- Many people dream of being a professional athlete, out on the field (indistinct) court.

But how can you turn your dreams of playing professional sports into a career?

In the Career Center, we'll learn about careers in sports and athletics outside the court.

We'll go on the job at a gym making an impact, and we'll learn about how a passion for sports can lead to a great career in broadcasting.

- [Announcer] The Career Center is made possible by General Motors and by these supporters and by viewers like you, thank you.

(upbeat music) (birds chirping) (people chattering) (bell ringing) - Hey Brooke, hey Sam.

Welcome to the Career Center, how can I help you today?

- Miss Pisani, adults in my life keep asking about my future plans, but the reality is I don't really know.

- I've been thinking the exact same thing.

I don't even know where to start.

- I totally get it.

You have so many choices and options, it can feel really overwhelming.

A good place to start is with a self-assessment.

- A self-assessment, like a test?

- Well maybe, you know, there's a really great skills matcher available on CareerOneStop from the Department of Labor, but it doesn't even have to be that formal.

Think of it more as a way to get to know yourself, identify your strengths, things that you're good at and your interests, things that you like.

- I really love sports, I'm part of the crew team, but as much as I love being part of the team, I know that I'm not gonna be able to do it professionally.

- That's actually a really great first step.

So you've identified that you love sports.

What do you love about them?

- I love working with the team and motivating my teammates on race day.

- So it sounds like you've identified some strengths, so you love motivating your team.

That's something that not a lot of people like to do or even interested in, so we could build off of that.

So this is a great start.

It's good to think about what you're interested in and what your strengths are and then build off of that.

So it could be like starting with what's your favorite subject in school, maybe it's math or biology, and then coupling that with something that your strengths are.

So maybe you were involved in student council or something like that, so your leadership is strong.

You know, I have this video I wanna show you.

It's from Career Girls and it's about someone named Alicia Smith who took her strength as a manager and her love of sports and turned it into a career called a game manager.

Let's take a look at this together.

I think you'll really like it.

(upbeat music) - I am the game operations manager for the Golden State Warriors.

When you walk into a game to when you walk out of the game, I am managing that experience.

I'm a really tall individual.

I'm six six, which is definitely tall for a woman and I love it.

But when growing up as a child it was really rough.

I got teased at every corner.

Not only was I teased for being tall, but in the town that I grew up in, which was a little small town in Oregon, I was also teased for being black.

But I will say this, it has shaped me into the person that I am today and I'm so much stronger.

Without that experience I would not be where I am today.

Do not let anyone tell you who you are.

You know who you are, you're an amazing person and they're just trying to put a box around "you're amazing."

Do not let anyone do that.

A typical game day for me, there really isn't anything typical about it.

I mean we have something different every game, but I'll just give you a little bit of what we would do, a little bit of every game and that would be go to the arena.

So we get there about one o'clock.

So after we have worked in the office for a couple hours, we go over and we set everything up and I mean from the contest to going through all the videos on the video board to make sure that they work, to having run throughs with the Warrior Girls.

I mean we are doing something nonstop until those doors open.

And I also, I am the producer and the director for the pre-game show.

So I put together all those scripts and everything that you see during that time before the game actually starts.

So I'm putting all that together and that's a task in itself.

So I'm meeting with the talent.

We have two in Arena MCs, I meet with them, we go over everything and then we execute it.

I stand in the visiting player's tunnel all game with a headset on and I communicate with 50, 60 people in the arena at one point in time.

So we are definitely all communicating at once from the spotlights to the control room where all the lights, the video boards, the music, everything is played from there.

I talk to my director who's at the scoreboard table and we just put the game on, we put the show on for everybody and it's great.

Our game operations team selects all of the singers that perform the National Anthems at all of the games.

And it could be anyone who submits to us, you know, people send in tapes all the time or it could be someone that we want.

So we go out and we get them and it's really fun to see all the talent that comes in and we get all types of anthems, which is really great and people love the anthem.

It's something, you know, that starts the game off.

So it's really important that we make it right.

So one of my favorite anthem singers is a girl who's nine years old and her name is Naya Damson and she is amazing.

