Back to Blog
Career
Impact
A job title tells you very little about the job. Two people with the same title can spend their days doing completely different things. And the version of a career you imagine from the outside is often not the version you'd live every day.
That's a problem if you're leaving sport. There can be pressure to pick something quickly: the next contract, the next offer, the next field that sounds right. But a wrong pick costs time, and sometimes money, especially if it means school or a move.
The fix is to test before you commit. You can learn a lot about a career in a few weeks, at low cost, without quitting anything. This guide covers practical ways to do it, with templates you can copy. It's general information, not professional career counseling, so adjust it to your own situation.
Decide What You're Testing
Testing works better with a question. Before you talk to anyone or try anything, write down what you want to find out. A few useful ones:
What does a normal day look like? Which tasks take up most of the time? Who do you work with? How is success measured? What's the hardest part? And do I like the daily tasks, or only the idea of the title?
The last one matters most. People often fall for a title and discover too late that they dislike the tasks behind it. You're looking for the tasks.
Method One: Talk to People Who Do the Job
The fastest test is a short conversation with someone doing the work. Aim for twenty minutes, and talk to three to five people per career, since one person's view can be unusual.
Here's a message you can adapt. Replace every bracket with something true.
Hi [Name], I'm a former [sport] athlete exploring a move into [field]. I saw that you work as a [role] at [company]. Would you be open to a 20-minute call so I can ask how you got started and what a typical week looks like? I'm happy to work around your schedule.
Once you're on the call, bring a short list of questions.
What does a normal day look like? What do you enjoy most about it, and what do you enjoy least? What surprised you when you started? Which skills matter most? How is your work measured? What would you do differently if you were starting now? Who else should I talk to?
That last question does a lot of work. Each conversation can lead to the next one. Send a short thank-you afterward, and tell the person what you decided if you follow up later.
Method Two: Watch the Work
Some roles are easier to understand when you see them. Ask whether you can shadow someone for a day, sit in on a call, or look at what a typical week's calendar contains. Not every company will say yes, but many people are glad to be asked, and a no costs you nothing.
When you watch, pay attention to more than the tasks. Notice the pace, the interruptions, how people talk to each other, and how they seem at the end of the day. Those details are hard to learn from a job description.
Method Three: Do a Small Version of the Work
Reading about a job and doing a small piece of it are very different. You can run a mini test on almost any career, and it often tells you more than a conversation.
Sales. Role-play a sales call with a friend, record it, and listen back. See how it feels to hear no.
Customer success. Help a small business or club with customer follow-up for a few weeks, as a volunteer.
Data and analytics. Pick a public dataset, answer one question with it, and write up what you found.
Marketing and events. Plan one small event for a club or a local group, from the invitation to the follow-up.
Coaching. Run a clinic or lead sessions for a youth team.
Real estate. Ask an agent if you can attend a few open houses with them and see how a week looks.
Health and rehabilitation. Ask a local clinic whether you can observe or volunteer. Some will, and some have rules against it.
These are examples. The idea is the same for every field: find the smallest honest version of the work, and do it.
Method Four: Take a Short Course
An introductory course tells you whether you like the material before you pay for more. Many platforms offer free or low-cost beginner courses in areas such as sales, analytics, marketing, and project management.
Treat it as a test and not a credential. You're checking one thing: do I enjoy this enough to keep going? If you finish the first few lessons and want more, that's a good sign. If you keep putting it off, that's information too.
Method Five: Try Real Work for a Short Time
Part-time, contract, and volunteer work let you test a career with real stakes. A short contract, a seasonal role, or an internship can show you what the work is like and whether the people are a good fit.
Some companies also offer paid trial projects, where you do a real piece of work before a hiring decision is made. If a company you're interested in offers one, it's worth considering, since it works as a test for both sides.
Method Six: Use Assessments as a Starting List
Online career assessments can suggest fields you hadn't thought about. They're limited. They can't know your situation, your finances, or what you'd enjoy day to day. Treat the results as ideas to test with the methods above, not as answers.
