The Career Path

When one enters the traditional work force it is generally known the sort of career path that will be followed. Starting at point 'A', and through continuing education, experience and job moves, one begins to climb the ladder to ever higher positions. That's all well and good, but what do you do when your career path choice is one of self determination and one where there is no established precedent for doing that which you are doing or where to proceed from here.

When setting out on this endeavour I knew that for me to be able to have a successful career at whatever it was of my choosing I knew that, like my Dad, I had to combine my hobby with my work. This combination was going to be the only thing that would hold my attention as well as keep me motivated to get the work done. I wanted to wake up every day and be filled with excitement about the things that would/will be accomplished throughout the day. So now that I'm finally there and on my way, what next?

I fully intend to compete professionally for another 10+ years. I have been racing since the age of 6 so why stop now! I know that, given my history of athletic success and my new RE-found devotion to sporting excellence, I will be able to accomplish whatever I set my mind to on the triathlon circuit. I want to win an Ironman, and I want to place in the top-10 at Kona before this is all said and done. I also have some thoughts about goals on the short course scene but want to see how the draft legal adventures play out in the coming year.

Throughout this time I will continue to coach and MAKE FASTER other athletes who seek my help. Honing my coaching skills in tandem with my own racing. Once I have finished competitively racing I want to further build the coaching business with two branches. Continue along the the lines of that which I am currently doing, but to also form a training squad of young athletes on their way up with an eye towards professional development. Not just on the racing side of things but also grooming for the business side.

The work I currently do along the lines of marketing, product development and promotion will continue to be a constant through the next decade and into the coaching focused aspect of this path. I really do enjoy the networking and business development side of things. Guess I'm still using that Finance degree!

Some other areas that I am already interested in getting into are giving talks/speaking engagements and conducting clinics. Simply following along the lines of sharing with others as well as giving back to the sport.

So there it is. A career in the multisports industry. Sure it's a load of hard work, and there is a lot of risk, but I wake up every day knowing that I get to live a dream and give thanks for being able to do this.

Oh yeah... and racing retirement will also mean more time for hiking, snowshoeing and back country skiing! Colorado High Country... nothing better.

"job" quotes...

"When it comes to choosing a life path, you should do what you love — because if you don't love it, you are unlikely to work hard enough to get very good."

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
-Howard Thurman

"There comes a time when one must risk something, or sit forever with ones dreams."
-Trevor Peterson

“Man is so made that whenever anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish”
-La Fontaine

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give".
-Winston Churchill

"I never wanted to face up to not having done all I could to be the best I could be. To me that would have been a tremendous failure."
-Scott Molina