She blew the roof off of that arena and this year she actually became kind of like our go-to anthem singer for the playoffs.

So like everybody was waiting for her to sing the anthem.

So she sang quite a few times during our playoff runs and it just set the tone and it was amazing.

The most challenging thing about being the game operations manager is that you never really know what you're gonna get.

The game is so fast paced, there's points where you might have to go do something really quickly and you know, it's actually something that I like about it, but it's also something that's challenging 'cause you never really know what you're gonna get.

The thing that I find the most rewarding about the work that I do is working with all types of people, whether it be the fans, our fans are amazing.

They're the best fans in the NBA hands down to all the entertainment groups that we have to even the players, the coaches, everybody.

It's just working with them, creating those relationships and creating a great experience for everybody.

(upbeat music) - Miss Pisani, that seems like a really interesting career choice and I think it will be a great fit for Sam, but I don't really think it's for me.

I love sports and athletics, but I'm really into one-on-one.

I love volunteering and it feels great to be doing something helpful.

Are there any career choices out there for that?

- Brooke, that's so good to hear.

I know how important volunteering is for me and actually there are a lot of careers that combine that one-on-one that you like so much with sports and athletics.

In fact, one of our students, Kayden got to go on the job at a gym in Sterling Heights called Inclusively Fit.

And they work with people with special needs to help them be fit, exercise and be healthy.

(upbeat music) - If you're passionate about sports and fitness, there's a good chance you want other people to experience that joy as well.

Have you considered turning that passion into a career?

Today I'm at Inclusively Fit in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

This unique fitness facility caters to people who require a little more attention and adaptive strategies to get and stay fit.

Here, they believe that everyone should have the opportunity to pursue a healthy lifestyle.

Mark, can you tell me a little bit about this like awesome space that you have for Inclusively Fit?

- Yeah, Inclusively Fit is a 6,000 square foot facility, a nonprofit organization catered to the special needs population.

We do cardio training, we do weight training, we do sports related training and we can actually work on our client's social skills as well.

- Tell me a little bit about the people that you serve.

- Here at Inclusively Fit, we specialize in working with people with special needs of all ages, whether be kids, adolescents and adults.

And we service people who have autism, cognitive disabilities, physical disabilities, emotionally impaired.

And we also work with children who are non-disabled, who have, you know, obesity issues, depression and people who just need our help.

- And how did you get into the fitness industry?

- As a kid, I just absolutely loved sports and fitness.

I was always outside playing basketball with my brothers.

I was always on a school sports team growing up through elementary, middle school and high school.

So I knew at some point that fitness and my career would come together.

But it wasn't until college that it became a reality.

I became a a special education teacher and I have an additional minor adaptive physical education.

After I got my degree from Eastern Michigan University, I just knew like, okay, you know, let's make this possible.

And so I became a trainer over at, you know, a local gym, just kind of understand the need of the business and then that became a reality and when I opened up Inclusively Fit because this population is often ignored when it comes to fitness and health.

How you doing buddy?

- Good.

- Good to see you man.

- How are you?

- You too.

- [Kay] Mark's client for today was Jacob.

Jacob's been a member of Inclusively Fit for three years.

Mark worked with Jacob and his parents to develop a comprehensive fitness plan, including soccer for balance.

- [Mark] Nice job, Jacob, whoa.

- [Kay] Boxing for hand, eye coordination and aerobic exercises for cardiovascular fitness.

First stop, treadmill.

- All right, you ready to go on the treadmill?

Let's get started, Kay, you wanna join us?

- Oh yeah, sure.

- All right, I'll put you both on the treadmill.

We're gonna work out very, very hard today.

- Your website says fitness is a journey best traveled with friends, can you tell me about that?

- Yeah, so you know, a lot of people think just going to a regular gym, they're working out by themselves.

Here at Inclusive Fit is completely opposite of that.

You know, they come here, they're with a trainer, we get to know their client's interests, we develop a good working relationship and a lot of our clients, you know, say this is the best part of the week in coming to Inclusively Fit.

