|
Since retiring from competitive swimming in 1998, Portugal's Miguel Cabrita came up against the same career challenges faced by a lot of athletes: balancing his studies with earning money. As Miguel put it: "I had to choose between pursuing my studies without any financial help, or find a job and earn an income. This latter option prevailed."
Whilst he enjoyed teaching swimming professionally, approaching his mid-thirties and without a clear career path, Miguel was concerned about his long-term work and life aspirations. In 2007, the Portuguese Olympic Committee introduced him to Adecco and the Olympic Future Programme ("Programa Futuro Olímpico") – the ACP in Portugal.
This helped Miguel get his career planning on track: "I attended a group meeting with fellow athletes and then two personal interviews with training and programme specialists. The goal was to find the perfect match between our business, sporting and educational background and the areas in which we would like to work, regardless of our previous experience."
"Now, having attending these meetings, and thanks to Adecco's counselling, I'm confident I can put the doubts over my future to rest, whereas before I had absolutely no idea whatsoever about it! It's been an unforgettable experience."
|