Why I Want To Pursue A Sport And Exercise Science Degree

Where an adult’s life journey begins is not necessarily the same path he or she will find themselves following later in life. My life’s journey has taken many twist and turns, but with every unknown I have been blessed because I have refused to succumb to the fear of the unknown. The greatest treasures in my life have recently become my teachers and inspirations, and it is because of my children that I once again delve into the unknown. Sports have been and continue to be instrumental in the relationship I have cultivated with my children, and it is due to their active social lives that I am pursuing a degree in Sport and Exercise Science. Since they are the driving force behind this desired career change I must pledge to diligently work

and uphold my end of the arrangement by ensuring I chose the right school, by ensuring I have met the required transfer requirements for enrollment into the appropriate school, by ensuring I have the proper funding availability, and by ensuring the end result is a viable option to sustain and maintain the means necessary for life. Ultimately, the journey will not be easy and unfortunately I will be forced to make extreme sacrifices in regards to time; but a degree in Sport and Exercise Science with a career in sport nutrition is my future will be worth the sacrifice. 

I am not the average student, meaning my life is established as far as having a career, owning a home, and children.

At the moment I truly cannot ask for anything more and when it comes to performing my actual job I enjoy it thoroughly. When I am not a student, my current profession is a Biomedical Research Scientist. More specifically my focus is Aerosol Research; through this type of research I help pharmaceutical companies develop their compounds as vaccine candidates. This type of scientific research is rewarding because I get to see an idea develop into a working concept, into a present day vaccine candidate or antibiotic or maintenance medication. But there has always been something missing in my life and I could never place my finger on it until my own children started having an active social life. I forgot over the years how much sports meant to me, and it was through my children that I have learned that, this is an aspect of my life that has been missing. The truly amazing thing is I don’t miss playing sports per se; it is the influence the coach has on a life that I miss. As my children grow older in their sports I have realized it becomes more technical, and it’s the technical aspect of the game that I enjoy teaching my children. I have had much more fun the last few years teaching the games of basketball and football than I ever did just watching either sport. I am proud to say it is my children that have directed and pushed me toward pursuing a degree in

Sport and Exercise Science.
Now that I have found a direction and ultimate career aspiration I wish to pursue, the tedious task of researching colleges that remotely offer a degree plan closely associated with what I want to do begins. My first stop is to look internally where I currently work, which is the University of Florida (UF). Searching through the UF undergraduate course catalog, I found UF offers a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training (University of Florida, n.d.). Although athletic training is an area I could really enjoy due to my fascination with the human body, it is not exactly what I can see myself doing until I retire. So I continued my search and looked into Troy University. Troy University is a small school located in my home state of Alabama and approximately two years ago, I received a brochure for them about a satellite campus they were starting in Orlando. As I searched through Troy’s undergraduate catalog, I found they too offer a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training and in Exercise Science in the areas of Nutrition, Pre-Health Profession, and Wellness and Fitness (Troy Univerisity, n.d.). This avenue intrigued and interested me far more than the UFL route, due to Troy offering a Master of Science in Sport & Fitness Management with an emphasis in Coaching. Unfortunately, the more I researched this option, the more I realized this would not be a suitable avenue for me to explore in part due to two reasons: one being this Bachelors program is offered at the Troy University campus in Alabama and not in Orlando, and the other being I could obtain the Master’s degree on-line through eTroy, but I prefer to be in class and on campus as opposed to primarily being an on-line student (Troy Univerisity, n.d.). Finally, I decided to look into what the University of Central Florida (UCF) offers, and I was pleasantly surprised at my findings. UCF offers a Bachelor of Science in Sport and Exercise Science with an emphasis in Coaching, Human Performance, and Community Sport and Fitness. In addition, UCF offers a Master of Science in Sport and Exercise Science with and emphasis in Coaching, Applied Exercise Physiology, and Sport Nutrition (University of Central Florida, n.d.). Not only do I finally have a name and path for my future career aspirations, but I have also found an institute that will provide me with the appropriate tools needed to pursue my desired career path.
In order for me to pursue my desired educational goals at UCF, I had to enroll into Valencia College in order to boost my academic credentials.

With that knowledge immediately after enrolling at Valencia, the first appointment I secured was with the Direct Connect Office at Valencia’s East Campus. During that meeting, I was able to find out the specific path and pre-requisites I needed to take in order to get into UCF’s Sport and Exercise Science program. First and foremost, I needed to obtain a general Associates in Arts degree (AA), which based on my current progress, will be completed in the summer of 2016. The second item I needed to ensure was that I enrolled and passed all of the pre-requisites required of me for entry into the Sport and Exercise Science program. According to the UCF degree program catalog and the Direct Connect Advisor, the only pre-requisites that were required for me was Biology 1 (Fukuda, n.d.), which I have already taken in the fall semester of 2015. Therefore I have met all of the required pre-requisites essential for entry in to the University of Central