So we form friendships with our clients and our clients form, you know, relationships and friendships with the other clients that come.

All right, Jacob, I'm gonna have you sit here with me and I will adjust your weight, make sure it's good for you.

You know, Jacob's working out those back muscles right here.

He's doing a good job.

You know, he's keeping his head straight.

Looking forward.

- Okay, three more, Jacob.

3, 2, 1.

- Perfect.

- Okay, so tell me a little bit about your staff and your trainers.

Like if I were to come in and I wanted to work here, what credentials would I need?

- Here at Inclusively Fit, each employee is required to have either exercise science degree or related exercise degree major or you know, a regular personal training certificate.

But with Inclusively Fit I look at the person, you know, credentials are so important, but being, you know, a good trainer requires having a good heart, good communication skills, and being able to really be able to adapt and modify exercises.

So that's what's really important here.

And being able to develop a rapport with the families.

We just play a little catch, works on the eye hand coordination.

All right.

Jacob, last one then you're gonna throw it to Kayden, okay?

Nice catch, Jacob.

Nice catch.

- That was a beautiful throw.

- So Kay, what did you think about being an Inclusively Fit trainer for a day?

- I loved it, I had a blast.

- Yeah, we wanna make it fun for our clients because we want to let them know that fitness and health are fun and so that they continue to do it every day because it is a very important life skill that needs to be addressed.

And we're doing that here at IF.

- It was interesting to learn how much you start to care about your client and like develop a relationship with them, like, I don't even know Jacob, but I was like invested in it, you know?

- Yeah, yeah.

It's about just creating that social aspect of it, just creating that environment that our clients feel comfortable with so they can open up to us and then we obviously open up to them so we can create that working, you know, relationship and form friendships around here.

And that's what it's all about, just getting them out of the house, being really community driven and just giving them a chance to feel welcome and accepted.

Kayden's getting some very good job training today, huh?

- I know, it's fun.

Something to add to my resume, right?

Why do you think this is a career that younger people should consider?

- 'Cause you're making a difference and especially at a place like this, you know, Inclusively Fit, you're not only making a difference physical wise, but you're also improving their self-esteem, their self-confidence, but more importantly above anything else, they're just happier individuals and when they're happier, they want to do more stuff, they wanna be more outgoing, they wanna get jobs, they want to, you know, make friendships.

They wanna go to school dances like they wanna do things that they didn't do before coming here.

And so we're just a difference maker in their lives.

- Thank you, Mark, Jacob, and the entire Inclusively Fit team, I learned that a career in fitness and exercise does more than just help someone build stronger muscles.

It can also help someone develop a stronger sense of self.

If you love sports and wanna help other people become healthier in mind, body and spirit, a job in fitness and exercise could be for you.

And as Mark demonstrated, you can share that love with people of all ability levels.

- Well done, Jacob.

- You too.

(upbeat music) - I would love to do something like that.

What would the next step be, though?

- So the owner of Inclusively Fit has a degree in special education and in adaptive fitness and most of the trainers there also have degrees in some sort of health related fields.

So what we should do is talk about planning some college visits and maybe connecting you to people in their physical fitness, health or even medical departments to talk to.

And if you find a school that has a program that you're interested in, then we could talk about how you could apply there.

- Sounds good.

That sounds perfect for Brooke, but I'm still interested in working in groups and teens.

- Sam, aren't you also the director of our lunchtime newscast?

- Yeah, that was by far my favorite class.

- Have you ever thought about a career in sports broadcasting?

You know, the Michigan Association of Broadcasters just put out a video on their sports broadcasting academy.

(upbeat music) - The Great Lakes broadcast and Sports Media Academy was an opportunity for students to come together and learn from industry professionals in radio and TV, on-air, engineering, kind of the whole ecosystem of broadcasting.

And while it was branded as a sports academy, it really encompassed everything that's involved in broadcasting and we thought that was important 'cause yes, a lot of people want to go into sports and play by play, but those jobs are somewhat limited.

We wanted to give them some exposure to other opportunities in the industry.

