Hard Work Leads to Dream Job
Nate Johnson's outlook on life is that there is always a reward for hard work. So when he enrolled at Delaware Tech, he took advantage of every opportunity and resource to achieve his goal of earning a sports management degree.
"People will always notice the effort you are putting in, and that is a good motivator to put in 100 percent every day," said Johnson.
Johnson graduated in 2014 with a general business degree, and currently works as an account executive with the Delaware Blue Coats, an NBA developmental league team in Wilmington. The path he took to complete his degree and join the workforce is a blueprint to show how successful a community college student can be.
Johnson came to Delaware Tech after serving in the U.S. Navy for 13 years, ending his military career on the USS Nimitz as an operations specialist second class. When he enrolled at Delaware Tech, he wanted to earn as many credits as he could before transferring to a larger college. But, the longer he stayed, the more he got involved in campus life and gained valuable experiences.
Johnson joined the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and served as president for one year, learning the importance of preparedness and teamwork, and earning a multitude of scholarship offers to four-year institutions, like the one he accepted to attend Seton Hall University.
He also took advantage of internship opportunities. Johnson spent one summer at Boston University, where he enrolled in two credit classes and interned at a sports radio station. After graduation, he interned with the NFL's New York Jets in the fan engagement division. And while attending Seton Hall, Johnson started an internship with the NHL's New Jersey Devils in the sales department.
"It became apparent to me that the more experience you have, the better chance you’ll get a job after graduation," Johnson said. "It turned out that my last internship was the really big one."
Johnson transferred to Wilmington University to be closer to his family, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in sports management in 2017. His internship with the Devils turned out to be fortuitous – the director of ticket operations for the Devils transferred to the parent company's NBA developmental league team in Wilmington and called Johnson in for an interview. The rest is history.
"You never know who you stood out to and who will want to give you opportunities because of your hard work and work ethic," Johnson said.
As an account executive, Johnson has been part of the team's rebrand from the 87ers to the Blue Coats and deals with direct marketing and ticket sales. He also works regularly on promotional opportunities and setting up community events to raise brand awareness.
Johnson is interested in moving up to a management position, and to get there he will continue doing the things that brought him this far.
