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Student athlete vs coach

The differences between student athletes and coaches can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a student athlete and a coach. Additionally, a student athlete has an average salary of $45,705, which is higher than the $42,716 average annual salary of a coach.

The top three skills for a student athlete include NCAA, teamwork and GPA. The most important skills for a coach are customer service, CPR, and food handling.

Student athlete vs coach overview

Student AthleteCoach
Yearly salary$45,705$42,716
Hourly rate$21.97$20.54
Growth rate20%20%
Number of jobs9,76216,688
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 84%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age3636
Years of experience66

What does a student athlete do?

A student-athlete competes in various sporting events to represent a school or institution. Most student-athletes are under scholarships and receive an allowance, either from the school or a particular organization. Their responsibility primarily revolves around attending rigorous training and practices, abiding by the university's policies, displaying good sportsmanship, all while maintaining a standard academic grade. Moreover, a student-athlete may also participate in various workshops, represent the school in public gatherings, and become a professional athlete after graduation.

What does a coach do?

The main responsibility of a coach is to motivate an individual or an entire team. Coaches are focused on improving the performance and skills of athletes by conducting training sessions, coordinating practice drills, and providing guidance. Their work is conducted both on and off the field - not only while an athletic event is in session. Coaches are sometimes tasked with recruitment activities in order to fill a team's roster to help them succeed. Other duties of a coach include fundraising, overseeing facilities, and promoting a safe environment.

Student athlete vs coach salary

Student athletes and coaches have different pay scales, as shown below.

Student AthleteCoach
Average salary$45,705$42,716
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $77,000Between $27,000 And $66,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYPiscataway, NJ
Highest paying stateNew YorkHawaii
Best paying companyUMass LowellAEA Investors
Best paying industryEducationTechnology

Differences between student athlete and coach education

There are a few differences between a student athlete and a coach in terms of educational background:

Student AthleteCoach
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 84%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Student athlete vs coach demographics

Here are the differences between student athletes' and coaches' demographics:

Student AthleteCoach
Average age3636
Gender ratioMale, 58.1% Female, 41.9%Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between student athlete and coach duties and responsibilities

Student athlete example responsibilities.

  • Manage class schedule of all assign athletes and ensure that the student-athlete is maintaining the proper GPA.
  • Achieve national swimming championship honors.
  • Achieve all-conference honors junior and senior years
  • Initiate and manage community service, sportsmanship, nutritional and official NCAA programming for student-athletes
  • Provide championship and campus information for ACC website.
  • Oversee study hall, Champs/life skills, SAAC, and academic recovery programs.
  • Show more

Coach example responsibilities.

  • Provide guidance for individual athletes and assist them in achieving spots within elite summer rowing programs in Philadelphia.
  • Develop / implement IEP's, prepare / lead ARD meetings, and supervise/ manage students in special education.
  • Manage and schedule local and national soccer competitions.
  • Perform additional responsibilities as deemed appropriate by school and district supervisors such as organizing and managing elementary school mathematics information nights.
  • Supervise designated swimming areas and enforce safety rules and regulations as a lifeguard.
  • Coach U10 and U8 recreational soccer teams.
  • Show more

Student athlete vs coach skills

Common student athlete skills
  • NCAA, 21%
  • Teamwork, 8%
  • GPA, 7%
  • Championship, 5%
  • Soccer, 5%
  • Leadership, 4%
Common coach skills
  • Customer Service, 24%
  • CPR, 10%
  • Food Handling, 8%
  • Safety Rules, 6%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 5%
  • Mental Health, 4%

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