Throughout the past month, I have been traveling around the Midwest working different camps and different universities. For any of you who have worked camps before, you know this grind. For those of you that do not, let me paint a picture for you. The days begin at around 8am every morning and end at about 9:30pm. There is on average of 7-9 hours of volleyball a day, with middle school and high school athletes that, well... challenge me I guess you could say. It is a grind, both on the coaches and players. I began my journey at the University of Minnesota Camp for 4 days, then immediately traveled to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I spent the next 6 Days. From Madison I came directly to Evanston, IL to Northwestern University, where I just finished day 2 of 4. So if you do the math, that is 14 straight days of camp. Many people, along with my self have questioned why I would do this many straight days of camp. Here a some of my reason.
1- I need cash. For those of you also going to grad school and attempting to live off of a G.A. stipend, you know what I mean.
2- I get to learn to things from new people. I have adopted a theme to this tour around the Big Ten, and that is to learn something from every coach I meet. It does not have to be from a big named coach, or something that will change my outlook on coaching. But rather one thing that will help me be a better coach.
3- TO NETWORK!!!!! (See More Below)
I have heard from many people the more contacts I can make in the coaching industry, the better off I will be. When I worked camps in previous summers, it was to network with other college coaches. Now that I am a college coach, I am still networking with other college coaches, but now working on building my club coach network. Having contacts from different clubs from all around the country will greatly help my ability to recruit.
I have a couple pieces of advice I would give to others in my position about building a network. I feel like these are the ways that will help land a full time job that fits me right come December of this year.
- Be a repeat coach at camps. This is my second summer at Wisconsin, and third in a row at Northwestern. I have strengthen those relationships with those coaches greatly by coming back to their camp. Both staffs have said they will keep me in mind when they hear of openings come December.
- Be Yourself. If I have learned one thing in my first year of coaching is that I want to always be at a school and town that is the right fit for me, regardless of wins and losses. I am a coach, I am supposed to win the right way regardless of what school I am at. Being myself will only put me in good situations that will help me advance my career.
- Be willing to lend an extra hand. There is always odd jobs that the need to be done. Volunteer to always help. It sticks out in those coaches minds!
- Have meaningful conversations. I have gotten the opportunity to sit down with many different coaches to discuss many different things. Coaching styles, recruiting philosophy, and where I see myself in five years, to name a few. Most coaches with many years of experience enjoy being a mentor. It is our job to reach out to them.
- Lastly, find a mentor who you trust. I have found a couple of people who I worked for in college that have been a tremendous help to me. Not only to help me find a job, but also to bounce ideas off of. We have long in depth discussions about the way we would do things if we were head coaches.
I hear that most coaches have a love/hate relationship with summer camps and clinics. On one hand, you get to make extra money and network with other coaches. On the other hand, it eats up your summer and it takes a lot of effort to coordinate and organize camps.
ReplyDeleteThat is an intense schedule of working camps through the summer. I have had many summer jobs that I've taken simply for the experiences and knowledge with not much of a paycheck. They have taught me to remember that everything I gain from those few months will pay off in the end and will make future summers more enjoyable when I find a job that is a better fit for myself. It is better to work hard and learn more about yourself and your future career than to take the easy way and settle for a job that will make you miserable.
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