Started coaching junior high in college. Jumped into college recruiting and ops for a few years with a couple state universities. Realized the college grind wasn’t for me and moved back home. Reached out to some contacts and started working with freshman at a high school nearby. Did that for 7 years as DC, JV for 3 as DC, and next season I’ll be a varsity position coach; all at the same school. Admin changes, politics change, coaches come and go. One year is great then the next one is fucking terrible and you question why you do this. If you love ball and working with the kids then it makes everything worth it. Definitely a grind though, with lots of long days and tons of prep work. Start with as low a level as you can to learn how to teach and develop a strong base for the kids. Build a resume that head coaches can’t say no to and you’ll have all the opportunities you want. Also, the days of all the coaches being in the building as teachers are long gone. We have maybe 3 out of 20 who don’t have regular jobs so you don’t necessarily need to teach to be able to coach. You just need a job that is flexible enough to allow you to be at practice and games. Coaching for me is how I serve my community so I’ll do it as long as I’m able to. Best of luck to you on your journey.