As a student I’ve been thinking about life beyond my campus and how to get there. I’m studying elements of business, I see them in action every day, but they are at the other side of a highway that I’m not quite sure how to cross.
Mentorship programs can help you make that leap
Luckily universities are realizing this gap exists and are teaming up with companies to help us get that coveted look inside.
Sports management is my chosen field of specialization and the mentorship program at my university teamed me up with an alumnus who now works for the adidas Group. Along with two fellow students we travelled from Salzgitter to Herzogenaurach for two days to see the World of Sports and get a deeper understanding of how the adidas Group works.
I was always interested in adidas and on arrival I found the campus so exciting.
“The number of people, the nationalities, mixed in with the architecture, a lake and a massive number of sports facilities. It was hard to take it all in.”
“How on earth do they do any work if they have the opportunity to play sports all day? I saw all these things as distractions.”
After the initial confusion, my mentor helped take me inside the business and showed me things that you don’t learn in uni: an understanding of the company culture, what makes them tick, how spaces for creativity drives business.
“With every meeting I was able to join I was slowly crossing the figurative border and realizing that sports are no distraction of any kind to employees at the adidas Group – there simply is no adidas without sport.”
A passion for sport is the essence of their success
As sport is a big part of my life, the insight I gained as a mentee cemented the feeling that I want to be part of this business so I applied for an internship and will be part of the adidas team later this year.
“To stay in the picture: building bridges and crosswalks along the highway between university and work will help both – employers and students – to find the perfect fit.”
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