Coaching.....

Did you play in college?  If so your best bet might be to talk with the coach at your school about volunteering your time to help coach. When I was running track in college we always 1 or 2 recent grads as volunteer coaches. 

 

 

I played for a coach for two seasons at a juco that is a scout for the Tampa Bay Rays. He is at a high school now and wants me to come over and coach at that high school when I graduate but I would greatly prefer the collegiate level. Trust me, I'm not being too picky but I would much rather skip high school all together. 

Take the high school gig... it is experience and you may end up loving it.

Take the HS job. It's a foot in the door. Pick up and read Sean Payton's book. While it's about football there is a lot of info in there about the start of his coaching career. When it comes to coaching at the higher levels it's all about the fraternity and who you know.  

If you coach at the college level you would be coaching kids that are not much younger than you.  

There are plenty of high schools that need good coaches so how about coming over to our school? 

BackhandStab7,

 

I think joes87 has put his finger on it. If an entry-level assistantship at the college level is in your immediate future after graduation, it'll likely come through whatever network you've been able to develop. Generally speaking, they're pretty highly sought after and they tend to go to fairly recent grads from the hiring school's program or to someone who is well enough known by the hiring Head Coach (or recommended by a highly credible source) that he's willing to entrust the position to the successful candidate.

 

Others here are correct that the high school position can be a great place to begin one's coaching career; and, I'd think that doing so with a professional scout could be a real benefit to achieving your eventual goal. If you should begin there, make certain that you find opportunities to rub shoulders and build credibility with college coaches. Engage with them openly and honestly about players you coach, and find places you can instruct like baseball academies, camps, and clinics. It also probably wouldn't be a bad idea to become an active member in the regional organization of the American Baseball Coaches' Association. Before you know it, you will have begun to build the kind of meaningful relationships that make you a welcome candidate when positions open..

 

Separately, you might take a moment to check out the following Twitter account and/or its related website: https://twitter.com/skippersdugout. Their owner invites college coaches to post their openings there. However, don't be surprised if those openings tend to get filled through networked candidates, once filled.

 

Last but not least, congratulations to you upon your impending graduation and best wishes for your success! I hope you'll become an active member/contributor to this site!

 

 

Dont take the high school gig if you want to coach college. Get a college gig, even if you have to volunteer and wait tables at the Olive Garden... Once you are in high school you will have a hard time getting out the gate to college.

 

Many, MANY college coaches see high school coaches as English teachers that 'coach a little ball on the side'...  if you want to be a career baseball coach, grab a college program.

 

just my 2 cents. 

If it's a run-of-the-mill high school program, I agree. However, if it's a quality high school program in Texas; and the Head Coach is a former JUCO coach who also scouts, that could be a legitimate platform...especially if he gets after it on the networking side with college coaches.

 

Overwhelmingly, the volunteer position is the entry level position to college coaching, so that's probably what we're talking about, anyway. They're very highly sought after and usually require networking connections. Agree, however, that that's the job to go after if it's feasible.

I agree with pretty much everything Prepster has said but I'm more inclined to say follow trojan skipper advice.  My goal was to coach college baseball but my thought process was to get a high school job and build something and then be attractive enough to move on.  Never came close to even happening.  I did get to talk to one coach and asked him why he thought I wasn't even getting a sniff although I had built a very good high school program.  He said the main reason is my resume doesn't have any college coaching experience at all on it.  What they look for are guys who know the college game and can coach it because they don't have the time to teach someone like myself how to be a college coach.  But they always need young guys to do jobs they don't want to do but they get to put college coach on their resume and can start up the ladder.

 

It's a long hard road to follow but if you have the ability you should get there even if you start out waiting tables at Olive Garden.

 

What makes your route very appealing is the fact you'll be working under someone who has connections.  That can be very helpful or could lead nowhere because you're putting all your eggs into this guy's basket hoping he can come through for you.  The opportunity you have this route is 10 times better than the route I had before me years ago which is why it should be considered but overall if you can get the opportunity to coach college and that's what you want to do - then coach college.

Have you spoken to the HS coach about what you want to do in the future and if he can help you?

 BackhandStab7,

You have received good advice but the best advice comes from Prepster, whose son is a college coach.

To coach at the college level or any for that matter, one needs to build a resume. I definitely think that going to coach HS would be a good first step on the ladder.

Best of luck!

I had to laugh at his one.  My wife's cousin started as a server at Olive Garden in her early 20's, and is now an executive at Darden (the parent company) making a very comfortable salary.  So, yea - everybody's got to start somewhere.

