COLLEGEBUDGETINGSTUDENT ATHLETES

Income During Off-Seasons

While being a student-athlete comes with significant perks and benefits, there are also many challenges to consider. This can include trying to juggle the obligations of school, time commitments from your sport, and finding ways to earn money or budget financial aid to make it last.

Sources of Income

Some athletes will have name-image-likeness (NIL) deals that generate income while focusing on academics and athletics. However, many will live off student loan refund money, parental support, or income saved from work done during the off-season.

Off-Season Work

If you’re a student athlete and can work during off-seasons, consider what’s most important to you. Do you want to work somewhere that will help you reach your goals after graduation like an internship in your field of study? Are you trying to earn as much money as possible to save up for when you’re not able to work? Do you want to work in the athletic field to keep your head in the game and knowledge sharp?

Here are some part-time jobs to consider:

• Becoming a referee or umpire.
• Coaching a local team.
• Interning with local business or financial institution.
• Working on campus as a part of a work-study program.
• Babysitting.
• Sports writing.
• Starting a side hustle based on specific skills or interests you have.
• Serving or bartending.
• Working in customer service.

Ways to Make it Last

One of the hardest but most important parts is figuring out how to make the most of the money you’ve made. First, determine how much money you have saved and how long it needs to last. From there, figure out how much you’ll have per month to spend. Keeping money in your checking account can make it hard to budget, so we recommend separating money into different sub savers. For example, if you need it to last you six months, make six separate savings shares titled each month so you’ll know exactly where to pull from when the time comes.

Finally, take advantage of any free or discounted opportunities you have as a student. If you have a meal plan, use it rather than spending money eating out. If your team is sponsoring a team dinner or offering free resources, make sure to take advantage of those. It might not seem like much at first, but it all adds up and those small ways to save can have big outcomes long term.