As a professional in the outdoors industry, I look back at my list of experiences leading up to my current career and have mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s easy for me to look back on my time spent in a cubical going down checklist for the sales process as a complete waste of time. On the other hand, as I grow my current business it’s also easy to trace my basic organizational sales skills to those very experiences.
Looking back even further would take us to Auburn University where I was fortunate enough to receive both a bachelors and masters degree. Upon finding out that my post-graduate degree boils down to public speaking they often ask what a hunting guide does with a public speaking degree. My answer is always the same, “I tell the best stories in the duck blind”.
Get Involved
Not everyone’s path turns out like mine, be that as it may, there are some unfortunate similarities. It seems to be a common trend among college-bound young adults that the outdoors sports they once love take a back seat for far too long while they explore and become involved in the many paths that college life seems to offer. In this video, I speak with William Crawford of The University of Montevallo. This university is home to The Presidents Outdoors Scholars.
This is an organization designed to help college-age youth remain involved in and cultivate an interest in different facets of the Outdoors industry. With the support of organization’s such as the Professional Outdoor Media Association and Mossy Oak they are surely in this for the long haul. I would encourage any college-age kid to become involved in the similar organization when possible. Many Universities now host Ducks Unlimited chapters. To learn more about this organization and others like it feel free to click here and reach out to The Presidents Outdoors Scholars.
