Lauren,

If you definitely prefer college level, the question is how long term do you want coaching to be? Many (perhaps most) college coaches start out working for free, either as a volunteer assistant or graduate assistant (which usually comes with a tuition break). The quickest and most assured way to get into college coaching is to start at the college level, work hard, impress people, network, and keep at it. But while some people have more luck (or connections) than others, it usually isn't easy starting out.

The next thing to decide is which division you're interested in coaching. If you can, it's best to start out in the division you'd like to end up, as it can be challenging to jump divisions. The requirements are different enough that the jobs just aren't always that similar.

High school coaching positions can be much easier to find, and to some coaches, a high school job is more rewarding. There are so many more high schools and high school athletes. Of course, being a high school coach carries at best a nice stipend, so it will never be a career.

Another alternative is to try to become a club coach. It's hard for athletes to compete after college (or if they don't compete for their school).

It sounds like, if you have a chance to work with your college coach, that could be a valuable opening. Even if you don't work with him, he has been through this before, and would be a great person to ask about how to get into coaching. The one thing that seems to be true is this: Every coach finds a different path into the sport, but it always seems to come as a mixture of hard work and luck. So, good luck.