Students filled the Hughes-Trigg Center last night to hear a discussion about careers in sports.
 

The event was sponsored by the Hegi Family Career Development Center, which set up a panel of four individuals who presently work in several areas of the sports industry.
The panel opened up with advice to seniors about impending graduation. 
 

If you want to enter the sports industry, all the panelists agreed that having experience and networking is the answer to getting your foot in the door.
 

“If you’re a junior or senior and you’ve just contacted me, it’s too late,” Whitney Brandon, Dallas Cowboys’ employee, said.
 

A typical day for a person in the sports industry is never the same.  Regardless of whether they’re in the off-season, those working for teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, FC Dallas or the Dallas Stars never see the same day twice.

“If you’re looking for a job from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. it’s not in sports,” Michael Lysko, SMU sport management program employee, said.

For those students who aren’t sure about what to do in the future, the career panels can help students find something they like.

“A lot of students are unsure about what business path they want to take but these discussions can help guide them toward a specific potential career,” junior Katie Aguinage said.

These career discussion panels allow students to hear about a new spectrum in corporate America. 

However, along with the discussion about what the sports industry has to offer, the professional individuals present discussed the importance of being flexible and open minded to new experiences.

Many of them started as interns and they talked about the importance of having experience.  Along with this experience, commitment is also a factor that must be a part of what an intern must have to work in sports.

“You may turn down the best opportunity you had because you wanted a salary,” Melanie Jarrett, FC Dallas employee, said.

As for the future of the sports industry, an increase in jobs is apparent.  

According to Lysko, in about five years there will be a growth in this industry of about 80 percent.

“If you continue in the sports business, you’ll move on,” Lysko said.

The employees of the sports industry know that it’s a tough market to go into, but with the tips that were offered, students can begin to gain momentum and get that dream job with the NFL or the NBA.

“This panel provided a vast array of behind-the-scenes sports personalities to relate to and offer different methods to reach my sports career goals,” sophomore Alexander Gras said.

There have been several panels that have been set up to let students learn about different career paths and industries. 

With the coordination of professionals around the Dallas area, the Hegi Center holds these discussion panels to help students find new ideas for their futures or reassure them about their current plans.

“Different events and panels bring professors to let students learn about careers in an informal way,” Caryn Stratman, assistant director of the Careers in Sports panel, said.