Field Of Dreams: Pursuing a Plan B to Plan an "A" Future

By David Burnett

My name is David Burnett, and I am an author and former professional athlete who has written a book for students entitled, Pursuing a Plan B to Plan an “A” Future.

My book is predicated upon exposing students to the abundant occupational opportunities available to them from a wide variety of professional possibilities. My goal is designed to assist in helping to cultivate purpose and passion in producing more focused and engaged students, leading them to becoming our nation’s future professionals operating in fulfilling careers.

This book can be used as a reference tool to assist in the development of today’s youth progression and their transition from education to career. It exposes students to over 3,000 highlighted jobs, in addition to expressing the successes and failures of many of the nation’s top professionals through written interviews.

Some of the professionals include: professors, NBA owner and founder Pat Williams, engineers, sports psychologists like Dr. Keith Henschen of the Utah Jazz and Utah University, Olympic coaches, physicians, pro athletes from the three major sports, and more.

During my youth, I aspired to be a student-athlete determined to reach the highest of heights on the basketball court, in addition to striving to achieve the same type of success in the board rooms of business. So, I persistently sought after grasping both of these goals. Many of you have had the same thoughts I had growing up. The innermost desires of your childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood can be the fuel to your passion and the drive necessary to propel you toward making your fantasies your realities.

Statistics are vital to understanding the conditions that many of the nation’s student-athletes are facing: Did you know that over 99% of high school student-athletes will not make it to the professional level in their sport? Well, the stark reality is that 99.4% of the 7.8 million current high school student-athletes will not make it to the pros: only 0.6% of high school student-athletes will make it to the pros, and fewer than 2% of collegiate athletes will make it to the pros.

Therefore, it is essential that student-athletes are made aware of the abundant number of career opportunities which are present in the workplace for them, especially, in the professional world of sports outside of the “playing field.” My hope is predicated upon introducing and/or reinforcing to you of the bountiful career choices in the world of sports.

Whether you’re seeking to become a professional athlete, a sports enthusiast who wants to be a sports professional “off the field,” or even if you are a person who doesn’t enjoy sports at all, it’s important for you to know that there are job opportunities which can lead you to satisfy the career of your dreams in sports for anyone.

Students and student-athletes, you are our next generation. Informing, educating and equipping you with knowledge, understanding, experiential insight and resources are what is vital to assist you in acquiring the lofty personal ideals that you all envision on or off the field, or in or out of the classroom.

This book is designed to provide elements of the aforementioned to motivate and inspire students and student-athletes to your full potential toward your career passions and career aspirations. The focus of this book is purposed to provide you with specific career options as a Plan B. So, you can survey, study, self-assess and apply your interest toward a career path presented in this Plan B Book while you’re pursuing your loftiest goals in sports.

In the event your athletic aspirations do not manifest into your reality, you have a career path that has already been presented to you, investigated and researched by your exploration through this book for your specific Plan B. This will enable you to make a smoother transition into the field of your choice, therefore producing a Plan “A” future.

My hope centers on believing that as you continue to read this book that you will be enriched and encouraged. You can develop a plan to acquire the “field of dreams” not only on the court but, also, in the field of business or whatever career path that you choose for yourself to obtain a prosperous future. So, open up the student resource guide playbook to find a career in the world of sports – on or off the field!