Eight students learned about the world of sports business at Oracle Park, the home stadium of the San Francisco Giants, on Oct. 7.
Bill Schlough, the Chief Information Officer of the Giants and former Harker parent, gave a special presentation to the students, detailing all his previous jobs and giving students a glimpse into the management and organization of the San Francisco Giants.
He encouraged students unsure about their future to go into consulting, highlighting how consulting exposed him to many different industries and introduced him to juggling multiple jobs at once.
Students periodically asked Schlough questions about the sports business industry and how he manages work load. Throughout his presentation, Schlough emphasized the importance of “side hustles” and trying many different paths in life.
“The game of life is not about accumulating the most money, it’s about doing something that you are passionate about,” Schlough said. “Every one of my side hustles were things I was passionate about. For example, when I go to another country for the Olympics, it’s like a sabbatical for me. I love being dropped into a place where I don’t know anybody and I gotta figure it out and that’s what helps me continue to grow. That’s why I do it.”
During the field trip, students took a tour of the ballpark. They visited the home players’ dugout and the private suites. Students also learned the history behind important landmarks, like the display of the three enlarged World Series rings that the Giants won in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
“We get visited by baseball fans, Giants fans, people who know nothing about baseball, but they just want to come here because they’ve heard about the ballpark,” Joan Shin, the tour guide, said. “It’s a beautiful place. There’s something about it that brings people together.”
Senior Sara Glusman attended the trip to take promotional pictures for her startup WrapIt Recovery. Schlough’s advice to experiment with different paths in life resonated with her deeply.
“When I think about what I want to do in the future, I want to do something that will allow me to do many different things because I feel like I’ll get bored with just one job,” Sara said. “It was really impactful to see how, even at such a prestigious company, Schlough was able to move around so much and pursue his own interests.”