My son always wanted to be a coach. I asked him while he was in college if he wanted to coach HS or college baseball when he was done playing. "College. I have no desire to coach at the HS level. I want to coach at the college level. I want to recruit my guys. I want to coach guys that are as serious as you can be about playing." He started out by being a volunteer assistant coach at his former program. He then spent a summer coaching in the Coastal Plains League. During that same summer he worked several camps at local college's. It was all part of building his resume. He has continued to build those relationships over the last couple of years. When one of his former coaches landed a HC job he got a call to join him. He is now a paid assistant coach. If your goal is to coach at the college level then do what you have to do to build your resume. Volunteer to work camps. Contact every college program you can contact and enquire about helping in any way you can. Have your former college coaches reach out for you. Have the coaches you volunteer for at camps to reach out for you. Be willing to start any way you can. Just get your foot in the door and then do a great job. It goes without saying it can be very tough. I know guys that coach for a meal ticket and drive the bus for other sports. I know one guy that lives in the basement of a paid coach. 

 

My son was very fortunate and he knows it. Getting a paid coaching job at the college level at 24 is pretty cool. But if you really want it there is a way. You just have to be proactive and willing to whatever it takes. I will say this. The type of person you are. The kind of person other people enjoy being around. Your work ethic and character. Is way more important than your knowledge of the game starting out. That can be learned over time. Those other traits are essential to getting your foot in the door. Good luck.  

Oh my goodness, I am so overwhelmed with answers. You guys are the greatest, I mean that!

 

I will start by saying that I really don't know if my former collegiate coach would necessarily stick his neck out for me right out of college to college programs. Not because I'm not the fit for a college program but because of his credibility. He is one of those men who just doesn't like being wrong.

I do have some more questions if you guys are willing to answer?

 

For example, I understand pay is relatively lower; sometimes non-existent at jucos. Besides waiting tables (which I have done before), how I would I supplement my income?

 

While grabbing the quickest high school job offer I can would be smart to do for "resume building", I believe I should skip high school because of the way it is done. I do not like teaching complete fundamentals for young kids. I would much rather deal with an athlete who has at least some ability and knowledge of baseball.I also do not want to be stuck at a small school with limited athletes. At the college level, as you know, coaches have the fantastic privilege of recruiting. Getting the athletes you desire is always fun. I love scouting to begin with. I have done [informal] scouting with (and for) my former coach. That is also a career I wouldn't mind pursuing if coaching doesn't work out. I have recently applied for MLB Scout School and used my former college coach as a reference. Hopefully I receive a call back, however, I do not expect one.

 

Since we are on the topic of networking, would there be any college coaches on this post willing to help me start networking? For starters, anyone in Texas? (I am willing to take a job nationally; just curious to what opportunities lay here on this forum.) I am more than happy to provide my email, phone or just a simple direct message on here would suffice if that's ok with people.

 

Another question is that I will be graduating in the summer of 2016. (August 13, 2016 to be exact.) With this date, how will that effect me applying for college jobs? I'm sure that I would actually need the Bachelor's degree before being able to apply because the college or coach I would be applying to probably wouldn't take me seriously. And since I would be applying as a Graduate Assistant, I would need to hurriedly be accepted to be able to register and enroll in to my program. This part has me worried the most out of everything. I am afraid that I would be a sitting duck for an entire year with no job at all.

 

 

I understand what you are saying here BackHand... but at some point you will be teaching fundamentals to players. Either some raw talent at the college level, to high school kids, or to some youth players at a camp that your school runs. Teaching of fundamentals doesn't and shouldn't stop at the high school level. 

Very sure I mis-worded that, as I am a firm believer that fundamentals win baseball games lol. My apologies. I think what I meant was I don't want to be teaching the game to someone from the ground up. I hope that clears that statement up.

My son played 3 years of college ball and pro for 7 seasons, plus the off season as well.

 

He will be returning to school to finish his degree. He will be a student assistant coach for two semesters, work with the pitchers and not get paid, but will receive some type of assistance for his efforts. He hopes that he will also now learn from his former HC as a coach what he did as a player.  So having a good mentor is very important.  He also knows that it will be a long climb up the ladder, little pay and very long hours.  Make sure you understand all that being a college coach entails.

 

He is working now as a counselor at a bb facility and giving private and group lessons. He is assigned to the 12-13 year old pitchers and hitters. I think he actually enjoys it very much as he sees his efforts rewarded by the progress they all have made. He told me that it is helping him to prepare for his next step, and through this experience he is finding out that this may be something (coaching) he might pursue after college. He understands that coaches are teachers (in a sense) and that this isnt for everyone. Its easy to say it is something that you would like to do, but first you have to try out  A before you can get to B. Seems to me that you have very little experience playing college and none with instruction.  

Scouting is a whole different animal. This is also a profession where you start at the very bottom. Many scouts out there are successful because they either coached at one time or they played.  And these days you also have to have an understanding of saber metrics.

 

How would you even know that you might enjoy coaching if you never did it?

I dont see why you would not go to a local HS and ask to help or a travel team until you graduate? 

Are you really sure what you really want to do? Do you understand in most cases you would not be making anything until someone feels that you are capable of getting the job done.

 

Its good to ask questions, you have gotten lots of good advice here. Best of luck.

