Former Tennis Teaching Pros...Have a Question

[jrob]

Strange Question....but how do you get out!!!

I've been a full time pro for 8 years now, and I don't know how people do it. I'm glad to be working, but between the hours, people you have to deal with, not being able to play anymore, and various other things, its really grinding on me. I was a good college player and love tennis, but this just is not fun anymore. I also know work is work, but yeesh.

Question being, what else is there to do? I have a college degree, but literally all I've ever done is play tennis, and coach/teach tennis. I don't really know how to do much more, or at least have the adequate experience one would need to change fields. I would be interested in coaching a college team, as I feel that would be more stable, but worthwhile jobs like that are competitive and few and far between.

So any other pros? Have you left and done something else? How did it go? Did you come back? Thanks. Any advice would really be helpful, and I'm just happy that I'll get to start playing again.

[LeeD]

College or high school coaching jobs always seem to start with VOLUNTEER hours for a semester or season, then hopefully, you're in.
I went to retail sales. Easiest to sell tennis stuff, and along with skiing/snowboarding in the winter and biking in the summer, should keep you employed although wages get pretty bad at the entry level. Multisport stores.
You can try to be a rep, but that's a little too much travel time for me.
Just hit the local colleges and high schools about a job as an assistant coach, to start with. Like anything else, you don't start at the top of the wage scale.

[SoBad]

College or high school coaching jobs always seem to start with VOLUNTEER hours for a semester or season, then hopefully, you're in.
I went to retail sales. Easiest to sell tennis stuff, and along with skiing/snowboarding in the winter and biking in the summer, should keep you employed although wages get pretty bad at the entry level. Multisport stores.
You can try to be a rep, but that's a little too much travel time for me.
Just hit the local colleges and high schools about a job as an assistant coach, to start with. Like anything else, you don't start at the top of the wage scale.

Great post as expected - straight to the heart of the OP issue at hand.

[r2473]

See if one of the tennis brats you teach has a hot, rich mom.

I think you can take it from there.

[atatu]

I took out a loan and went to law school, and yes, I was older when I went back to school, almost 30.