- My name is Miriam Bingham and I currently am a senior at Michigan State University and I major in broadcast journalism with a concentration in sports and a minor in broadcast.

I'm attending today's event because I believe journalism is all about networking.

I think this networking event helps me get another sense of veterans who have been in this industry and you can only learn from those who have the experience.

And I'm very big, I'll learn from those who have actually done the real work.

- I've had a lot of different role models and mentors throughout my career and that's the biggest thing.

You know, you have to know people.

Networking is so important and especially for females.

I want to be a mentor, that's why I'm here today.

(upbeat music) - The Michigan Association of Broadcasters.

We have 285 member stations both in commercial TV and radio, it's kind of a three-pronged association.

We advocate, we educate and we celebrate.

So today's event is a perfect example of how we educate and we get students in front of those in the industry, teach them different ways to grow and potentially, you know, get themselves involved in the industry.

- My name is Veronica Bolanos.

I'm a senior at Michigan State University.

I will be graduating this spring and I am majoring in journalism and minoring in sports journalism and broadcasting with the hopes to go in some sort of on-air talent position.

I'm a strong believer in that there's always more you can learn and there's always more people you can meet and that's why I really wanted to come here today.

I really wanted to learn more about the business.

- First off, I think they need to know how to write.

Writing is such an important part of everything I do.

Aside from that, I think people should be hungry.

You know, be personable, be willing to get out there and show up.

Figure out, okay, I want to do this.

How do I get involved in this?

Reach out to people.

Be okay with cold calling.

I used to call different news stations just to talk to their news directors to say, "Hey, can I pick your brain for a little bit?"

Those skills come together, one gets you in the door, one helps you stay in the door.

- There's a lot of things that being an athlete growing up helped me in the broadcasting industry as time management.

You're a golfer, a student athlete and you have golf practice and you have golf tournaments where you're missing four days of classes and there's a lot of time management that goes into it.

And that's helped me a lot in the sports broadcasting space because you're always under a tight deadline.

You have to manage your time or you're not going to meet that deadline.

And that's been probably the biggest skill that I've taken with me working for different TV stations.

It's helped a lot.

(calm music) - There's a myriad of careers in broadcasting, obviously the most forward facing one is on-air.

You see anchors, you see play by play announcers.

There are lots of those jobs, but they're also very challenging 'cause so many people want them, but they do exist.

But then there's a lot of other behind the scenes aspects.

So engineering is a huge piece.

We have a huge need in our industry for broadcast engineers.

Those who know how to keep us on air, sales is another one.

And that gives you great access, it gives you a fun opportunity, but also lets creative minds be creative in how they approach commercials and how they approach campaigns.

And the word I use all the time is an ecosystem.

On-air doesn't work without the engineering.

The engineering can't happen without sales.

Sales can't work without management.

So all of those things are connected in our industry.

So really anything that you want to get into, there is a spot for you in broadcasting.

Having these students here today lets me know that there is an energy and there is a passion still for this industry.

These are difference makers, these are creative minds that are thinking in a whole new way.

And think of how we can share stories and how we can tell stories and how we can cover stories.

That's awesome and that's very exciting.

I think that that gives us hope for not only the next five to 10 years, but generations to come.

And if we can really tap into that spirit and that energy that we saw today, I think broadcasting will have a long life.

And I think that's actually better for us as a country because we have people to be telling stories that matter and stories that change the way that we think and live.

(upbeat music) - So one thing that's really going to help you in a job related to sports or any job really, is something called cognitive flexibility.

Have you heard about that before?

That sounds like something from biology, which isn't my favorite class.

- Actually, it's a 21st century skill.

You know, I've been working on this video project on 21st century skills and I would love to show you the one on cognitive flexibility, are you in?

- Sure.

- Yeah, I guess so.

- Okay, great.

(upbeat music) Let's talk about flexibility.

Well, maybe not this kind of flexibility, cognitive flexibility.

The flexibility that allows you to adjust and adapt to plans.

Hi, I'm Andrea Pisani.

I work with students every day to help them explore their passions and make great futures for themselves.

Let's talk about the skills everyone needs to make it in the 21st century, 21st century skills.

