Also called: Professional Football Player
Plays professional football in the National Football League.
In season, a player's week runs on a strict schedule: film study, position meetings, weightlifting, practice, recovery treatments, and game day on Sunday. The offseason is spent training, rehabbing, and studying the playbook. Fewer than 2% of college players make the NFL.
Estimate based on NFL contract data: the league minimum is about $840k for rookies, the median is around $1 million, and stars earn $40M+ a year. The average career lasts only about 3 years.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 4 years after high school. Most athletes start as kids and compete through high school and college; no degree is required, though many earn one. Nearly all NFL players played college football.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Kinesiology, Sports Management, Communications.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years). BLS projects 5% growth for all athletes and sports competitors (2024-34), but roster spots in each league are nearly fixed, so competition is extreme.
Low risk for 10 years. AI breaks down film, play calls and injury risk; nobody automates playing football, but roster spots stay ultra-scarce.
Classes: Weight training PE, NCAA-approved core courses, Health and nutrition.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-2021.
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.