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What is a professional athlete and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
The average professional athlete salary is $51,818. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 4-6 years of experience to become a professional athlete. Professional athletes with a Certified Personal Trainer certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 36% and produce 5,700 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreProfessional AthleteUS Average
Salary
4.0

Avg. Salary $51,818

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.1

Growth rate 36%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
2.3
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 3.75%

Black or African American 8.90%

Hispanic or Latino 7.49%

Unknown 6.79%

White 72.83%

Gender

female 16.43%

male 83.57%

Age - 33
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 33
Stress level
7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
5.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance
0.9

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Professional athlete career paths

Key steps to become a professional athlete

  1. Explore professional athlete education requirements

    Most common professional athlete degrees

    Bachelor's

    80.1 %

    Associate

    9.1 %

    Master's

    5.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific professional athlete skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Athletic Events18.45%
    Community Services11.25%
    Role Model7.63%
    Training Sessions7.35%
    Professional Baseball6.39%
  3. Research professional athlete duties and responsibilities

    • Manage supervision of elite and NCAA pipeline development.
    • Gain valuable insight and knowledge of how a professional sports team is ran.
    • Make sales, handle money, bra fittings, talk with customers, pull POS product
    • Assist head coaches to coordinate and conduct softball games in home and external competitions and programs.
  4. Prepare your professional athlete resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your professional athlete resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a professional athlete resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable professional athlete resume templates

    Build a professional professional athlete resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your professional athlete resume.
    Professional Athlete Resume
    Professional Athlete Resume
    Professional Athlete Resume
    Professional Athlete Resume
    Professional Athlete Resume
    Professional Athlete Resume
    Professional Athlete Resume
    Professional Athlete Resume
    Professional Athlete Resume
  5. Apply for professional athlete jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a professional athlete job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first professional athlete job

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Average professional athlete salary

The average professional athlete salary in the United States is $51,818 per year or $25 per hour. Professional athlete salaries range between $24,000 and $108,000 per year.

Average professional athlete salary
$51,818 Yearly
$24.91 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do professional athletes rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Professional athlete reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2024
Pros

Being able to see your team happy and also the fans

Cons

Being hated on for doing a wrong mistake


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2023
Pros

You gain more experience from competing with opponents that are better than you

Cons

Lots of time spent away with families.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2023
Pros

good life, good salary, super fun

Cons


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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