Coach And Musician example essay topic

ATTAINING EMINENCE AND SATISFACTION IN HIGH PRESSURE OCCUPATIONS People take their leisure activities very seriously. The importance that people place on their leisure has received large amounts of attention from many noted sociologists. Juliet B. Sch or indicates that the average American's leisure time is declining and consequently becoming even more important (1992). Results of a study on the lack of leisure time back these findings "The average American has lost 2 hours of leisure time a day" (Robinson and Converse 1972: 79). These factors have stimulated the significance of the entertainment industry in America.

The exposition of this paper is concerned with the members of two occupations, professional athletic coach and professional musician, considered to be within the social entertainment industry. The productions of these occupations facilitate their own social institutions and provide leisure for an entire subculture of fans. David Brinkerhoff and Lynn White have documented the qualification of sports as a social institution. "Sport is indeed a distinctive social structure with norms and values that set it apart from other institutions. It is also an increasingly important institution" (Brinkerhoff and White 1985).

The working question for this paper looks into how the members of these occupations view the meanings of their subjective careers in terms of derived satisfaction, the effects that intrinsic and extrinsic influences have on there satisfaction, and how a strong sense of ambition has helped to propel them to eminence. The fields of coaching and musical performance were selected for both their similarities and differences. I will begin by explaining my research methods and providing a brief description of what the subjects work involves. This will be followed by a presentation and analysis of my findings supporting the argument that these are in fact high-pressure occupations and that attaining meaning and satisfaction from them is dependent upon a marked degree of success, ambition, and the desire for intrinsic rewards.

Finally, I will suggest indications for future research. METHOD The main sources I have used for this paper are the responses to questions I posed during face-to-face interviews and the respondents' available occupational histories. The works of published social scientists relevant to my study have also been cited. My interview participants include a highly successful and renowned college football coach and a professional musician who has recently achieved notoriety among a relatively large national fan base. For the sake of confidentiality they will be referred to as Coach and Musician, respectively. DESCRIPTION OF WORK I have chosen to place the occupations that this paper focuses on in the category of social entertainment largely because of the functions they perform.

In the case of a musical performer this is clear. A football game also fits the criteria of a performance, that is to say that it amuses an audience and diverts them agreeably. Coach's job requires assuming many roles, some of which including that of a leader, recruiter, motivator, disciplinarian and teacher. He is responsible for representing his university and making difficult decisions and sound judgments that effect many people. As a head coach he must remain calm and be able to calculate solutions to problems before they occur.

Musicians job requires that he dedicate large quantities of time to composing and rehearsing his music as well as helping to market it. Performing his music live necessitates him being on the road three quarters of the year. Part of his work also involves spending time in a studio recording his music. IMPORTANCE OF SUCCESS In his book, American Society: a sociological interpretation, sociologist Robin Williams suggested that achievement and success are central values to American culture (1970). I contend that the possession of these values are necessary in order to attain satisfaction from ones work.

Perhaps this is why the majority of workers employed in occupations that provide minimal opportunities to attain achievement and success, often times indicate the least amount of satisfaction with their jobs (Brinkerhoff and White 1985). The definition of success that I am using for this paper is mostly subjective. However, it can be measured by an entertainer's ability to gain and sustain a sizable fan base that is supportive of their work. Both participants of this study acknowledged the existence of such a fan base. During the interviews there were remarkable similarities in the responses given by Coach and Musician to the identical questions that I asked them. They both indirectly indicated through their responses that their careers are highly altruistic and of a transcending nature.

They both aver that there occupations are challenging and evoke great pressures to perform, or in Coaches case motivate his players to perform, at exceptionally high levels. Coach describes his pressures as a result of "wanting to do good for those who have been good supporters [of the athletic program]". Musician claims "you put a lot of pressure on yourself, but that pressure pushes you to work harder at what you do and overcome it". Although these pressures are internal manifestations, the external influence of fans motivates them. This is because no fans show their supports or dedicate precious leisure time to a sloppy musician who lacks creativity, or a coach who does not consistently win football games. As a result of this, when launching their career an entertainer's subjective definition of success, and in many cases the ability to keep their job, becomes dependent upon satisfying their fans.

Before they become established and celebrated within their occupations the entertainer's self-image is vulnerable and susceptible to degradation by critics of their work. Musician supports this argument claiming that, "it's tuff to get up there and have the spotlight on you, and you take everyone's reactions a little more to heart when you are self conscious" he added that attaining success has "helped... build confidence". Coach on the other hand represents the opposite end of the spectrum, those that have attained and enjoyed prominence in their occupation for a significant length of time. He dispels critics and asserts that, "the ones that complain [don't] bother you".

This comment, however, only suggests that Coach has the tenure, respect, and ability necessary to feel confident that his job is secure. The majority of his fellow coaches do not have this luxury. A coach has "limited control with complete liability" (Edwards 1973). This means that he "can lose (or win) a game for any number of reasons about which he can do nothing, but when next year's contracts are written he will get all the blame (or credit) " (Calhoun 1981). A lack of success for a musician will prevent him from being able to provide for himself and possibly shatter his self-image as that of a talented artist. INTRINSIC REWARDS The stereotype that football coaches are immoral and care about nothing, including their player's safety and well being, except winning was completely inaccurate in the case of Coach.

He repeatedly emphasized that being a good role model and instilling virtues in his players was critical to his job satisfaction. He remarked, "If the athletes you work with go out and do well, you feel good about that". Perhaps without realizing it, the meaning that Coach attaches to the character development of his players represents a key function sports provide for American society. As John J. Macionis has observed: Sports contribute in a variety of ways to the operation of American society. Perhaps the most important of these is teaching and reinforcing notions of competition and personal success, which are central to our way of life.

