Robby Wacker, Management Development Program Associate at Capital One
For the longest time, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do for a career. In college, my life was entirely baseball. As a D1 player, my identity was so deeply tied to the game that I couldn’t picture what life would look like once I hung up the jersey. But I did know one thing: I wanted to join a professional team that valued the exact same drive and discipline I brought to the field every single day, and was as invested in my growth as my coaches and teammates always
were.
In the summer of 2023, between my first and second year of grad school, I joined Capital One’s Management Internship Program. The program’s direct path to the full-time Management Development Program (MDP) was a huge selling point for me. While balancing an internship with my student-athlete schedule was a challenge, it gave me a front-row seat to a culture where I could truly see myself growing. I loved the experience so much that I locked in my full-time MDP offer before my final year of grad school even started.
Even with that head start, moving from my athletic schedule to the professional world was a massive shift. In sports, your day is planned down to the minute; in a career, you have to learn how to navigate the whitespace and define your own success.
If you’re a student wondering how to make your own pro debut, here are my top five tips for navigating the transition from campus to career.
- Your level doesn’t dictate your impact
One of the most surprising things I learned at Capital One is that anyone can make a big impact, regardless of their role or level. In my first few months, I noticed a manual process that was slowing us down and suggested a way to automate our metrics reports. I was the newest person on the team, but that didn’t matter. My leaders listened, let me build the prototype, and let me run with it. If you see something that can be optimized, don’t wait for permission to suggest a better way. - Build a professional network
During my first week, people kept telling me I could reach out to VPs for coffee chats to learn more about the business. Honestly, I thought they were just being polite—until I realized they actually meant it. To this day, I’ve yet to be turned down by anyone I’ve reached out to for a conversation. In fact, the network I built in my first role played a part in how I was tapped for an elevated, high-visibility project later down the line. The resources for your success are all around you, but growth is a proactive sport. Be curious, ask the questions you might be hesitant to bring up in a big meeting and make it a point to carve out time for the connections that will help you see the bigger picture. - Prioritize the power of versatility
When you start an internship or a new role, focusing on your daily projects builds the foundation, while staying curious about learning skills outside of your comfort zone can help you grow. During my first role, I made it a point to raise my hand for projects that felt slightly out of my wheelhouse. Whether it was improving a data tracker or coordinating across different teams, my goal was to become a high-value contributor in every room I entered. While playing sports, I constantly heard the adage, “your best ability is availability.” That clearly holds true in the work world as well. When you focus on being available to help a team solve their most immediate friction points, you build a reputation that opens more doors than any specific job title ever could. - Connect past experiences to future impact
As an athlete, I worried that my skills were stuck on the field. But I realized that the discipline required to show up for a 6 a.m. workout is the same discipline needed to manage a complex business project. Whatever your passion was in college—whether it was sports, a club or a part-time job—you’ve developed skills like resilience and time management. Don’t just list your tasks on your resume. Tell the story of how those experiences prepared you to handle professional challenges. - It’s okay not to have a five-year plan
The most common stressor for students is the pressure to have a perfect roadmap. I’ll let you in on a secret: I still don’t know exactly what I want to do when I grow up. But I realized early on that instead of chasing a specific job title, I needed to chase the right environment. I looked for a place that offered flexibility, opportunity and the ability to learn—and I found all of that at Capital One. Our development programs are amazing opportunities because they allow you to experience new business areas you might not have discovered on your own. Your first few years are about building a broad foundation and finding the work that actually energizes you. Even now, I’m still exploring new roles and teams, tackling new business challenges and advancing my skills.
Nothing happened the way it was supposed to, and that’s exactly how it had to happen. If you stay curious and keep your hand raised, you’ll find that the transition from the field to the office isn’t a loss of identity—it’s just the start of a new season.
Curious to see where your drive could take you? Explore our Students & Grads opportunities and find your perfect fit.
