What is a good job for an aspiring martial artist?

He could get certified as a fitness intstructor. That usually has flexible hours. He could also get a manual labour job and count that as part of his training.

 

You can't just walk into that though, it takes ages and many applications. At least from what I've been told from various people, including firefighters

 

Seems like a rather mixed bag of answers, I've told him that he'd probably be better off joining MAP and talking about it himself, so come to expect him sometime soon, granted, that's if he joins up.

 

He can work for himself, if he's in the UK take a look at things like ACN I know a lot of people who have made that very successful. It's a little like Avon, but you sell products and services and get rewarded more for networking and introducing more people to it. That's something I know a lot of young guys are doing either full time or on the side. If he's in the UK and needs extra cash I would suggest match betting. Google it to see what it is, it's completely risk free and not even betting. But is limited to around 1 to 2k a year. But it's something.

You can make a lot of money by buying and selling cars. And you don't need to be very knowledgeable about them. Just know who to buy from, what to look for and who to resell to. It can be an easy 350+ a week.

 

He has a point though, blue belt is a low rank to be thinking about being an instructor, and statistically the belt where most people drop out of BJJ, so is it really wise to plan your future around a hobby you will most likely pack in? No matter how much you love it right now?

And to be a full time paid teacher he will have to be at least a brown belt, possibly black depending on the catchment area and having medalled at some serious championships, which means another 6 – 10 years fitting his job around training and making sacrifices in the hope of one day making it his full time job

Job wise as already said self employed is the way to go, I know some very good international sportsman, and they all tend to have a trade and be self employed as it’s the only way they can get time off for training and international comps

 

Being a tradesman is a good idea. Logistics is also good. If you can drive a forklift, you'll likely never starve. If you branch out as a heavy equipment operator in general, you're golden. The pay can be very good, and the work seasonal enough that you can have long periods of not actually needing to work if you're careful.

 

Seems increasing numbers of graduates are realising this and retraining as plumbers,electricians etc. after spending three years and 30k to get degrees that are often little use in finding work ( especially in a crowded market place after the huge upsurge in people going to university in the last decade or so ).

There is still a shortage of skilled labour in the trades in this country but most kids nowadays are put off by low starting pay while learning the ropes and the time it takes to qualify.

Learning a martial art is similar to learning a trade ;
you aquire your basic tools ,learn how to use them, make some mistakes from which (hopefully)you learn and serve your time.
If you're lucky you find someone older willing to invest some time in passing on their hard earned knowledge and build your experience and skill.
Other similarities are con men , chancers and ill-informed "experts"

 

Undergrad degrees have diminished in job market value because everyone and his dog has one. They don't distinguish an applicant from anyone else as they once did say 30 years ago. Graduate degrees are another matter, but they have their own issues.

However, it's more important that the person in question find the best job for their abilities, passions and whatever else they want in life.

For myself, my hours are quite early (7:30 am to 3:30 pm) leaving me time to get home, attend to life's duties and still get to class to train. Good enough for me.

 

This. Very much this.
At 22 you think you know what you want the rest of your life. As you get older, you realize that there are other things in life.

When you start a family, you'll have to make sacrifices as well. Having a decent job means you can provide as well as enjoy your hobby.

 

Someone with an undergrad is basically someone who didn't finish his studies.

 

I hear that. I'd love to do my Master's one day, but it ain't in the cards unfortunately. But that would be more for my own satisfaction, as my degree has nothing to do with my day job anymore. But that's OK, everything worked out. Now I have a list of degrees I'd like to get when I retire: M.Mus, and a DMA if I'm really ambitious, Old English Lit, and Medieval History.

 

To be clear: my remark was not to belittle anyone.
It's just that in practical terms for the purpose of employment, an undergraduate degree is worth about as much as no degree at all if you are looking for a career path. Because most positions that offer a good career path ask for a masters degree or similar.

and while most job requirements specify the obligatory 'or equivalent through experience' over here, in reality this means that any candidate with the masters degree will get the preference no matter your experience.