Career paths?

[Anonymous]

I know it sounds way too early to consider the career paths for a teenage boy, but I wanted to throw it out for Friday discussion. My boy is an overachiever in soccer but an underachiever on almost everything else. He has been playing on the top team in a medium sized club for a couple of years. He is not the most talented kid on his team but he has a good balance of speed, skills, aggression and soccer IQ. He plays soccer at every chance he’s got - practices, clinics, camps, pickup games, backyard, basement, play dates, vacation, etc., and he watches lots of European league games and YouTube videos. He usually got 3s and 4s on school reports, but he is a slacker in academics and he has no motivation to do his best. Not much of a reader or writer either. All he wants to do is to play soccer and become s professional soccer player when he grows up. Since nobody in our family played sports or worked in any sport related profession, I don’t have a clear vision where his passion is leading him in the future. Anyone care to share your thoughts or experience?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know it sounds way too early to consider the career paths for a teenage boy, but I wanted to throw it out for Friday discussion. My boy is an overachiever in soccer but an underachiever on almost everything else. He has been playing on the top team in a medium sized club for a couple of years. He is not the most talented kid on his team but he has a good balance of speed, skills, aggression and soccer IQ. He plays soccer at every chance he’s got - practices, clinics, camps, pickup games, backyard, basement, play dates, vacation, etc., and he watches lots of European league games and YouTube videos. He usually got 3s and 4s on school reports, but he is a slacker in academics and he has no motivation to do his best. Not much of a reader or writer either. All he wants to do is to play soccer and become s professional soccer player when he grows up. Since nobody in our family played sports or worked in any sport related profession, I don’t have a clear vision where his passion is leading him in the future. Anyone care to share your thoughts or experience?

Maybe coaching? The few kids I know who went pro were just so much better vs everyone else. This usually has show its self by 16 or 17 years. The pros only take like the top 5% kids nation wide...if that.

[Anonymous]

He's not going to be a pro soccer player. Or a pro coach.
It's time to be honest with him and let him know that.
And any job involved in soccer, whether it's as a broadcaster, and agent, a team exec, etc, is going to require him to start taking school seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He's not going to be a pro soccer player. Or a pro coach.
It's time to be honest with him and let him know that.
And any job involved in soccer, whether it's as a broadcaster, and agent, a team exec, etc, is going to require him to start taking school seriously.

Thanks. This is what i thought too. His teachers and I have been telling him that but he just wont listen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He's not going to be a pro soccer player. Or a pro coach.
It's time to be honest with him and let him know that.
And any job involved in soccer, whether it's as a broadcaster, and agent, a team exec, etc, is going to require him to start taking school seriously.

Thanks. This is what i thought too. His teachers and I have been telling him that but he just wont listen.

One of the better players on the top team of a local medium sized club means he will be a starter on his high school team ... but no Division 1 college scholarships in his future. He could probably play Division 3 if he keeps working hard.

[Anonymous]

My son got moved this year from the top team to the second team.
I asked him what he thought about it, and he said, "I guess I'm not gonna be a pro...I think I'll be a doctor instead."

What a shame.

[Anonymous]

I work in a law firm. One of our summer associates this year used to be a pro-soccer player for a team in Europe. Then he came to the US for school, and coached rich kids one-on-one while coaching a soccer club.

I think he did okay, but couldn't sustain that type of income long term, which is part of why he went to law school.

[Anonymous]

Hate to say it, soccer coaching for most is just extra side money. Most can't make a living at doing it full time. If he loves soccer, there are many ways to get into soccer without ever playing.

Sports Marketing/Advertising, computer graphics, game programming, film production, trainer, etc. I have a friend that used to play high school football and did 1 year at Purdue. Didn't work out but is now a team physician on an NBA team.

[Anonymous]

How old is he OP? Has tried out for any of the local DA teams (assuming you are posting from around here)? Step one on the soccer front would be seeing if he can hang with kids playing on a top team.

I know a lot of kids in our area who are excellent soccer players and are in the recruiting process for D1 soccer. Many of them are kicking themselves now because they didn't understand how much better their college options would be if they focused on their academics starting in 9th grade at the latest. Some of them actually are at a level where an MLS type pro career is a possibility, but it's easier to get there from some colleges than others and many of the best options are off the table if you don't have at least a half-way decent GPA. Now is the time to really get your son to understand how many more doors will be open to him if he buckles down and starts working in school.

[Anonymous]

you can start on the uS Soccer license pathway even as a teenager. By the time you finish college, you can finish with a degree in sports science, phys ed, etc. and have your B License if you start early enough.

https://www.ussoccer.com/coaching-education/licenses

[Anonymous]

He can referee and be a really good one. He has passion for the game, so stick with it. He can even begin now and take pride in doing a good job and getting paid as an extra benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He's not going to be a pro soccer player. Or a pro coach.
It's time to be honest with him and let him know that.
And any job involved in soccer, whether it's as a broadcaster, and agent, a team exec, etc, is going to require him to start taking school seriously.

Thanks. This is what i thought too. His teachers and I have been telling him that but he just wont listen.

One of the better players on the top team of a local medium sized club means he will be a starter on his high school team ... but no Division 1 college scholarships in his future. He could probably play Division 3 if he keeps working hard.

I have a cousin who was like this and played for a D3 school and has a really nice job as an assistant coach at a different D3 school. He won't get rich off of it but it's in a small city and he can live off the salary and benefits. He's very happy. Another relative who was obsessed with a different sport and was a decent but not scholarship material player became a sports marketer for a big company helping negotiate and implement branding deals. But this second relative was a good student, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:you can start on the uS Soccer license pathway even as a teenager. By the time you finish college, you can finish with a degree in sports science, phys ed, etc. and have your B License if you start early enough.

https://www.ussoccer.com/coaching-education/licenses

NP, terrific idea about sports science/sports therapy.

[Anonymous]

OP here. All this information is helpful. Thank you for your input!

[Anonymous]

Let him follow his dream. Stop trying to track him one way or another
But you are the parent, so new rule at your house:
No soccer unless homework done and a B average or better in all classes
No soccer unless family chores are done
You’re his parent not his career guide
Stop sweating it.