Stanley's global president said he was an 'average student.' These are his 3 pieces of advice to college kids.

Matt Navarro began college aiming to teach history and coach sports, but later realized teaching was not the right fit. He continued coaching his son’s high school football team while building a career in sports management. Over time, he advanced to lead Stanley 1913, part of PMI WW Brands, LLC, serving as global brand president for two years. He oversees about 1,500 employees and leads a brand known for 40-ounce Quencher tumblers. Navarro advises college students and recent graduates not to specialize too early, to take multiple general education classes to learn preferences and strengths, and to choose a college where they will be happy. He also emphasizes networking, including internships, as a key step.

"When Matt Navarro started college, he had his mind set on teaching history and coaching sports. Roughly 28 years later, he's leading drinkware giant Stanley 1913, part of PMI WW Brands, LLC. Navarro told Business Insider that he realized teaching wasn't the right fit, though he kept his passion for coaching and still coaches his son's high school football team. After college, Navarro launched his career in sports management before climbing the ranks to his current position, where he's served as global brand president for the past two years."

"Navarro has some advice for college students and recent grads: Don't specialize. Navarro described himself as a "very average student" who didn't know exactly what he wanted to do. However, he still committed to a career path early on despite not fully exploring it. "There's a lot of pressure on kids today to perform, be best in the class, get great grades," Navarro said. Navarro said many students aren't ready at 18, 19, or 20, to decide on a career that they'll pursue for the rest of their lives and that expectation "isn't really fair.""

"His advice is to stay open-minded and take "a bunch of different general ed classes." That way, you can see what they like, what you're good at, and what you want to avoid. "That perspective leads you to a better outcome," Navarro said. Navarro said two of his kids are in the process of choosing a college and "have no idea what they want to do." He said that's OK and rather than pressure them to make a decision, he's advising them to pick a place where they'll be happy living for the next four years."

"Network Networking is a must, according to Navarro. While cold reach-outs on LinkedIn are one way to try building a network, Navarro said internships are"

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