Cognitive flexibility is a 21st century life skill.

We have new technologies, new processes, and new people around us all the time.

Being adaptable is essential to participating in modern society.

Cognitive flexibility can help us navigate all of that.

So let's take a look at what it is, why it's so important in the 21st century and how we can stretch our brains to improve their cognitive flexibility.

So what is cognitive flexibility?

Cognitive flexibility is like the Swiss army knife of the brain.

It's the ability to switch between different ideas and tasks quickly and easily.

It's the ability to think creatively and find new solutions to problems.

And it's the ability to consider multiple perspectives or see things from different sides.

The idea of cognitive flexibility might be a 21st century skill, but it isn't new.

Psychologist JP Guilford wrote about flexibility as "the ability to simultaneously propose a variety of approaches to a specific problem" in his studies of creativity starting in the 1950s, and it has been an area of study ever since.

Cognitive flexibility can be divided into two major skills.

The first is the ability to think about several things at the same time.

The second is the ability to shift or adjust thinking based on changes in the situation, expectations or demands.

So why is it so important?

Well, employers want it.

Employers are constantly talking about critical thinking and cognitive flexibility as their most sought after skills.

So much so that a company called Question Mark designed an assessment that employers can use to measure potential employee's aptitude for cognitive flexibility.

So it is important for getting a job, but also it's the key to navigating the many challenges we face.

New technologies, information and people enter our lives all of the time, and we're often faced with new and changing demands.

The ability to adapt to these changes is crucial for success in both personal and professional life.

Cognitive flexibility allows us to adapt to these changes quickly and effectively.

Modern research suggests that individuals with good cognitive flexibility skills experience higher resilience to negative life events and stress, higher levels of creativity and better quality of life.

Basically, if you keep your brain muscles stretched out, you'll be able to handle the ups and downs of life and work better and be happier for it.

Okay, so we know what cognitive flexibility is and we know why it's so important in the 21st century, but what can we do to improve our cognitive flexibility?

Psychology Today outlined three things we can do to keep our brains nice and stretchy.

The first is to do something you already know how to do, but in a different way.

People tend to do things the same way over and over again.

Building up a routine.

By shaking up our routine, we can help form new pathways in our brain.

Are you right-handed?

Try writing with your left hand.

Do you always order your pizza using an app online?

Try giving the pizza place a call.

Hey, that also gives you a chance to practice your 21st century social skills.

The second thing you can do is to try new things.

The more things we're exposed to, the greater our understanding of the world.

It opens up our minds to new ideas and experiences.

This can be as easy as trying new foods, but it can also be trying a new job or a volunteer opportunity.

And the third thing you can do to help improve your cognitive flexibility is to meet new people.

Meeting new people, especially those with different cultural experiences and backgrounds, helps to break down our cognitive biases and expose us to new perspectives and ways of thinking.

Research also shows that doing exercise like yoga can help with cognitive flexibility.

So maybe staying flexible helps keep your brain flexible too.

Cognitive flexibility is an essential skill for the 21st century.

Employers value it, it allows us to adapt to new situations.

It allows us to think about multiple concepts at once and to adjust to changing demands.

By taking steps to improve our cognitive flexibility, such as doing things new ways, trying new things, and meeting new people, we can find success and lead a happier life.

If you wanna learn more about 21st century skills, be sure to visit myfutureofwork.org.

There you'll find a series of videos that take a deeper look at each of the three L's, leadership, learning, and life skills.

Sam, Brooke, I hope our little chat here has helped you think about taking a self-assessment so you can learn about your strengths and your interests to guide you on your career path.

- Thank you so much, Miss Pisani.

- Yeah, thank you.

- My pleasure, and Brooke, I'll be in touch about setting up some college tours and if you're interested in learning more about careers in sports or athletics, please visit our website, myfutureofwork.org/sports.

There you'll find videos, resources, and more to set you on your path.

Thanks for visiting the Career Center.

- [Announcer] The Career Center is made possible by General Motors and by these supporters and by viewers like you, thank you.

(upbeat music)