You are replaceable. This is what you will find out when you leave. A worse outcome: they do not even replace your position after you leave. They just let your position disappear. You impacted several lives, you got up before the sun came up and left after the sun went down for more days than you can count, and you sacrificed everything, and yet it all seems to just fade away. It fades like the steam in your coffee at 4am, setting up the field for offseason conditioning in January. The life of S&C is built on who is willing to sacrifice more and more – this makes wanting to leave somewhere difficult to process. 

With all due respect, most people wanting to leave their position in S&C comes off as whiney. A job that is essentially a passion turned into a vocation means it’s tough to get any empathy when talking about the flaws in the job. A job where you work with athletes in shorts and a t-shirt makes it hard to get someone to really understand the downsides. Part of the agony of S&C is the realization that if you were to try to complain, it would come off as crazy. In turn, you internalize your emotions because you do not want to sound unappreciative. What you tell yourself is that you are underpaid, underappreciated, and misunderstood. The perceived perks are completely outweighed by the factors listed above and you are on this perpetual loop of only wanting more yet unable to get it at your current job. 

The issue at hand is that you are educated, smart, earnest, humble, loyal, and resourceful. That feeling of you being capable of so much more yet not able to do more is crushing. The big question is: what are your options? You can find another position at another school. That may be where the phrase “the grass is not always greener on the other side” presents itself. You may try to go down to high school or up to professional. That could come at the cost of notoriety or responsibility. Or you could fulfill your fantasy of opening a gym. Opening a gym is not the correct term; it should be “starting a business” and that is a lot more work than most people really want to take on. 

In any job, there are good days and bad days. What it comes down to – are you having more good or more bad days? The more important question is: who’s at fault? Chances are your job did not lie to you about what the job’s expectations were. It is very probable that the responsibilities of the job were well understood from the onset. Leaving a job based on preference that the job is not fulfilling your expectations is more so a reflection of your own frustrations with the work. Frustration with lack of pay or lack of responsibility is a never-ending cycle that only leads back to more frustration. The assumption that your job is not going in the direction you want may not be the fault of the employer. This harsh truth is important to realize because without taking responsibility, the same outcome will occur no matter where you go. The next job, no matter where it is, could lead to the same end result without some sort of inventory of responsibility. 

Leaving comes down to a couple of scenarios: you either get fired or you get a better opportunity. Every coaching job is on a timeline. The reason why you leave is hopefully a better opportunity. But how do you determine if something is a better opportunity? Better is either more money or a promotion in title. Leaving a job from being fired could be a matter of circumstance. More than likely, it is a matter of improper planning. Not evaluating if you were a good fit for the job or if the job was a good fit for your skill set is as much your responsibility as the employers’. The outcome of any job is a reflection of your overall plan and your ability to interpret the signs and signals that job presents. 

Waiting to hate where you work is your fault. Entry-level positions are meant to be left. Mid-level positions are a step away from a director position. The goal is to get to the next step. It is not to rush or to expect anything, but it is to have the idea that leaving a job is natural. Mistaking a job in coaching as anything other than a stepping stone is a set-up for frustration. Approaching each day as a day closer to the next gives a sense of urgency. This transitions the job from one you will resent to one that is a means to an end. The feeling of frustration or under-appreciation can be offset by being one step closer to your ultimate goal. 

Take time to consider where the feeling of frustration stems from. Understand that the employer who you are so adamant is not appreciating you is not in the wrong. View any transition as a major step that should be considered heavily. Most importantly, take time to consider just how valid your gripes are. This critical junction in your life is one that needs incredible introspection. If you do not take moments to reflect, you are more than likely to reach the same outcome at the next job. It is not a hard decision when you objectively look at how a job is functioning towards your overall plan. It is a hard decision when you have no career aspirations.