What Working at a Nike Really Looks Like: 5 Career Advice From Nike’s Employees

What Working at a Big Company Really Looks Like: Lessons From Nike’s Career Panel

At a company as iconic and as massive as Nike, students often imagine glossy marketing campaigns, elite athletes, and dream jobs waiting at the finish line. But for four Nike professionals, the real story is far more grounded: careers that zig-zag, teams that feel like family, and identities that don’t get left at the door, but power the work.

Michelle Lee, who has spent four years at Nike navigating roles across paid media, women’s lifestyle, and tennis, and now store marketing, event activations, and community engagement, shared how curiosity and adaptability shaped her journey.

Matt Gee, now in his 6th-7th year on the SNKRS team, talked about his path from an events agency to product marketing, digital work, and brand storytelling.

Johnny Trinh, Director of Product on the SNKRS side, described how he went from web engineer to product leader, weaving tech, culture, and creativity together.

And Nihal Hameed opened up about building his digital career while learning to embrace his cultural identity, something that now guides how he leads and collaborates.

Below are the biggest lessons they shared with students about building careers, finding belonging, and learning to thrive inside a global brand.

1. Career Paths Aren’t Linear: They’re Athletic

Just like training, careers don’t move in a straight line. Nike panelists arrived there through retail, events agencies, engineering, and luxury marketing. Every “detour” taught them a skill they rely on today.

Michelle started in luxury fashion before pivoting into paid media, women’s lifestyle, tennis, and eventually retail store marketing. Matt went from agency life to sneaker marketing. Johnny moved from engineering to product. Nihal built a path as a product test analyst after starting as a store associate. 

Each story proved: Your first step doesn’t predict your last one, your ability to learn, adapt, and stay curious does.

2. Soft Skills Are Your True Superpower

In big companies, you’re rarely working alone. That’s why communication and the ability to meet people where they are is one of the most powerful skills you can bring.

A large part of Matt’s job is presenting. But the real skill isn’t the deck, it’s reading the room:

• Who is your audience?
• How much do they know?
• Do they think like a creative, a strategist, a data analyst?

Nihal emphasized the same point:
“Communication, talking to different kinds of people, that will take you further in your professional scope than any sort of subject matter knowledge. You could be the smartest data engineer in the world. But if you’re awkward to talk to, you’re not going to go so far in your career. Soft skills are what turn teammates into collaborators.

3. Belonging Makes Teams Stronger

At a company as big as Nike, you can easily feel like a small dot in a huge machine.
The panelists shared honest stories of building community and finding their “people”:

• Michelle found friendships that carried her through long hours, deadlines, and tough seasons.
• Johnny connected through food and culture, creating bonds that cut across job titles.
• Matt said “yes” to everything early on – bowling nights, group lunches, happy hours to understand where he fit.
• Some of them found community in Ascend, Nike’s Asian employee resource group, where shared culture became shared strength.

4. Lead With Your Identity, Not Away From It

Growing up Pakistani in post-9/11 Long Island, Nihal often felt pressure to push aside parts of himself. But in adulthood, he realized those values, family, empathy, and integrity, are precisely what guide him in hard decisions at work. Your background isn’t a barrier. It’s a lens that strengthens your work and your team.

Nike’s culture allows identity to show up authentically, and the panelists urged students not to shrink themselves to fit into corporate spaces.

5. Speak Up and Solve Problems

Students asked what makes early talent stand out. The responses were blunt and practical:

Matt: “‘Closed mouths don’t get fed.’ Speak up about what you want. Build relationships. Ask for opportunities.”

Michelle: “Be solutions-oriented. Don’t just notice what’s wrong; bring ideas to fix it.”

Be proactive, curious learners rise quickly, regardless of where they start.

Final Takeaway

Their journeys made it clear that careers grow through collaboration, communication, and the courage to bring your full identity into the work. Big companies move fast, but people power them: The mentors who guide you, the peers who support you, and the communities who help you feel seen. Just like in sport, you don’t win by going alone – you win by learning, passing, listening, and building with others. Thank you to Michelle, Matt, Johnny, and Nihal for sharing your stories, your honesty, and your heart with our students. Thank you to the Nike team for welcoming our youth into your office, opening your network, and creating such an incredible opportunity for them.