If you just took the NFL Agent Exam on Monday, you probably spent Tuesday (and maybe Wednesday) catching your breath and trying to forget about the CBA for a while. Inevitably, however, you’re going to get antsy and start wondering what you can do to kill time until late August/early September. If so, here are a couple ideas.

Network: A lot of people think this means sending LinkedIn requests to everyone you can find with “scout” in their bio. Nothing could be further from the truth. You’ve got to get out there, not just between now and the end of August, but always. One place you can go to meet people in the game is Nashville, Aug. 3-5. It also might benefit you to get a handle on the all-star calendar for January (and, if you get bad news in six weeks, maybe even consider volunteering with one of them).

Research the game: Read books, as Clemson personnel executive Kevin Kelly recommended on a recent episode of the Scouting the League Podcast. Come to think of it, listen to our podcast — and any other podcast that talks about the business of the game more so than who to draft for fantasy football. There’s good stuff out there that’s very affordable. Did I mention that I’ve written three books about the business of the game?

Explore NIL representation: This is probably a dumb recommendation, because so many people waiting for their results are already NIL agents, but if not, plan to wade into the portal next year. There are so many basics of the game — identifying talent, getting comfortable dealing with parents, making contacts — that you don’t need a license to learn.

Join the Stratic Zoom coming next week: My colleagues at Stratic — who just got done teaching an excellent exam prep course — are setting up an online session with an NFL scout or executive next week. Contact Shane or Christian at Generation Sports Group for more details.

Be ready for Oct. 1: Think positively. Presuming you pass, things are going to move very quickly. You need to know exactly what states you plan to recruit, what kinds of players you’ll be looking for, and how much money you can spend. We’ll discuss all of that in our Agent Basics course in September, but in the meantime, give some (detailed) thought to strategy.

Develop your brand: It’s not at all uncommon to find agents who pass the exam, but don’t have a name for their agency, much less a logo, a social media presence, etc. This is not necessarily the most important part of the business — in fact, some people put way too much energy into these things — but it still has value. It gives you a sense of identity.

Get to know who’s succeeding in the game: You can’t know how to win until you study the people and the agencies who are winning. There’s no better way to do that than by joining us at Inside the League. Also, I recommend registering for our weekly newsletter on the game, the Friday Wrap. It’s free.