Ashli's Portfolio
Ashli Hogan
Past, Present, & Future
Future Learning Goals Essay
I would like to start by saying how the past and present have helped shaped where I want my future to lead. In the past I was actively involved in many different sports up until high school and then specialized in cheerleading in college. As I grew older, participating wasn’t as easy as it had been in the past, so I ventured into a new role, coaching. I have been coaching cheerleading and gymnastics for the past few years. It is because of these experiences that I see a future as an athletic director. Obviously, transitioning into a new career field is never easy, but taking steps and setting goals to lead into that direction will help me reach my dreams faster. Completing my master’s degree with a specialization in Sports Leadership and Coaching has definitely helped me gain significantly more knowledge than I had before starting the program. I look forward to using this knowledge and building on it as I continue my track as a life-long learner. I am definitely very far from knowing as much as possible to be an athletic director, but there are a few steps that I would like to take in the near future to help me expand on my knowledge. If I want to be a successful and qualified candidate I need to look into professional development opportunities to expand my credentials and knowledge, begin networking with other athletic directors and schools, and to start gaining some experience in athletic directing.
I am currently a high school math teacher, but as my master’s degree is now nearing graduation, I am beginning to really start thinking about the future. I plan to continue teaching for at least another year while I continue to expand on my knowledge of athletic directing and begin networking. It is a goal of mine to start gaining some experience so that I am able to find a full-time position that I see myself staying in for the long-term in the near future.
One of my first plans after graduation is to look for professional development opportunities in athletic directing. I know there are probably plenty of places that offer professional development courses but one of them that stood out to me was the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA). They offer an Athletic Administration certification that is completely voluntary and is based around continuing education classes. They offer different levels of certification based on the classes you take and the experience you have. I think this is a great opportunity for me because I have not taken many athletic administration classes and it will also give me another credential, especially since I do not have many athletic director credentials yet.
Once I begin to start expanding my knowledge in athletic directing I think that it would be a very good idea for me to start networking with people that are currently in athletic directing positions. This is good for a few different reasons. This will allow me to make connections with companies for future job opportunities, but most importantly it will allow me to have conversations about experiences that I may have in the future, as well as help me decide what type of athletic directing job I see myself getting involved in. I found a committee online called the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA). I think that joining this group, especially will help me network with people that were in my situation at one point. I can learn from their experiences and how they got where they are today. One of the things this organization does is help women find careers in collegiate athletic administration, which is where I would like to be someday.
Finally the most important thing I need to do after graduation is to gain experience working as an athletic director. I have a lot of experience performing and coaching sports, but not as much experience when it comes to directing the sport or overseeing multiple sports. I have contacted my high school’s athletic director about shadowing him or working with him once I complete my master’s program. I have also considered looking for an entry level or part-time director position at a recreational sporting facility or college/university. Another option that I have thought about is doing some type of internship over the summer so that I can get insight into a few different jobs/tasks that athletic directors perform. There are many different types of athletic directors at the college level and because my experiences with athletic directing are very slim I am not even sure which field I would enjoy doing. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) opportunities on their website, ranging from internships, part-time and full-time opportunities.
