Athletes Guide to Career Planning (book)
Keys to success from the playing field to professional life DESCRIPTION Here's a straight forward guide that shows how to develop a game plan for life. High school, college, and elite athletes will find helpful tips for balancing school, work, and the demands of sport participation. Coaches and counselors will find valuable career and life skills information to share with their athletes. The highly experienced authors, who have worked with thousands of athletes at all levels, provide specific tools to help readers make important transitions and life decisions during each stage in their athletic career. With 46 easy-to-use worksheets, readers will learn how to * identify physical and psychological transitions; * establish and use support systems to guide them through transitions and plan for the future; * relate scholastic and vocational choices to their personal identity; * balance the demands of sport and academics; * apply sport skills to career planning; * identify and match their skills, interests, and values with career goals; and * succeed at the job search process, including writing resumes and cover letters and preparing for interviews. The book also features case studies of athletes that help readers understand important issues about athletic life and transitions. CONTENTS Part I: Transitions in Life and Sport Chapter 1. Transitions Chapter 2. High School Chapter 3. College Chapter 4. Professional and Elite Athletes Part II: Exploration and Planning Chapter 5. Self-Exploration Chapter 6. Career Exploration Chapter 7. Career Action Plan Part III: Career Acquisition Chapter 8. The Career Search Chapter 9. Writing Effective Resumes and Cover Letters Chapter 10. Interviewing and Winning the Job Offer Chapter 11. Some Final Thoughts Appendix A: Career Development Resources Appendix B: Sport-Related Careers ABOUT THE AUTHOR Al Petitpas, EdD, is professor of psychology and director of graduate training at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. He has designed and implemented career development and transition programs for elite athletes, including the Career Assistance Program for Athletes (CAPA) for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Planning for Future Careers Program for the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). He also helped to create the NCAA Youth Education through Sports Program (YES). Working in the area of career development for more than 20