We surveyed 5,077 athletes to better understand the work environment and required skills of a typical athlete. Here are the results.

How much intelligence is required as an athlete?

Low

High

Working as an athlete typically doesn’t require the use of high levels of intelligence in daily tasks.

Can I learn to become an athlete?

Intrinsic Talent

Acquired Talent

A career as an athlete typically depends predominantly on qualities you can gain through experience, with a small aspect of skills you are born with.

Is it easy to get a job as an athlete?

Easy

Hard

It’s typically quite difficult to find a job as an athlete. If you’re curious about the numbers, check out the job market for athletes.

Info

Do athletes work full-time or part-time?

65% of athletes work in full-time roles while 35% work part-time.

Is being an athlete stressful?

Low

High

Stress is very commonplace for athletes, contributing negatively towards career satisfaction.

Is being organized important as an athlete?

Low

High

Organization is not considered a particuarly important part of being an athlete.

How competitive is the workplace for athletes?

Low

High

Athletes tend to see lots of competition in the workplace, with desire to get ahead of co-workers being common.

Does being an athlete require frequent time pressure to complete tasks?

Low

High

Athletes will have to sometimes face time pressure on the job.

Are athletes allowed to express themselves creatively?

Low

High

Creativity is intrinsic to being an athlete, and a highly valuable part of the career.

Do athletes have control over the direction of their work?

Low

High

Athletes have high flexibility in the direction of their work, allowing them a lot of freedom in how they accomplish their goals.

Is being an athlete physically demanding?

Low

High

Being an athlete requires significant physical work, and is not a career for those unable to perform continuous and/or strenuous physical activity.

Are athletes exposed to a wide variety of work?

Low

High

While sometimes repetitive, athletes tend to have opportunities for variety in their work.

Does being an athlete require attention to detail?

Low

High

As in many careers, attention to detail is quite helpful for athletes.

Does being a good athlete require compassion and empathy?

Low

High

Being compassionate and empathetic is considered helpful to those looking to pursue careers as athletes.