Wakeboard Careers

Just wondering what some careers are that get you to be around wakeboarding other than obviously being nasty and becoming pro. Im going to college soon im undecided on what i want to major in (not saying i want to major in something specific to wakeboarding). Just wanted to know if there is anything someone use a degree for to make decent money and spend time around/on the water and these sicknasty boats.

I'm wanting to know this as well because I'm in roughly the same boat as you. I have a goal to become a sponsored, low-level pro rider and I think it's pretty realistic because my buddy is this type of rider. His name is not well know and he doesn't have any lucrative endorsement deals. He gets free boards and cable passes, but that's about it. Still, he's technically a pro team rider. I've seen what it takes to get to that level, and I'm willing to do it. However, I can't imagine I'll ever make nearly enough money at this level to live off it.

I talked to a different pro who's well known and has his own pro model board about the prospects of wakeboarding for a living. He's a far better rider than I could ever hope to be, and even he has to work on the side to pay his bills. In short, I don't think I'll ever make a living as a rider, so I want to know what else I could do in the industry.

I'm studying journalism right now, so I'd love to write for Alliance or Transworld. I don't see myself as the sales type, but maybe working for a boat dealership wouldn't be so bad. I'm sure owning one would bring good money. I'd also love to work at a wakeboarding camp as an instructor, but I'm not sure that would pay my bills. I'd love to be a rep for a board company, but I don't know what skills are needed for this kind of work or how hard it is to get hired.

I'm a frugal guy and I don't want much in life: just an apartment and a boat to ride on. I'll graduate with a car and no debt, which is a much better start than most people get. I don't need much dough. Just enough to have a decent life

Become a fireman or cop, good placement, pension and dough with your degree. Call Seaschool and get your OUPV capt. license. Buy a boat, get insured and start a wakeboard charter company along side your public service career. The boat is now a write-off and lets face it, Firemen get hot chicks.
Could be a very fulfilling life with the chance to pension out in your early forties.

Wish i had though of this 25 years ago.

Become a Teacher then you can have your summers off!

It's a tuff market to get into the wake industry. I dont what to burst you buble but you have to know someone, who knows someone, who knows some one......... Not saying its not possible but it certainly is difficult. To go alond with Hammer and Journalism. A good friend of mine became the Magining and Online Editor for wakeboard mag with zero wake affiliation. Just good old determination. I am fairly sure he worked as an intern for free for over a year before he got on the payroll.

Hammer you have one leg up...you're already down here in FL and lots of choices/contacts to meet. Anyone trying to get into their career I highly recommend internships and dont expect them to be paid! I moved 900 miles away from home w/a sports mgmt degree for an unpaid internship to get my foot in the door and prove to the organization my hard work & dedication. It paid off, they created an opening for me and I progressed quickly within the organization. it was with an NHL team and now I rock a Stanley Cup Championship ring and great experience.

Everything in todays world is all about NETWORKING!

Best way to have a ton of money in the wake industry...start with a ton of money.

The best way to get started is to get to know a local rep and help out with sales. There was a time when I thought that I wanted to go the route of being a rep, then I saw how little those guys actually get to ride because they are traveling trying to scrape together a dollar. I eventually decided that the best way to ride as much as possible is to work in a career that affords the ability to drop work and go ride when I want (still working on that). Repping is tough, its not just hang out on your X-star and have people come by to ride. You are literally grinding to sell your 3-6 companies you rep for and lately that means covering a territory 4 times the size they used to be.

Hebrew, I would recommend contacting Alliance. I have a friend who interned for them and had a great experience. You may not be writing feature material but if you were to sacrifice your time/pay, you might be able to break in to their small group.

Good luck with a fireman or cop, those jobs a few and far between. Departments that are hiring have their pick of the litter and mostly hire Laterals. Lots of out of work cops and fireman with experience . Why hire a newby .

Originally Posted by rodltg2

Why hire a newby .

Because you do not have to pay them as much and the gov can adjust their benefits prior to being hired... its happening with other government agencies.

