Collegiate athletes and career identity

Given the unique experiences of collegiate athletes and the need to facilitate their transition as they complete postsecondary education and join the workforce, the present study sought to evaluate a group-administered career development program at a US university focused on preparing students for the transition into professional life upon graduation. Utilizing the quantitative portion of the Life After Sport Scale, we surveyed National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I student athletes to examine the relationship between attending the career intervention sessions and career-athlete identity. Results suggested that attending one or more program session workshops was not significantly related to career-athlete identity, while student gender had the strongest association with this potentially important construct in student athlete career development. Research and practice implications of these findings are discussed.