Director of Communication Meets Olympic Athletes & Coaches

Name: Ariel Hodges (she/her)

PhD: Higher Education, Ohio University, 2024

What is your current job?

I am the Director of Communication & Online Education for ASCA, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

I do all forward facing items in our nonprofit. Social media, website, marketing, educational initiatives.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I love that I get to meet Olympic athletes and coaches and work with the leaders in my industry.

What is the most important skill you developed or experience you had during your PhD that now helps you in your current position?

Thinking outside the box and taking concepts that existed in the education space and applying it to a niche industry (swim coaches).

How did you build the skills necessary for your current role?

All of my courses were administration based, but specifically my courses relating to online coursework were invaluable

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

Job board on a swimming website.

I got this job while I was ABD and have been here the last four years.

PhD graduate ➡️ Current position

If someone is interested in a similar role, what would you recommend they start doing now to prepare?

Find ways to apply your expertise in areas outside of academia.

In all my course work, I did most of it related to the sport of swimming as it was my background. So taking those skills and further applying it was an easy next step.

Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?

I wanted to stay in academia as my degree is in higher education, but the salary and the atmosphere that is on most college campuses no longer appealed to me upon graduation. I still think I would like to get back to a college some day, but the climate would need to change dramatically.

What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

Don’t be afraid to do it. I was only applying to universities and was not having any luck landing roles. I needed to think outside the box in order to survive and pay my bills.

Are there any components of your identity you would like to share, including how they have impacted your journey?

I was a former collegiate swimmer from the age of 17, and have been involved in the Aquatics industry since age 15. Swimming has opened many doors, and I am extremely fortunate to find the role I did. There are only 1-2 similar roles in the entire industry.

And for those interested, what was your main area of research?

Collegiate swimmers and their career preparation and what they accomplished in their lives after their sports retirement.