The Potential of Networking

 Last weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Sports Information Networking Conference at George Washington University in Washington D.C. SINC was held over two days in the Public and Media Affairs building on the GW campus. What I was looking forward to most was networking with professionals. My goal after graduation is to attend graduate school for sports management or obtain a job in sports marketing.

At the conference I was able to connect with professionals that have jobs I aspire to have one day. I was able to meet Garrett Klassy, Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Relations at George Washington Athletics. Mr. Klassy and I were able to talk about his role at GW Athletics, my duties as an intern at Tech, and what to study in graduate school. It was nice to get advice from someone who is in the business and has traveled the same path I’m currently traveling. I was also able to meet Linda Thomas, Director of Digital and Social Media for the Philadelphia Eagles. Talking with Ms. Thomas was an incredible experience. I would love to have her job one day. The job that she holds didn’t exists 10 years ago. Ms. Thomas was able to mold and shape social media for the Eagles. How awesome is that?! I would love to work with social media in the sports industry one day.

What I’ve been hearing the most is that making connections is everything in the sports industry. The connections that I’m making right now through work and conferences are hopefully going to help me in the future. People say it’s not what you know but whom you know that helps you out. I like to think that you need to be on the top of your game with what you know to fully value whom you know. Networking is something that can’t be avoided in life. It is crucial to network to find jobs for the ultimate goal of obtaining the dream job.