DREAM JOB
ESPN launched a reality show called Dream Job where the winner earned a coveted spot as a SportsCenter anchor. Less than a year after the show premiered, I felt like I won my own version of the competition.
When I chose to step away from coaching and pursue a career in marketing, I thought I’d have no problem finding a great new gig. After all, I had just turned a fledgling Division 1 sports program around, not to mention I was sporting not one but two master’s degrees. Who wouldn’t want me?
(Narrator: Nobody wanted him.)
It’s true, the struggle to get hired was real. If I got an interview, most people viewed my coaching experience as odd or irrelevant. In fact, more than once I was asked, in a very Devil Wears Prada pejorative fashion, if I was a gym teacher. (Note: gym teachers are amazing!) So I had to take the reigns of my narrative and help better contextualize my experience. Fortunately, ESPN liked my story. (Finally!)
Getting the job offer was a day I won’t forget. I not only landed a coveted job in marketing at one of the world’s most beloved brands, but I also broke the long spell of rejection. And while I didn’t get to be an anchor on SportsCenter like the Dream Job winner, I did get to work on the iconic show by developing some pretty cool branded segments.
Not bad for a gym teacher :)