The worlds of figure skating and broadband internet have likely never been compared before, but Niki Carnahan has worked in both — and she says there are more similarities between the two than one might think.
For 20 years, Carnahan was a competitive figure skater, even a National Medalist in Japan — never imaging she'd find herself working with broadband internet infrastructure. "[I] definitely did not wake up in the middle of the night thinking that I wanted to be in broadband," she explained. "It just kind of happened, and I think a lot of us are like that here."
Upon entering the industry, for a few years she continued balancing it with competitive skating, where she noticed some unexpected "synergies" between the two — particularly with the money and mission behind the Broadband Equity and Access Deployment (BEAD) Program.
"There's so many synergies between figure skating and broadband. The challenges you find in figure skating... being able to apply that to the stuff you see going on with BEAD," said Carnahan. From her unique perspective, perseverance, resilience and patience are essential in both fields. "You're not gonna become a gold medalist over night; you're not gonna be able to figure out the best way of deploying broadband over night. It takes trial and error."
While the first few years can be "welcoming but intimidating" in learning the ins and outs, she has found it to be a very "stable and supportive" place, and one that is constantly changing. "I'm learning something new every single day, and I guarantee everyone here [MountainConnect] is learning something new every single day as well," she said.
Yet she added one thing not likely to change: the need for skilled workers in the industry.
"You will always have a job in the broadband industry because it's such a necessity right now... It's a utility, but it's more fun than sewage or plumbing. It's flashy but also stable," said Carnahan."You know, AI can't replace construction."
Watch the full interview here: