Also called: NCAA head coach
Leads a college sports team: recruiting athletes, coaching, and representing the school.
College coaches spend huge amounts of time recruiting, watching film, running practices, managing assistant coaches, and handling media. Top football and basketball coaches earn millions; most coaches in other sports earn far less.
Extremely variable: many Division II/III coaches earn $40k-$80k, while top football coaches earn $5M-$10M+.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 10 years after high school. Bachelor's plus years as an assistant coach; playing experience helps.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Sports Management, Kinesiology.
Growing faster than average (about 7% over 10 years). BLS projects ~7% growth for coaches and scouts.
Low risk for 10 years. AI video analysis aids scouting and game plans; recruiting teenagers and leading a team stay human.
Classes: PE or weight training, Sports medicine CTE, Psychology.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-2022.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.