

Share your sample with a professor, coach, supervisor or professional who understands the work.

Ask: “What is one thing I did well, and what is one thing I should improve?”

Listen to the answer. Make a change. Keep the first version and the revised version so you can see your progress.

That process can show an employer something beyond technical skill: you can accept feedback and keep improving.

Your seven-day challenge

This week:

• Choose one sports job that interests you.
• Find three job postings for that kind of role.
• Pick one skill that appears more than once.
• Create a small sample that shows that skill.
• Ask one person to review it.
• Decide whether to share it publicly or keep it in your portfolio for job applications.

You may find that the job is a good fit. You may discover you need more practice. You may decide to explore another path. All three outcomes give you useful information.

This is one way to be Strategic: choose a direction and take a useful step.

It is one way to stay Engaged: ask someone to help you improve.

And it is one way to practice Teamwork: listen, follow through and respect the time someone gives you.

The sports industry has room for many kinds of talent. Start by choosing one kind of work—and showing what you can do. Then make sure the right people can find it when you apply.

That is one way I am willing to help you move from interest to action.

Are You SET for Your Career? (September 28, 2026)

We hear the phrase career ready all the time.

Get the degree. Build the résumé. Find an internship. Create a LinkedIn profile. Learn how to interview. Apply for jobs.

Yes, all of that matters.

But I think career readiness is bigger than that.

A résumé may get somebody to notice you. An internship may help you gain experience. A degree may help get you through the door.

But none of those guarantee you know how to build a career.

I learned that part the hard way.

My career has had some great moments, but it has also had disappointment, uncertainty, missed opportunities, second chances and plenty of times when I had to figure out what came next.

Looking back, three things keep showing up.

Strategic. Engaged. Teamwork.

That is SET.

And for me, those words are personal.

Strategic: What Happens When It Doesn't Go Your Way?

One of the first times I really had to think about my career direction came at the United States Naval Academy.

I was a sports information intern.

I worked hard. I handled the responsibilities I was given. And when a permanent Assistant Director position opened, I believed I had done enough to earn the opportunity.

I was the internal candidate.

I thought I had a real shot.

They hired someone else.

I will not pretend that was easy.

What makes the story interesting today is that the person they hired has remained a friend of mine.

But in that moment, I was disappointed.

I had to decide what was next.

A few months later, I accepted another internship at Indiana University.

Think about that for a second.

I wanted a permanent position.

Instead, I took another internship.

On paper, somebody could have looked at that and wondered if I was moving backward.

I did not know exactly where it would lead.

I just knew I needed another opportunity.

My mother has always said:

“Nothing ventured; nothing gained.”

That has stuck with me.

Sometimes being Strategic is not about having some perfect five-year plan.

Sometimes it is simply being willing to move when the first plan does not work.

You may not control who gets hired.

You may not control who says yes to you.

You may not control when an opportunity disappears.

But you do control what you do next.

Indiana Changed More Than My Résumé

Indiana turned out to be one of the most important stops of my life.

And not because everything went perfectly.

While I was there, another intern was let go.

That changed things.

Some responsibilities shifted. Some opportunities that I thought I would have were no longer mine.

At the same time, new responsibilities came my way.

I could have spent a lot of time thinking about what I was missing.

Instead, I tried to make the most of what was now in front of me.

One of those opportunities was working with our student assistants.

I had to learn how to lead people.

Not from a leadership book.

By actually doing it.

I had to communicate. I had to teach. I had to listen. I had to learn when to step in and when to let someone else handle something.

And I was fortunate to have Jeff Fanter as my supervisor.

Jeff took a chance on me.

He trusted me with a lot, both personally and professionally.

Our relationship gave me a chance to learn something I still believe matters today:

You have to know how to learn, listen, lead and follow.

There are times when you should lead.

There are times when somebody else knows more than you do and you need to listen.

There are times when the best thing you can do is follow somebody else's direction and help them succeed.

That lesson still influences how I work.

Indiana also gave me something I definitely was not expecting when I accepted the internship.

I met my wife.

That is another reminder that our careers are about more than titles.

You meet people along the way who can completely change your life.

Engaged Does Not Mean Collecting Connections

When I talk about being Engaged, I am not talking about how many LinkedIn connections you have.

I am talking about relationships.

Real ones.

People you can learn from.

People you can call.

People who know more about you than your job title.

People you have stayed connected with when you did not need anything from them.

I did not always understand that as well as I do today.

Early in my career, I did not ask enough questions.

I wish I had.

There were people around me who knew things I did not know.

There were skills I could have learned faster.

