Everything You Need to Know About Career Decisions in Strength & Conditioning
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Learning is a continual process, and leadership is very much a spiritual journey.

What do I mean by this? Why am I speaking in terms that could be classified as esoteric or even “meta?”

Simple.

It’s because I am now at a point in my career-and life- where I am constantly reminded of my own failures as a communicator and educator. Or maybe it’s just a sign of the fast-paced, information overloaded and impatient times we now live in. This is especially true when it comes to my attempts to answer career related questions people send me via email or social media.

It generally goes something like this….

PERSON REACHING OUT: Hey coach, what advice do you have for this situation I’m in, (followed either by no context, or about 8 paragraphs worth).

ME: “I really appreciate you reaching out, (which I REALLY do), we have put out a number of resources on this topic, have you checked any of them out? If so, which ones have been most helpful to your specific situation so far? Knowing this can help me better guide you.”

PERSON REACHING OUT: “Thanks for getting back to me Coach. I follow you on social media and have been thinking about getting your book, but am reading lots of training books at the moment. Also, I want to take your course but have to finish the 1,000 other certs on training I’m getting now. I don’t have much money, don’t have much time, but I REALLY want to improve. Oh, and I’ve heard about your podcast but have not listened to it, nor have I read your resources. I was just kind of hoping you could give me some quick tips.”

ME: {Sighing at the irony of this interaction, the problem faced by the individual, and the fact that they keep spending money on training resources and certifications despite that not helping them solve their main problem}.

Listen, I’m not trying to be a curmudgeon, I’m just being truthful. There are a lot of great folks who reach out asking insightful questions, honest questions; you are likely one of them. But for every one person like you, there are thousands who want to be told what they want to hear, in the precise way they want to hear it, and they want to be told it now! Preferably in one page that they can print out and follow to the “T.”

What’s worse? If you don’t lead them to the exact thing they want to know or hear, they don’t care about anything else you have to say. They will just jump on the next person’s bandwagon who will spoon-feed them without realizing they only are harming this person later in their career.

Even when someone does ask for links to resources, 99% of them will NEVER utilize the resource, take notes on it, reflect on it etc. And therein lies the problem. They are stuck because they fall into the same pitfalls most others do.

ON WITH IT….

Whatever the case, one thing I have learned is the field of strength and conditioning is no closer to solving some of its most pressing issues related to vocational struggles than it was a decade ago.

Some of that is due to the relative youth of the field.

Some of it is due to coaches thinking it is the duty of some organization to solve this issue for them.

Some of it is due to people just being stubborn and unwilling to evolve the discussion.

But the majority of us not changing has to do with the fact we still use an outdated playbook and don’t learn from the same 5 reasons people have remained stuck from centuries. Reasons discussed HERE.

For those of you who find yourselves confused, feeling stuck and wanting guidance, I HEAR YOU! And believe me, if I could give you just ONE video to watch, podcast episode to listen to, piece of advice to solve all of your problems etc. I would.

The closest thing I have to that is the online course I spent more than two years of my life building.

And respectfully, though we all have constraints on our time and budget, at some point you’re going to have to ask yourself if you really expect things that don’t cost time and money, (eg. things that are cheap and easy), to help you save time and money.

Making the wrong choices in your career and life will cost you more time and money than anything else, and only you can determine what that dollar amount is worth.

Having skin in the game is the best equalizer and when you pay, you pay attention. Free and overly simplified advice will only get you so far.

GREAT BRETT, BUT WHERE DO I START IF I’M NOT READY TO FULLY GO DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE YET?

The first thing you need to ask yourself is what is the #1 thing you are actually struggling with? How have you attacked it in the past, and why do you think any of the approaches you are considering will actually work?

You also need to understand there is no “perfect place” for you to start, magic order or the like. Just face it, you are going to have to dive in headfirst and understand you don’t know what you don’t know until you expose yourself to some of these resources.

No shortcuts!

As someone who experienced my own series of ups, downs, questions and frustrations in the performance profession, and often had to do so alone without much guidance,  I have dedicated the last 4-5 years to creating a rich reservoir of content related to helping coaches find their way.

We’ve dedicated thousands of hours to making YouTube videos, podcasts, immersive online courses, ebooks, free webinars, newsletter posts and the like on the subject, and yet every time I feel like I’ve answered a specific question or email I get for the hundredth time, I’m reminded there are plenty of folks out there who simply don’t know about these resources or have yet to be exposed to them.

Inevitably, I then end up re-addressing these questions again and again, putting my own work on the back burner to do so, and wondering if any of the content I produce actually gets watched, listened to, read, or implemented…hence the first line of this post.

Despite this frustration, I’m still thankful that people who ask make me reflect more deeply and challenge myself to find more ways to make things clear. So while I certainly will not go back to the well on these topics in a never-ending fashion in perpetuity, I have pasted links below to a wide array of resources we have created that answer common questions such as:

  • How Do I Break Into the Field?
  • Why Can’t I Find a Job?
  • How Do I Market Myself?
  • How Can I Get Ahead In My Career?
  • What Certification(s) Should I Take?
  • Which Job/Internship or GA Opportunity Should I Take
  • etc.

So for your convenience, you will find a list of videos, webinars, podcast episodes and the like that can direct you to these answers in a far more thorough and helpful manner than any DM, email, Tweet or newsletter could convey. Everything below is hyperlinked and will take you RIGHT to the resource you’re most interested in.

As you will learn, the key is not just the answer, but the context and nature of the situation. I hope you find value in the information below, and encourage your to share openly and widely!

FREE WEBINAR ON HOW TO GET UNSTUCK AND FIND YOUR WAY

ONLINE COURSES

FREE VIDEOS

PODCAST EPISODES

FREE EBOOKS AND MANUALS

FREE ARTICLES

There you are!

A list of resources in numerous mediums that is easy to access and excuse proof. Every podcast episode can be found on our website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and every other platform. Courses and videos can be taken whenever you’d like, and while this list is not an exhaustive one,  (new resources are constantly being added), there is plenty to get you started.

The question now is, are you actually going to dive in and do any research? Or will you just move on to the next person you emailed or DM’d?

On a compassionate note, if you want more in-person and detailed mentoring for your specific issue be sure to check out our Coalition Program. It is made for those looking for a group of people who are dedicated to helping them succeed and stay accountable.

It’s not for everyone, but if you really want to push yourself out of your comfort zone, it may be for you.

All the best going forward!

Brett

 

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