Sometimes we go to college with a plan. We know what we want to major in, what we want to focus on and what we want to be "when we grow up." Others have a different plan, and it's not really a plan at all but more of a journey that they just follow to see where the road takes them.
When I was a senior in high school I visited many different colleges not knowing what I wanted to do. Being an athlete I thought I would enjoy becoming a trainer some day. Then I went to an open house and sat in on a Sports Management seminar. I thought, this is so sick. I can work with professional teams, be a manager, meet famous athletes and get rich! Well things changed as soon as I went on my lacrosse recruit trip.I found one of the coolest coaches, felt at home with the nicest team and realized I couldn't ever let go of the best sport in the world. My new goal was to become a lacrosse coach.
By the time my freshman year rolled around, I realized that if I were to coach that would mean I have to stay on the sidelines, and I would absolutely hate that. How am I going to teach a group of girls or women how to play lacrosse if I can't physically be on the field and play in the game myself? That would be torture, so I changed my mind. By junior year, my new goal was to open a luxury gym in Malibu. K Gab, you can't even afford a membership to Planet Fitness. But that was my dream so I continued studying about facilities and management. My mind was made, and then yet again it changed. Back to being a coach!
For my internship my junior year I created a youth lacrosse summer camp, and that is when everything cleared up for me. After 5 weeks of the most basic lacrosse skills you could imagine, I knew what I wanted to do after college. It was one of the most rewarding feelings, sharing my love for the sport to these young, fresh minds. I could have a real impact on the lacrosse world and that is truly what I wanted.
Senior year came and I played in my last fall ball tournament. At this point I was 100% positive that I could not give up the game. I focus on lacrosse and my studies. I try to become a professional, look for open positions and get my name out there. Nobody was going to hire me without experience so I moved to Cape Cod and spent the summer coaching for a club lacrosse team. It was the highlight of my break and the most fun thing I did. The connections I made with my players was so strong and I knew that this summer would have an impact on their lives.
As I was in the middle of coaching I would search job platforms every single day. I bookmarked 13 different websites and applied to 29 different coaching jobs both at the high school and collegiate level. I was slowly giving up hope when it was August and I still had not even been called in for an interview. How could nobody want me? So many job descriptions didn't even require a lot of experience!
Then one week later I was flooded with emails from different schools and it came down to ME deciding where I wanted to coach. After interviews and phone calls and emails I am finally on the road to landing the job of my dreams, and it feels good. My goal was to have a coaching job by fall and I did it.
Accepting the offer to my dream job is surreal. Even though I know my life isn't set, it feels like I am on the road to success. I cannot wait to learn through hands on daily experiences that will benefit me for my term goal of being a prestigious college lacrosse coach. Then maybe I could open a fitness center after I retire. =)