How to Run a Test
Give each test a limit. Two to four weeks is a reasonable length for most. Without a limit, testing can turn into putting off the decision.
Test one or two careers at a time. More than that spreads you thin, and you won't learn much from any of them.
Keep simple notes after each conversation or task. Write what gave you energy, what drained you, and what surprised you. Over a few weeks, patterns show up.
Score What You Learn
After each test, rate it from one to four on a few questions. Did I like the daily tasks? Did I like the people? Could I see myself doing this in two years? Could I realistically get hired?
Four questions and four numbers won't make the decision for you. They'll show you which careers keep scoring well and which ones don't, which is easier to see on paper than in your head.
Read the Results Honestly
There are two kinds of hard. Some things are hard because you're new, and they get easier with practice. Others are hard because you simply don't like them, and practice won't change that.
Try to tell them apart. If a task feels awkward but you're curious, that's usually a skills gap. If a task leaves you flat or drained every time, even after you understand it, that's more likely a real mismatch.
When a Test Goes Well
If a career keeps scoring well, take the next step up in commitment. Hold more conversations, this time with people who hire for the role. Ask one of them to read your resume and tell you what's missing for that field. Start a longer project or a more advanced course. Look for a part-time or contract role in the field.
Each step costs a little more than the one before. That means you're spending time and money only after the earlier tests held up.
Mistakes to Avoid
Testing too many careers at once. Pick one or two.
Testing the title and not the tasks. Ask what a person does hour by hour.
Only talking to people at the top. Someone two or three years into the role remembers what starting was like.
Treating one conversation as the truth. Talk to several people and look for patterns.
Waiting for certainty. You won't get it. Aim for enough information to make a reasonable choice.
Ignoring money. Decide how long you can afford to test. A bridge job while you explore is a valid plan. Our guide to handling your finances when you go from sport to a salary covers the basics.
When the Career Needs Years of School
Some careers ask for long training before you can do the work. The more time and money a path costs, the more testing it deserves first.
Before you commit to school, talk to several practitioners, shadow or volunteer where you can, and read what a normal week looks like. Our guide to physical therapy and sports medicine careers is one example of a path where this matters.
A Sample 30-Day Plan
Here's an example. Adjust it to fit your schedule.
Week one. Pick one or two careers. Write down your questions. Send five messages asking for conversations.
Week two. Hold your first conversations. Take notes after each one, and ask each person who else you should talk to.
Week three. Do one small version of the work, or start an intro course.
Week four. Score what you learned. Decide whether to go deeper, test something else, or pause.
If you're still competing, the offseason is a natural time to run a plan like this.
How to Talk About Your Testing With Employers
Testing isn't wasted time, and it makes a good story. In an interview, you can say what you tried, what you learned, and why this role came out ahead of the others.
Here's an example you can adapt, if it's true for you.
"I spoke with several people in this field and ran a small project, and what stood out was how much I enjoyed [the tasks]. That's why I'm applying for this role."
It shows initiative and a clear reason for choosing the role, which interviewers often want to hear.
Where Free Agent Fits
Talking to people who've made a switch is the fastest test, and it's hard to do alone. Free Agent is a private network of verified athletes, so you can find others who have been through a similar change. If you're working out what comes next, Free Agent is a good place to start.
Join Free Agent at gofreeagent.com
FAQs About Testing a Career
How do you test a career before switching?
Talk to several people who do the job, watch the work if you can, do a small version of it yourself, and take a short introductory course. For a stronger test, try part-time, contract, or volunteer work. Keep notes on what gives you energy and what drains you.
How long should you test a career?
Two to four weeks per test is a reasonable range for most careers. Set a limit in advance, since testing with no end date can turn into putting off a decision.
Can you test a career without quitting your job?
Yes. Conversations, shadowing, small projects, and online courses all fit around other commitments. If you're still competing, the offseason is a natural time to run them.
What if none of the careers I test feels right?
That's useful information. Look at your notes for patterns in what you enjoyed, such as working with people, solving problems, or learning a technical skill, and use them to pick the next one or two to test.