 

 

OP, you have gotten great advice from some very knowledgeable people. My two cents, for what it's worth. My husband was a high school coach for a while. His position was not paid and we were starting a family, so he had a regular daytime job. I'm sure he would have loved to continue coaching, but the realities of life meant that he needed a paycheck. Finding a regular job where he could be off in time for practices and games was challenging and just didn't work out. So, when looking at ways to make money while you are coaching, you will have to be creative and flexible. I'm guessing the time commitments at the collegiate level are far above the requirements for high school, so you will probably have even less time to work at a paying job. 

 

I think TPM said her son is working at a baseball academy teaching group and private lessons. This is a great way to start building your resume and make some extra cash. My son has worked with two young pitching coaches at our local academy that have helped his mechanics and confidence so much. Since they are younger, they could connect with him and relate to him as a young high school player. Both were part of collegiate World Series qualifying teams (one of them was part of two National Championship teams) and they were both drafted. Even with all of their experience, they had to start building their resumes at the bottom. One is still in the minors and my son had his last lesson with him days before he left for spring training a few weeks ago. The other is now the pitching coach for a local HS team that has several D1 commits. My point is, they both have a high level of baseball experience (top-notch D1 program, minor league players) and they still had to start by teaching fundamentals to young kids.

 

Good luck! 

That was my point!  Son has a lot of requests because of his resume and is teaching fundamentals, which one never stops learning.

Good post!!!

Greatly noted and very appreciative for the answers.

 

Since you guys have enlightened me about the high school level, what is the best way to start out? Obviously I'll be teaching a subject and probably coaching another sport or two throughout the school year... Should I apply for head coaching positions out of college? Or should I stick with the Asst. role? Also, since I want to someday coach at the collegiate level, would it be best to get a 5A or 6A job instead of a 2A or 3A job?

I have a great idea. Why not give it sometime and do some more looking into all that a head coaching job at any level entails.

I will do that.

I will be back on tomorrow to discuss this further.

 

Thank you for your answers.

I'm going to say this but I don't mean it as an insult.  I actually tell all my assistant coaches this in all our sports (I'm athletic director in case you don't know) that they are never truly ready to be a head coach.  I don't care how great the head coach you worked under way - until you have to wear the big shoes you just don't know.  Now being under a great head coach does help tremendously but until you have to do it you never know.  I worked under three different guys and saw three different types - one great, one not so great and one that was just average.  I took something from each one of them but still not the same.

 

Like I said if your goal is to be a college coach then start the journey NOW when you're young, you (probably) don't have a family to make it difficult to move around, you're not used to having money (trust me this is a big one that people don't realize how much of a factor this plays) and its easier to take the odd jobs to give you flexibility to coach.  When I started applying for college jobs I actually did get a sniff from a school which I forgot about in my initial post.  You're about to see why I forgot about it.  I lived in KY and this job was in Oakland CA so I was going to have to pack up everything I owned and move to the other side of the country.  The coach called me up and said he was interested in me and was going to have a phone interview with him and the AD the next day.  He coached me up on what he was going to ask and how to answer it.  I was super excited because that's a pretty good sign.  The phone interview went great and couple days later the coach calls me up and says I got good news and I got bad news.  The good news is he was offering me the asst coaching job at such and such university.  The bad news is he told me I would be crazy to take the job.  That bumfuzzled me because why would you offer the job if you're telling me not to take it?  He said the pay was going to be $3000 for the season only, no housing, no other type of job on campus, can't guarantee the job for more than one season and the cost of living there is one of the highest in the nation.  It was dumb on my part because I had built a great system, leaving a great paying teaching job, moving away from family to the point I could never afford to visit them and I had a house I owned that who knows when I would be able to sell it.  When I applied I was something like 33 years old and I was already at a point in my life it was almost impossible to just start over like this.  I asked him to let me think about it a couple of days and I finally told him I appreciated the offer but I just couldn't do it.  He understood - it is what it is.  That is the only sniff I got out of almost 100 applications.

 

So if you're going to go the high school route right out of college let me offer this advice.  Get on as an assistant at a bigger school.  I don't know you but I would bet that you're not ready to be a head coach at this level.  Plus, as an AD I wouldn't even interview you because you're so fresh out of college and you have no head coaching experience.  This goes back to what I'm saying about the best way to get a college job is to have college on your resume because that attitude is at the high school level.  

 

A bigger school can mirror a small college experience in terms of running a program.  Obviously there are differences but it's the closest you'll get.  If you go the small school route you have a better chance of getting a HC job but not much better.  It will be a much tougher route to build a resume at this level because the depth of talent isn't there.  You may get a stud every few years but overall you're going to be coaching guys who typically cannot make it at the college level.  Bigger school then typically better depth of talent.  

 

No matter which route you go you need to network like others have posted. Whatever your job in life ends up being more doors are opened by who you know more than what you know.  But what you know is what makes you successful after who you know opens the door for you.

 

This is my opinion and it's based on what I've experienced in my life.  Regardless of what avenue you choose I wish you best of luck and hope you get to do what I wanted but realistically will never get to.  I wish I had went with a graduate assistant route out of college instead of going high school.  I don't regret being a high school teacher / coach and truly love doing it but if I had it to do over I would have went the college route because teaching will always be there.

 

Hope this helps some.