Div-III, semi-consistent appearances, no championship titles

You were awesome in high school and you were decent in college; Division III soccer is nothing to sneeze at. You can totally school your non-soccer friends in a quick game, but that's about it. Don't even dream about the pros—you're only setting yourself up for heartbreak. Better make good use of that biochemistry degree.

Div-II, consistent appearances, no national championship titles 

You were good enough to get into a Div-II school and you actually played all four years in college. You're definitely one of the best on your team. The problem? Your team isn't all that. Tough parsnips.

Div-II, consistent starter, team captain, national championship winners

You're an elite player at a Division-II school. You'll likely earn yourself a trip to tryout for a semi-pro league. You might even make it. You've got half a shot at the pros, but only half. Also, you're still a little more interested in that electrical engineering degree... (Source)

Div-I, consistent game appearances, national championship finalists

You're one of the best players on the best team in the highest division of NCAA soccer. If you don't burn out before your senior year, you've got a decent shot at being professional. That still doesn't mean the MLS will come calling. There are a few sub-level (yet still professional) leagues out there with your name on them.

Div-I, consistent starter, All-American, team captain, national championship winner

You just might be the best there ever was. You've broken nearly every record held by players in your position at your school. You led your Div-I team to a national championship and picked up every award possible along the way. You run down the field like you're floating on clouds, and rainbows come out of your cleats every time you pass the ball. It's possible you're not a human being.

Ever hear the phrase, "one in a million"? Well, you'll need to be exactly that if you want to go pro. Think about the best high school athlete in your district of 10 high schools. The absolute Big Man in the area. He gets headhunted so hard by colleges that he can barely spare time for his school work, let alone friends. Then, he gets into college and is a total all star there...of the 12 best all stars on his team that year. Well, guess, what? Only one of those guys will be a pro in five years...if this is a top class of athletes out of the the past several years. 

So, even if you're in the 95th percentile of all NCAA athletes in your sport, you've still got a snowball's chance in a microwave of going pro. Not to mention actually mattering at all. More than likely, you'll still be struggling to eke out a living on the bench for a year or stuck on a farm team until you're forced to look for other work. We could bludgeon you with more data and stats, but as you dream about success, just make sure you're hedging your bets.

In other words: enjoy that "alternative" career, Shmooper. (#realtalk)