Laterals, in a majority of departments, start out at the lowest pay scale just like new hires. Difference is laterals require a ton less training to start out so the department saves money. Other than that, there is no fiscal difference of hiring a newbie or lateral. Atleast thats true at my dept and a vast majority.

Ed, this week sometime? Water is nice....

The percentage of PRO riders that live a nice comfortable life off of their sponsors is very very small. Cable, which is the only aspect of wakeboarding i like doing for the past few years, is responsible for a lot of the salary cuts because of its growing popularity. Sponsors are able to get just as much coverage now giving out some free product to young cable riders who are getting magazine shots and online videos that were always limited to certain pro riders that were in the WBM "click". The euro pro cable riders are getting good money for their age, it is all about the sponsors. Red Bull has been picking up a lot of them and they are one company that can make your career an actual pro career. Having a pro model really means nothing unless you are with Hyperlite (Byerly with Rathy but it's one in the same), Ronix, or Liquid Force MONEY WISE (Adkison with CWB). It is obviously a great accomplishment to have a pro model with other companies but the money isn't there. Look at all of the top cable riders all going to CTRL. This shows that there was no money coming or at least not enough to goto a brand new company where they will be the headliners.

An Alliance internship would be a dream for me. I'd love to do it, even if I didn't get paid. I don't need the money right now. I applied for an internship with Transworld this summer and got no response. I have a pretty baller resume, but I'm told both Alliance and Transworld are pretty stingy these days.

Im sure the # of requests they get are high. Im a current recruiter and past internship coordinator and we'd sometimes get 1200 resumes for 1 opening. Networking is key which will get a foot in the door or ur resume hand delivered to the hiring person but there also needs to be something that sets u apart from all the rest.

If you would like any other information or knowledge from my past exp send me a message.

In answer to your actual question, go for a marketing degree. The only guys in wake making signifigant money are the Shapers, R&D Guys, Artists, and guys that make all the back end stuff happen so that you the consumer can see your favorite rider. I guess signifigant is a relatitive term, but if you want to make more than 100,000 in wake it's gonna be hard unless you are filling a niche that all the compamies need. Marketing is probably your best shot to do this and even then you will have to pay your dues because the guys that are already doing this aren't going to give up their spots easy.

BECOME A TEACHER!!! If I could do it all over again I would in a heart beat! Look at Arron!

Another thing all wake companies need is web development and they all pay big bucks to have the coolest sites!

I met a guy once who was about as smart as anyone I have ever met. I'm not sure of his degree, but he went into mechanical and electrical engineering for sure. Maybe more mechanical...anyway. He worked at a robotic company that produced automated equipment for many different businesses, one of which was the X-Star hull. I don't think they were into manufacturing the hull for Mastercraft, but they were pumping out many prototypes of that hull. If you want to get plugged into the wake industry, maybe getting into a company that actually makes the equipment for these businesses would give you the edge. I'm not saying these jobs are abundant, but if you already know the wake industry and have a degree in Mech. or Elec. engineering, you may be a shoe-in for a business making the machinery the wake industry needs. And who knows, once you are established, you may become well-connected to the wake people and they may just invite you to jump on board since you know so much about the process of making their products. I guess an analogy is, "nobody knows an application better than the programmer", and that might be what gets you into the wake business. Or you might be happy making bank as a ME or EE and wakeboarding on the side for fun. I'd also say expand your skills into many areas, not just one thing. An engineer who can talk to people and understand business is more valuable than one who just works problems, in my opinion. Just my two cents.

or you can do become an ER doc, work 3 12 hour shifts a week, make about $200k (has gone down from 300) and have 4 days a week to ride. i didn't go the ER route, not my thing, and even though the starting salary is really high, you are kind of limited to how much you can make unless you want to pick up another 2 days with another hospital but i can tell you, you will be exhausted and not wanting to ride much. it is a hard 12 hours

If u just wanna hang out with great riders and learn within the scene, my suggestion would be become a great boat driver/ handyman. It has been my experience that most pro riders are not good at caring for or working on boats. Why would they be? Most get them for free or dirt cheap. If you can be helpful in a tight situation on the lake, or drive a good double up, most pros will be happy to have u hang around. This has worked well for me over the years and I definitely progressed because of it.
The key is making the connection. A wakeboard camp is a great place to start. Don't just go there and be the typical "what can u do for me" camper. Help out any way u can. A job in the industry will most likely come from building relationships first.

