What motivated you to choose the courses you did?
I've always been interested in sports and always played sports. I knew the difference that sport could make to people's lives and loved the idea of building a career in something I truly cared about.
Matt Hancock, Chief Executive of Port Vale Football Club, began his path to success at NSCG, where he studied BTEC Sport, BTEC Sport Science, and A Level Business Studies. We sat down with him to explore his career journey, the valuable lessons he’s learned along the way, and his advice for students preparing to step into the world of work.
Keep on learning, keep on taking opportunities and try to say yes more than you say no.
Matt Hancock, CEO of Port Vale Football Club
What were your aspirations and career goals at the time?
My dad always used to say to me, ‘work hard, be happy and be kind’ and I've always tried to live by those three things. That mantra really started at college and I still live by it to this day, I just wanted to see how far I could get.
What did you think your career would look like when you were in college?
I wasn't 100% sure and I think that's fine. I never really had a burning desire at all to be a Chief Executive of a football club, I just knew I wanted to work in sports and once I knew that, I focused on volunteering, gaining part-time employment, building relationships and taking every opportunity to see where it could take me.
What is the most valuable thing you learned at college?
Beyond learning the art of conversation and the value of seizing every opportunity, the most important lesson I took from college was the power of relationships. Many of my closest friends come from my time at college. I'm a huge advocate for building relationships and surrounding yourself with great people and even now, it remains a priority for me.
How did your college experience shape who you are today
College gave me my key friendship group and I learnt so much, there were some incredible lecturers who really gave me the desire to succeed and who I’m still very grateful for. It also opened the door to some amazing opportunities, like competing in regional and national sports championships.
After college what path did you take? How did college prepare you for it?
I did go down more of a traditional route as I went to university, but what college really prepared me for was real life.
I did my refereeing and coaching qualifications and I volunteered throughout college and university, just to make sure that I got to be part of different experiences. Volunteering was so, so important to me and I’m still volunteering now. College prepared me to take all these opportunities.
I went to Manchester Metropolitan University to study Sports Coaching and Development. Education is important and I still feel if you can go and get a degree, I do think it really benefits you but there's so many different ways of learning so you've got to make sure that whatever choice you take is the right choice for you, don't just follow the path that you think you should.
If you could tell your college or yourself one thing, what would it be?
Enjoy it, it was an unbelievable time so enjoy the ride. It's 17 or 18 years since I was at college and it's taken me to this point to starting to do that. I didn't enjoy it as much as I should as at the time. So enjoy it, and try to enjoy some of the tough times as much as you can too.
What has been your proudest achievement?
My proudest achievement from a personal point of view is definitely my wife and my three little girls who are so, so supportive of everything that I do and I absolutely love them to bits.
From a professional point of view it’s the day that I was asked to be Chief Executive of Port Vale Football Club, I never dreamt I'd be CEO of a football club and it absolutely has to be my proudest achievement. But I've got loads, like seeing colleagues and friends progress and achieve, I get just as much pride from that as I do in achieving things for myself.
If I could go back in time would I do anything differently?
I'm not 100% sure. I might have travelled a little bit more just to get a different experience of the world.
But equally I'm a big believer in if you want a career in anything, then you have to really work hard and I made sure to do that. I'm not someone that regrets a lot, I'd much rather regret doing something than regret not doing anything at all, so I do like to think I've taken opportunities when they've presented themselves and that has allowed me to keep moving forward.
What advice would you give to students currently in college who are unsure about next steps?
I’d say don’t panic and not to worry. Find something that you enjoy and really concentrate on that. You're a long time working, so if you can get yourself a career in something that you enjoy, I'd be a huge advocate for that.
However, being unsure isn't the end of the world, so keep on learning, keep on taking opportunities and try to say yes more than you say no.
Are there any skills or experience you wish you had focused on more during college?
I'm very people-centred, so I wasn’t always drawn to theory based or technical tasks like administration or finance, so maybe I'd spend more time on that. But I’m a big believer in getting the right people around you that you can bounce off and learn from.
What does success mean to you now compared to when you were in college?
I'm a big believer that you should aim for small wins that add up over time and this will lead you to big success longer term, so don't get too down if you have a bad day and don't get too high if you have a super day. Just try to get those little wins and enjoy the journey.
What would you advise to be students on picking a future career?
I've said this a couple of times but absolutely find something that you really enjoy. You’ll still need to work hard but you're going to be happier and you can have a little fun with it as you're learning and growing.
Life is for living and I think we've all got to remember that. Whatever job we're doing, it’s the thing that enables us to go and enjoy ourselves with family and friends, so if you can find a job that you enjoy, it'll only benefit your personal life as well.