Career Path of a Former Senior Sourcing Analyst at NASCAR
Giovanni's unconventional path began with an Earth and Space Exploration degree, pivoting to teaching English in South Korea for four years before returning to the U.S. to pursue an MBA "to get into the sports industry," ultimately leading to a Senior Sourcing Analyst role at NASCAR after an internship with their sourcing and procurement team.
Career Path, Sourcing and Procurement, MBA, Sports Industry, International Experience
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Giovanni Pieve
Senior Sourcing Analyst (former)
NASCAR
Arizona State University (ASU) - W. P. Carey
Arizona State University (ASU) - W. P. Carey: MBA
Engineering - Aerospace
Sports & Fitness, Technology
Operations and Project Management
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Undergraduate degree in the sciences (Earth and Space Exploration) followed by teaching English in South Korea for four years: Demonstrates a non-traditional path into the business world, highlighting adaptability and diverse experiences.
2. MBA with a focus on entering the sports industry: Illustrates the strategic use of an MBA to pivot into a desired field, specifically leveraging it to break into the competitive sports industry.
3. Internship with NASCAR's sourcing and procurement team during the MBA program leading to a full-time role as a Senior Sourcing Analyst: Shows the value of internships during graduate programs for gaining industry experience and potential job opportunities.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
My career path is a bit unique and quite different from most people working in the business world. My undergraduate degree at Arizona State University was in the sciences, specifically Earth and Space Exploration.
I worked in a lab there and realized it wasn't for me. During that time, I also worked as a writing tutor, which led me to a summer study abroad teaching English in South Korea. I loved it so much.
After graduation, I decided to continue this for a while. I went to South Korea, intending it to be a one-year experience teaching and learning the culture. It ended up being four years; I really loved it and enjoyed being out there and the job.
However, after about four years, I was ready to move on. There wasn't a lot of upward mobility, so I came back to the States. I attempted a master's degree program in New York that just wasn't working out for me.
Then I had an opportunity to return to Arizona State for the MBA program and realized this was what I needed to do. My main goal was to get into the sports industry, and I used the MBA to achieve that.
I interned during my MBA program with NASCAR on their sourcing and procurement team. About a year after graduation, I received a call about an opening and took it. For the past two and a half years, I was a senior sourcing analyst at NASCAR.
That position has since ended, and I am currently searching for other roles. It was a great opportunity, and my MBA truly led me to that and into the sports industry.