Originally Posted by kyle_L

or you can do become an ER doc, work 3 12 hour shifts a week, make about $200k (has gone down from 300) and have 4 days a week to ride. i didn't go the ER route, not my thing, and even though the starting salary is really high, you are kind of limited to how much you can make unless you want to pick up another 2 days with another hospital but i can tell you, you will be exhausted and not wanting to ride much. it is a hard 12 hours

Being an ER doc is NOT a way to wakeboard. The years of work that it takes to get there, assuming you make it at all, means that you have to give up wakeboarding long before you make it through residency and start making the big bucks.

Find a job with a flexible schedule. I sold gear at a couple of shops when I was younger, it was sweet talking about set ups all day , but I ended up working lots of weekends. Especially during prime riding time. Be a teacher, professor, or real estate agent ( when the economy gets better). Id say own your own busisness, but all of my friends who do ride alot less than I do.

Invest in the sport! I would think if you want to make "good money" you're going to have to spend some.. Buy some land, build a park, charge kids, and continue to add on... Pretty much exactly what TSR did and that place is booming 10 years later.

I'd say getting your degree in some sort of Business field, and then a minor in something more specific MIS, HR, Marketing, etc would leave your potential career field pretty wide open (doesn't mean you have to work in this specific field, it just separates you from the rest of the applicants by showing you have an additional degree. Do internships when you can.

Once you graduate find a company/job that let's you work flex-time (IT is a booming career path). You'll most likely make a lot more money than you would in the wake industry, and you'll have tons of time to ride. I work for a very large bank, and ride a TON. I'm in the door by 6:15am and out the door at 3pm every day. If it's nice, sunny, and not windy I have a tendency to leave at about noon, so I can get out and ride before the crazies (tubers/wakesurfers) get out and ruin the water.

If you trully desire a wakeboard affiliated career, I think the afformentioned degress would certainly support that.

Become a computer guru and start a social network oriented towards Wakeboarding. Have forums for Wakeboarding, boats accessories & tow vehicles, non Wakeboard discussion, etc.. then name it... WAKEWORLD.NET!

Hebrew Hammer, i didn't have to give up wakeboarding at all to make it through medical school. In fact, it was the only thing that kept me sane. I didn't get to ride 5 days a week but i could definitely get 3 days in if i wanted to for at least an hour or two. That's the beauty of cable

Originally Posted by kyle_L

Hebrew Hammer, i didn't have to give up wakeboarding at all to make it through medical school. In fact, it was the only thing that kept me sane. I didn't get to ride 5 days a week but i could definitely get 3 days in if i wanted to for at least an hour or two. That's the beauty of cable

Pretty impressive that you managed to do that. 3-6 hours a week isn't nearly enough for me though. Maybe I'm being unrealistic, I know, but I could never be happy with that.

marry a rich girl.

Originally Posted by surfdoggy

marry a rich girl.

At last, the solution emerges!

If you enjoy wakeboarding, don't work in the wakeboarding industry.

Having your own business can be way more time consuming then working for someone else........... if you let it. It can also offer you the most freedom.

I own my own security company and when the water is glass, I can almost always knock off early or take the day off to ride (like I did yesterday, water was 48!). The problem is all my friends with "regular" jobs can't get off as easy or during the week so it's always a challenge to get the crew together to ride. Its funny when my employee's come into work in the morning and as they are getting ready to head out to the job site I will be hooking up the boat and getting ready for a day on the lake. At times I feel a bit guilty but I put in the hard work at the beginning for several years to get the business to where it is today so that I can have these luxuries. It was worth it.

But a rich girl is still a better solution.

Originally Posted by riddick

If you enjoy wakeboarding, don't work in the wakeboarding industry.

I'm starting to think this might be the best advice in this thread.

^^^ there is some truth to it. It all depends on how much you let it consume you.

I agree with not getting into it. Riding is fun enough.. why mess with that?