This past week, I was given the opportunity to represent the University of Georgia and attend the 4th annual SEC Career Tour in Atlanta. This three-day trip was one of the most exciting and beneficial professional experiences I’ve had at Georgia. I spent the tour with other incredible students also representing numerous sports teams from each SEC school. The tour stop schedule included the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Cox Communications, NCR, Winning Edge Leadership Academy, Home Depot, and UPS. We were all impressed and eager to meet and learn from each company!
The first stop, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, was an unforgettable experience. They had each of our sports pictures displayed and rotating across the big screen as we walked in. It was very special to have a private tour of the stadium and a dinner Q&A overlooking the field. The next morning we heard from a few past student-athletes who had attended a previous SEC Career Tour and found themselves working for one of the companies they visited!
Each day was packed from morning to evening with numerous activities, tours, and learning experiences at each stop. Day 2 included Cox Communications, NCR, Winning Edge Leadership Academy, and at each place we had the opportunity to network and listen to presentations from recruiters and workers high up in the companies. At Cox Communications we received individual resume critiquing and at NCR we even had a surprise meeting with the CEO of the company!
At the end of the day, we had professional headshots taken at Winning Edge Leadership Academy and headed back to the hotel. Lastly, we had a private dinner with the SEC Commissioner, Greg Sankey, where we were able to ask him many questions and hear about his daily life and job. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip!
On day two, we were off to Home Depot and UPS which consisted of amazing tours of both companies and panels with employees from a variety of departments. At UPS, they had past athlete employees from different schools and sports come and talk to us about their transitions from athletics to the corporate world.
If given the opportunity to attend the SEC Career Tour, I would highly recommend! Each company made us feel welcomed and I left for home with a new group of friends and new connections with employees. This tour is a great chance to learn more about yourself and transition into the professional world.