Florida.
Currently, I am on track to enter UCF in the fall semester of 2016. Given my current situation with work and family obligations, I will have to matriculate as a part-time student. This is not necessarily a terrible situation; it is just what I have to work around in regards to my life. In order for me to finish my Bachelor’s degree in Sport and Exercise Science, I will have to spend approximately three years at UCF as opposed to two years the average AA student would need. Additionally, seeing as how I have yet to truly pinpoint a definitive track of study, that timeline does not change whether I choose the coaching track or the human performance track. Upon completion of my Bachelor’s degree, if I choose the Coaching track, I will need to apply to the Florida Department of Education for full Athletic Coaching Endorsement if I plan on coaching at a school in an official capacity (Fukuda, n.d.). Also, according to UCF’s College of Education and Human Performance, if I chose to go beyond just obtaining my Bachelor’s degree, I have the option of pursuing a Sport and Exercise Science MS in the following program tracks Applied Exercise Physiology, Coaching, and Sport Nutrition; the only additional requirement I would need to fulfill would be taking the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (University of Central Florida, n.d.).
Fortunately, I currently hold an established career as well as a stable home life, so the cost to pursue this degree is not going to be as traumatic an experience as it would be if I were ten years younger. Since I am a resident of the state of Florida, my estimated in-state tuition cost for a full academic year will be approximately $6,400 (Peterson's, n.d.). In addition to tuition, I will need to cover the cost of books, which is an additional $1,200 (Ferguson's, n.d.). To help fund my future career and educational plans, I have a few options available at my disposal. My first option is to use my Montgomery GI Bill allocations, which I obtained by being an Army Veteran. Another option available to me is due to my affiliation as a member of Phi Theta Kappa, I qualify for its transfer scholarship to UCF (University of Central Florida, n.d.). The final option I have at my disposal is the pending application I have for the Mayor Richard T, Crotty Valencia-UCF Alumni Association 2+2 Scholarship for Graduating Valencia Students; the reason I qualify for this scholarship is due to my anticipated graduation in the summer of 2016. Unfortunately, just obtaining the degree is not enough for me to arbitrarily consider a change in my career. I must have the adequate ability and availability for my family and I to live and function comfortably, and therefore that is the major factor in my decision to pursue a career change.
Seeing as how I have yet to truly identify my desired course, I have to ensure the three possible areas of exploration are feasible options for my future. If I focus on coaching, my career will center on teaching amateurs the skills he or she will need to compete and succeed in their respective sport. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average median salary of a coach is about $30,640 per year, with an estimated six percent potential growth rate within the field (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). As a Sport Nutritionists, my career would center on advising people and athletes on what to eat in order to lead a healthy lifestyle or achieve specific health-related goals. The estimated median salary for a Sport Nutritionist is $56,950 per year with an estimated potential growth rate of 16% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). Finally, if I were to choose the Exercise Physiologist route, my career will encompass developing fitness and exercise programs in order to help patients improve and cope with chronic diseases and/or recover from a recent heart attack. The current estimated median salary of an Exercise Physiologist is $46,270 per year with an estimated potential growth rate within the field being 11% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). Considering all the information I have come across researching the potential field options, the question still remains if I have the ability to see myself executing any of these duties in the future.
First of all, if I were basing my decision to pursue a position regardless of the track I chose to follow solely on my interest I would absolutely jump at the chance. Fortunately for me that is not the case. I have outside factors beyond my desires and interest to consider, which are my children and my ability to provide for them. Secondly, it was my children that helped open my eyes for me to look in the direction of Sport and Exercise Science to begin with. For me to choose the route of an Exercise Physiologist, I feel would be a disservice to my children, not because I do not think it will be a good occupation. My belief is based more so from the standpoint that I feel I owe it to my children to use my future plans to help further their lives both physically and mentally, and to also help them avoid some of the same health complications that have affected my life. I love coaching and it is something that I can forever see myself doing, simply because I get the utmost amount of enjoyment when I see the light bulb turn on within a particular child and he or she truly understands why I tell them to perform this move or that move in a particular manner. Also, beyond that it is the connection the coach and athlete forms that goes beyond the teacher and student relationship. As a coach, I take an interest in not only attempting to turn him or her in to the best possible player they can be, but also having a hand in turning them in to an even better person. However, in order for me to give it my all, that will require me to take a severe step backwards financially and take away from my children. The day I became a father was the day I swore to them I will always move forward for their benefit in life, so I will continue to coach on a voluntary basis until the moment they no longer reside within my home. If I am honest with myself, there has always been one direction I have been destined to go with this degree. Coaching has always been fun for me, but I have always had a fascination with the human body. Weight lifting has and continues to be my first and only option for stress relief, and nutrition is something I have always experimented on myself in combination with weight lifting to see how it affects my overall performance and body composition. A degree in Sport and Exercise Science with a career in sport nutrition is my future, but until the moment I am no longer being stubborn my immediate desire will focus on chasing the coaching dream.