Athletic directors advance by taking positions at larger schools or at institutions that have better-known athletic programs. For example, an athletic director at a small Division II school might take a job at a larger, Division I institution. Or a director who is already at the top college level may take a position at a school that has a better-known athletic program. Some athletic directors become administrators in professional sports, commissioners of athletic conferences, or recreation administrators for cities or towns. Others choose to leave the profession entirely, working as deans or academic advisers at their universities.
- Adapted Physical Education Specialists
- Adult and Vocational Education Teachers
- Aerobics Instructors and Fitness Trainers
- Art Teachers
- Bicycle Mechanics
- Biophysicists
- Book Editors
- Cancer Exercise Specialists
- Career and Employment Counselors
- Career and Employment Technicians
- College Administrators
- College Professors
- Community Nutrition Educators
- Computer Trainers
- Cooking Instructors
- Curriculum Coordinators
- Dance School Owners and Managers
- Distance Learning Coordinators
- Driving School Owners and Instructors
- Education Directors and Museum Teachers
- Edupreneurs
- Elementary School Teachers
- English as a Second Language (ESL) Teachers
- Environmental Education Program Directors
- E-Sports Professionals
- Exercise Physiologists
- Fitness Directors
- Flight Instructors
- Guidance Counselors
- Health Club Owners and Managers
- Health Educators
- Instructional Coordinators
- Instructional Designers
- Jockeys
- Journalism Teachers
- Kinesiologists
- Learning Innovations Designers
- Library and Information Science Instructors
- Lifeguards and Swimming Instructors
- Mathematics Teachers
- Music Teachers
- Nursing Instructors
- Personal Trainers
- Physical Education Teachers
- Physical Therapists
- Physical Therapy Assistants
- Preschool Teachers
- Professional Athletes, Individual Sports
- Professional Athletes, Team Sports
- Recreation Workers
- Recreational Therapists
- School Administrators
- School Nurses
- Secondary School Teachers
- Ski Resort Workers
- Special Education Teachers
- Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
- Speech-Language Pathology Assistants
- Sports Agents
- Sports Broadcasters and Announcers
- Sports Equipment Managers
- Sports Executives
- Sports Facility Managers
- Sports Instructors and Coaches
- Sports Photographers
- Sports Physicians
- Sports Psychologists
- Sports Publicists
- Sports Scouts
- Sports Trainers
- Sportswriters
- Stadium Ushers and Vendors
- Strength and Conditioning Coaches
- Teacher Aides
- Tutors and Trainers
- Umpires and Referees
- Yoga and Pilates Instructors