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“To succeed in your Dual Career, you need to be solutions-oriented”

3 December 2024
This first FISU Dual Career Webinar was facilitated by Neasa O'Donnell from the University of Limerick (Ireland).

Andreas Küttel, Louis van Zyl and Samin Abedkhojasteh all offered inspiring insights into their dual career paths and their studies around combining academics and sport.

Over 70 people – students, professors, athletes and many more – attended the first FISU Dual Career Webinar, that started the series off really strongly with heartfelt and truthful testimonies from three inspirational former student-athletes under the quite large banner of “What do we know about Dual Career”?

After a welcome message from FISU Vice-President and Chair of the Education Committee, Verena Burk, reminding everyone that “Dual Career Programmes can benefit both organisers and individuals”, Andreas Küttel, Louis van Zyl and Samin Abedkhojasteh spoke about their own paths, but also their studies in this field, offering different insights that prove, if needed, that there are numerous declinations of dual careers.

Andreas Küttel is Assistant Professor at the department of Sport Science and Clinical Biomechanics of the University of Southern Denmark. As a former professional ski-jumper and through his experience competing in several Olympics, he has experience of sporting talent development at the very highest level. Today, he combines research, teaching, and applied work in the field of elite sport. His main research areas include elite athletes’ careers and transition, the dual career of athletes, and the mental health and well-being in athletes.
Louis van Zyl is a Lecturer and Sports Practical Coordinator at the Faculty of Education of the University of Pretoria. As a three-time 400-meter hurdles Olympic athlete who also represented South Africa at various prestigious events from 2001, he has gained considerable experience in transition to senior and elite sport. His main research area covers athlete performance pathways and dual career experiences.
Samin Abedkhojasteh has a BA in psychology from Payame Noor University (Iran) and a MAS from International Academy of Sport Science and Technology (AISTS – Switzerland). She has over a decade of international experience as a professional badminton player, and a successful career as an entrepreneur. Combining expertise in psychology, coaching, project management, and digital marketing, she has supported many athletes in building their personal brands through social media and influencer marketing.

First to take the floor was Swiss former ski-jumper Andreas Küttel, who admitted that from a pretty young age he had to start prioritising, deciding which classes he could miss to train and vice-versa. “I wasn’t following a Dual Career Programme as such, I just tried to negotiate solutions here in there with my professors and my coaches.”

Respect and recognition

As he grew older, the now Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Denmark got more respect and recognition for juggling both his sport and his studies. “When I started studying in Zurich, I had to split my days: in the mornings I studied and in the afternoon I joined my teammates for high performance training. When I went to bed, I knew exactly what I would be doing the following day. I got a lot of support from my parents and coaches, who respected how much this balance was important for me. And I must say that my studies really helped me take my mind off my problems when I was injured. To succeed, you need to be solutions-oriented.”

Just like Andreas Küttel, Louis van Zyl is an Olympian and now studies Dual Career. In his studies at the Faculty of Education of the University of Pretoria, the former 400-m hurdler interviewed 12 fellow South-African Olympians as they reflected on their respective careers and weighed up the challenges and successes of balancing academics and sports. He compared the existing systems in South Africa and in the United States, but also studied South African athletes who chose to pursue their Dual Careers on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Limited resources versus high pressure

“In my country, I noticed a peak in drop outs during the transition between junior and senior sports level. The resources (medical care, coaching..) are also limited. On the other hand, in the NCAA system, as much as there is comprehensive support and specialised coaching, the pressure to succeed in both your careers is immense and some psychological support could be extremely welcome.”

Last but certainly not least to take the virtual floor was Samin Abedkhojasteh, who not only combined badminton and psychology studies, but she carried out her dual career in two countries, Iran and Switzerland. Her testimony as well as her extremely positive outlook on life are truly inspirational.

Setting long term and short term goals

“I believe that when you have a dream, there is always a way. I played for Iran’s national badminton team for 10 years and then I moved to Switzerland to study and found another great team to welcome me. Time management was of course my biggest challenge, but setting clear goals is what helped me through. Long term, short term and then daily goals. I never chose between badminton and studies. I always picked what felt best at any given moment and took baby steps towards each goal. But I would like to add that building an emotional and financial support system is central to success. So are flexibility and adaptability. With all that, I managed to embrace both worlds and be an athlete and an entrepreneur!”

If you wish to receive a recording of this first Dual Career Webinar, please contact us directly at the following address: [email protected].

Save the dates

We kindly invite you to already save the dates in your calendars so that you don’t miss out on the upcoming Dual Career webinars/ seminars:

  • Tuesday 25 March 2025 (online): Dual Career issues for Student-Athletes (speakers: Natalia Stambulova – Halmstad University, Katherine Tamminen – University of Toronto, Lara Chehayeb – American University of Beirut)
  • July 2025 (onsite, during Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games): Supporting Student-Athletes and Dual Career Programmes
  • Tuesday 18 November 2025 (online): Entrepreneurship and Transition from Sport to Work
  • Next dates to be confirmed

Written by Thérèse Courvoisier

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