(Macionis 1993) When asked what is most rewarding about his job Coach answered that "at some point in time they [the student athletes] will come back and say, thanks Coach, I learned something from you". He also added that this is "a reward that very few people have". When asked the same question, Musician acknowledged a similar type of internal satisfaction derived from his work. "Most of the reward of my job I get from the fans response. When it is a good response... it is the greatest feeling in the world". Several of Musicians statements indicated that a source of satisfaction for him is the ability to express his talents and "get [his] music out to people".

This is similar to most artists who want their work to be accepted and appreciated. SIGNIFICANCE OF CHALLENGE FROM WORK Gilbert Brim writes that studies of job satisfaction provide "convincing evidence" that challenging jobs are more satisfying (1992). The perception that playing music is an easy occupation was something that Musician professed to be completely false. He instead insisted that it is "very hard work" yet incredibly rewarding. Contrast to this was Coach's outlook on the difficulty of his occupation. Although he confessed that "My coaching day [is] before sun up and after sundown... seven days a week" he does not consider it loathsome.

On the contrary, he expressed an internal satisfaction about the demands of his job. "It has not been like work. It has been an enjoyable challenge, there is always something going on. It's never dull, never routine, always exciting". The difficulty of overcoming challenges has been a source of motivation for Coach in his career.

"The agony of defeat makes you resolute. You want to come back and do it better next time". This outlook that challenges in work increases satisfaction, is in line with Brims statement. There are also elements of Musician and Coach's job tasks, such as autonomy, diversity, and complexity that correspond to the characteristics of job satisfaction identified by Dr. Hermanowicz. It is obvious that the respondents are satisfied with their work. When asked if they regret their career choices both answered with an abrupt no.

EMINENT QUALITIES In his book, The Price of Greatness, Arnold Ludwig identified eight general characteristics of highly eminent people. Due to a lack of available biographies on the subjects of my study I will only deal with the three characteristics that I can support they posses. These are Procociousness early in life, specific parenting structure, and desire to leave a "personal seal" behind. Procociousness early in life is evident in Musician by the fact that he was able to create musical compositions as early as elementary school. It is evident in Coach from his early athletic abilities; in high school he was a prominent athletic star in two sports. In college he led his team to their best record in several years.

The parenting structure of both Coach and Musician fit Ludwig's criteria. I will discuss the specifics of their parenting structure later in the paper under the topic of ambition. Musician and Coach both claimed that it is nice to be recognized by fans. This, coupled with the fact that both participants chose to enter into occupations with high levels of notoriety, indicates that they do have a desire to leave a "personal seal" behind them. Coach further confirmed this when he claimed that he wants "to be thought of as someone who is respected". Respect is also something that Musician expressed pleasure in possessing.

When asked what stood out as something that he was most proud of Musician recalled the experience of being complemented by a fellow musician whom he held in the highest regard. Musician's status as being eminent in his field is not easily supported. However, if he is able to withstand the test of time and continue exhibiting upward mobility in his career, the attainment of eminence will be certain. Coach's eminence and status as an elitist in his field is unquestionable. However, to depict his many accomplishments would undoubtedly violate his confidentiality. The reason that I have chosen to established the eminence (or great potential for eminence) of the respondents is because of its association with deriving internal satisfaction from their occupations.

This connection is likely prominent in all occupations who's members have the self-image of being professionals in their fields. The quest to stand out in their fields is unquestionably present in Coach and Musician. When asked what they would like to be better at both men expressed a desire to be the best or "almost perfect" (Coach) at what they do. SOURCE OF AMBITION I believe that the satisfaction Coach and Musician gain from their work is only possible because they posses strong work ethics, internal motivation, and ambition. I do not contend that satisfaction results from ambition, work ethics, or motivation, but rather that these attributes are integral for becoming successful in competitive occupations. Because entertainers derive meaning from their work through success, these attributes lead to satisfaction.

When asked if they considered themselves to have ambition both Coach and Musician claimed that they did. They also considered ambition to be an essential quality necessary to be successful in their lines of work. Probing to get to the source of their ambition eventuated a discourse of values instilled by their parents. Coaches parents "stressed, anything worth doing is worth doing well", and that "if you say you are going to do something, do it". Similarly, Musician stated that his parents "always just [told] me that if I like what I was doing to just keep on it and never give up something that I like". This led him to "always just drive myself to not give up".

He claims that it "has definitely paid off". Although these values seem to be clich'e I do not think that they are the norms. Suggestions for future research Without further research regarding the upbringings of other notably ambitious people it is difficult to conclude that this is indeed a foundation for its development. It could be beneficial to the study of ambition if future research is conducted pertaining to examining values instilled in people early in their lives. I believe that this research would reveal definite patterns of childhood conditioning present in a majority of highly ambitious people.

CONCLUSION Satisfaction is something that eludes a great many workers in America; it is not something that is guaranteed The purpose of this study was to interpret how the individual meanings workers derive from their jobs, coupled with the influence of social factors in their environments, relate to the satisfaction (or lack of satisfaction) they derive from their occupations. Interviews and occupational histories were implemented in order to formulate a theory about this connection. I found that the presence of ambition and success are critical to the entertainer who is seeking to find meaning and satisfaction in his work. Social factors, such as the positive or negative critique of fans and a desire to be respected, can have a strong influence on beginning entertainer's occupational satisfaction.

The fact that both subjects of this study find satisfaction in their work is a testament to their perseverance and positive self-image. They make no claims that their work is either easy or loathsome. Both men would likely subscribe to the Durkheim rather than Marx view of work..