North Carolina State University Athletics
Q&A: Gandy Attends NCAA Career in Sports Forum
6/18/2015 2:18:00 PM | Track
Gandy attended the event in Indianapolis to develop his professional skills
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Josh Gandy, a rising junior on NC State's track and field team, sat down with GoPack.com to discuss his recent trip the NCAA Career in Sports Forum. The business administration major outlines some of his takeaways from the forum in the Q & A below.
Q: How was the trip?
A: "I thought it was phenomenal. When we first got there, I originally was nervous. I was the only person from NC State; but when I got on the plane, I met people from UNC, Wake Forest and the local schools. We learned how to network and be more professional. I met with other people and learned about their backgrounds. I also got to learn more about the NCAA and how it works; that was really cool."
Q: How did it feel to get selected to go?
A: "It was a great opportunity and I was very honored to attend. I learned a lot about myself and about sports and leadership. I learned about myself, and how that can influence what type of career I go in to. Having the honor of representing NC State and the ACC was a great honor."
Q: What did you learn about professional development?
"One of the important lessons that I learned while I was there was from Clyde Doughty Jr, who was the MC of the entire forum. He spoke of the letter P (Prepare, Professionalism, Look Apart) He also gave us a quote by John Wooden, "Perform at your best when your best is required. Your best is required every day." This quote goes with attitude and how you want people to perceive you and your work ethic whether it's sports, in the classroom, or in life. Mr. Doughty spoke about the present moment, and how it is time for us to figure out who we are and where do we want to be. That was the base for the forum. It allowed us to reflect on who we are, what are our values and what career do we want to pursue after we finish sports."
Q: What did you learn about careers in sport?
A: "I really focused on learning about marketing within sports. When I was meeting different administrators and networking with different people, they told me how to be an AD and told me about the branding and marketing aspects. I learned a lot of things about the marketing aspect and the administrative roles in college athletics."
Q: How will this experience be beneficial for your career?
A: "I learned how to be more professional and how to network. I really want to work in sports. I'm not sure if that is working with the NCAA or with professional sports. Starting here in college, networking is big. Getting to know our administrators and getting an idea of what I want to specialize in is really important. I also learned about different internships that were available."Â
