The Transition: D-1 Athlete to Corporate America

As athletes, we are often very narrow minded. On a day to day basis, we are confined to the label as a collegiate athlete and the numerous stereotypes aligned with it. Additionally, we are surrounded by coaches who teach us to focus on our sport and place sports at the foothold of our lives. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of athletes are able to see their subjugation. Only a few athletes are able to recognize that the world is truly much bigger than athletics, although our society is very much consumed in it.
Fortunately, I am one of those few athletes. As a Senior on the football team at Dartmouth College, I have a coach who preaches to his players as people rather than just Division 1 athletes. During my Junior year, I recognized that sports (specifically football) defined me for a large part of my life. However, attending such a prestigious school forced me to grow beyond that mold. Numerous injuries and setbacks during my collegiate football career forced me to notice that athletics is in fact, temporary.
So how do I ensure I grow beyond just an athlete?
Following my Junior year, I began an intensive search for summer internships. Towards the end of the semester, this search cut down to offers from a Wealth Management firm in Fort Lauderdale, FL and my current role as a Product Management intern in the Rookie Summer League Program at Under Armour.
As an intern at Under Armour, I have learned that athletics provides a great foundation for Corporate America, but Corporate America introduces the athlete to a multitude of new stressors and challenges.
During my first three weeks at Under Armour I recognized that Corporate America challenges an entirely different part of your mental capacity. As an athlete, we are conditioned to overcome the gruesome workouts, the muscle fatigue on max squat days, and the endless 100 meter sprints. However, we’re not taught how to handle the fatigue that overcomes your body as you work on assignments in the workplace. Personally, I struggled with this. As a highly active individual who spent his childhood playing four sports, it was difficult to sit at my cubicle and work from 8am-5pm. Growing up, I often joked with my mother that I worked harder than her because my job included a physical aspect. Under Armour and Corporate America in general taught me that neither one of us were truly outworking each other, each environment simply targeted a separate level of mental strength.
Although I was blind-sided by the exhaustion of working in an office environment for nine hrs/day, Under Armour has one specific value which helped me overcome my adjustment: TEAM. In athletics, players are familiar with the importance of comradery and support for those on your team. During the Rookie Summer League Program, I have found an equivalent level of support in the workplace to that of my teammates at Dartmouth. Under Armour has gathered top-students from the most elite schools in the country, and as expected, each one of us are very motivated and driven. At times when I have felt overwhelmed or slightly doubted myself, I have been able to rely on my fellow interns to uplift me and remind me that I belong here; that I am in fact more than just an athlete. Frequently, I am motivated by my peers after simply looking a few cubicles down and noticing their work effort. As with anything, there were days where I felt down or not fully up for the task at hand, but looking at my teammates gave me extra energy to push forward and believe in my capabilities.
Often times being an athlete has provided a certain level of comfortability. However, since I entered college, I knew that solely being an athlete is in itself, kryptonite. I knew I was more and I thank Under Armour for pushing me outside my comfort zone while providing a supportive cast around me. The Under Armour Rookie Summer League Program allowed me to gain confidence in my technical skills, while taking pride in my identity as an athlete. Corporate meetings, summer projects and truly having a voice on the Product Management team has fostered me into a more well-rounded individual.

By Jarius Brown — UA 2017 Summer Rookie
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com on August 9, 2017.