Graphic design is one example.

I could have asked more questions.

I could have gone to someone and said:

“Show me how you did that.”

Or:

“What am I missing?”

Or even:

“Can you help me get better at this?”

Too often, I tried to figure things out myself.

Part of that was confidence.

Or maybe a lack of it.

Sometimes we are afraid asking a question will expose what we do not know.

The opposite is often true.

Asking questions can show that you actually care about getting better.

I Thought I Could Outwork Everything

This may be one of the biggest things I would tell my younger self.

I believed I could outwork people.

And if I outworked them, eventually I would outperform them.

There is nothing wrong with working hard.

I still believe strongly in it.

But there were times when I did not put enough attention into work-life balance.

I did not always understand how important it was to be sharp mentally as well as physically.

I tied too much of my confidence to how much I could produce.

How many hours I worked.

How much I could get done.

How many responsibilities I could carry.

And there is a danger in that.

At some point, you have to ask yourself:

Am I working hard because the work needs to be done, or am I trying to prove something?

I have had to ask myself that question.

More than once.

Your organization deserves your best.

But you also have to be accountable to yourself.

Teamwork Is the Part I Still Have to Work On

Of the three parts of SET, Teamwork may be the one that challenges me most.

That may surprise some people because I have worked around teams my entire career.

But being around teams and being a great teammate are not always the same thing.

I can become very focused on what I want to accomplish.

Sometimes too focused.

And there have been times when I have made a decision without stopping to ask:

How does this affect somebody else?

That is where teamwork gets real.

It is not just being nice to your coworkers.

It is understanding that your decisions have consequences beyond you.

Sometimes I need to ask more questions.

Sometimes I need to listen longer.

Sometimes I need to remember that what may make sense for me may create a problem for somebody else.

That is something I continue to work on.

I think we should be willing to admit that.

You do not reach a certain job title and suddenly stop needing to grow.

Sometimes Other People See Something You Cannot See

In 2013, I was outside the sports communications profession.

There was a point where I had to decide whether I really wanted to return.

I was fortunate because I was surrounded by mentors, friends and people in my network who encouraged me.

People who reminded me what I was capable of.

People who challenged me.

People who helped me see a future when I was not always as confident about it myself.

That period changed how I thought about my career.

I began setting goals that went beyond landing the next job.

I wanted to become a better leader.

I wanted to become a better mentor.

I wanted to have an impact on the people inside the organization where I worked.

And I wanted to have an impact beyond it.

Those goals still motivate me today.

So, Are You SET?

That is really the question.

Not:

Do you have your entire career figured out?

I do not expect you to.

I certainly did not.

The better questions are these.

Are you Strategic?

Do you know what you are working toward?

If the plan changes, can you adjust without losing sight of where you want to go?

Are you setting goals that mean something to you, not just goals somebody else gave you?

Are you Engaged?

Are you asking questions?

Are you building relationships before you need something?

Are you learning from people who have already been where you want to go?

And are you staying connected when there is nothing to ask for?

Are you a Teammate?

Can people count on you?

Do you think about how your choices affect the people around you?

Can you listen?

Can you lead?

Can you follow?

Can you admit when somebody else knows more than you?

Can you help make the people around you better?

Those questions matter to me because I have had to answer every one of them.

And I have not always answered them well.

Why The GetSET Program Matters to Me

The GetSET Program is personal.

I want people to know there is somebody invested in them.

Not just in whether they get a job.

In them.

Their goals.

Their confidence.

Their development.

Their relationships.

Their ability to become the kind of person who can step into an opportunity and make something out of it.

I love seeing people succeed.

I love connecting people who can help one another.

I love watching somebody find the fuel to take a role or responsibility and perform it at a level they may not have thought was possible.

And part of this is simply giving back.

People took chances on me.

People answered my questions.

People opened doors for me.

People challenged me.

People reminded me what I was capable of when I needed it.

I want to be that person for someone else.

So if you are early in your career, here is what I want you to hear.

Get comfortable being uncomfortable.

Ask the question.

Take the chance.

Apply for the opportunity.

Talk to the person you are nervous to approach.

Listen when somebody gives you feedback.

Be accountable to yourself, not just your employer.

And set goals that mean more to you than what is written on a scoreboard or what your supervisor tells you matters.

You may not know exactly where your career is going.

That is okay.

Just do not sit still waiting for somebody else to decide it for you.

My mother said it best:

Nothing ventured; nothing gained.

Be Strategic.

Stay Engaged.

Be a Teammate.

And keep getting SET for whatever comes next.