Quote:
Originally Posted by BryanV21
You're right, most part-time jobs are not going to pay you around $70 for what amounts to maybe 3.5 hours of work (travel time, early arrival, and game time). Of course, that doesn't take into account the time we spend attending meetings, reading, paying dues, along with the money and time used to purchase uniform stuff.
To your point, my best friend's father put him through college using the money he made officiating. Of course, his father officiated four sports, and worked almost every night, to do so. But yes, there is money to be made doing what we do.
But I believe my point is still valid, as it is certainly possible to find a part-time job that is comparable in pay when you take into account all those extras I pointed out in the first paragraph. And that doesn't include the stress and crap we put up with compared to the guy working the drive thru at McDonald's, either (that's not to say they don't have any crap to deal with, but I believe on average we put up with more).
To you and me, the money we make is worth what we put into it. But I'm not going to tell somebody that simply wants to make a little extra money that officiating is a great way to do that. I'd rather be 100% honest about what it takes to truly succeed at what we do, and let that person decide if it's worth a try.
I'm sorry if what I'm saying dissuades anybody from officiating, as many places need more officials (especially good ones that are dedicated).
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Bryan did a better job of saying essentially what I meant. A new official doesn't
start making $70/game. I also do not believe one, initially, could make more money working at McDonald's, let alone "much more". Clearly McDonald's would provide more hours and thus more money. McDonald's, or similar job, provides room for advancement, resume building, S.S., education reimbursement, food(lol), and other perks that are more worthwhile than officiating. Not say officiating completely does not provide some of those things just not a par with a job. This is the way I might look at it: A teenager asks, "What should I do for income? Get a job, like McDonald's, or officiate basketball?" I know what my answer would be.
This is all presuming that the OP was young. If older and simply needs a "hobby" then my answer might be different.