I was recently speaking to a good friend who told me that if I want a real shot at a career in baseball, the job fair held at the Winter Meetings is something that I would have to attend. It made sense, because applying for jobs via team and league websites seemed no different than walking into your local convenient store and buying a “Win for Life” scratch off.
I decided to do some research to see if this trip would make sense.
One of the first things that jumped off the page was the fact that the majority of the 500 jobs that are posted are internships or entry level. This is great for someone breaking out of college at 21 or 22 years old–but for someone who is in his mid-30s, has a family, a MBA, and has been managing in Fortune 25 Company for over 10 years, it was disappointing to read.
Coming from New York, the entire process would have cost approximately $1500 between registering for the job fair, air fare, and hotel accommodations. It shouldn’t be about money when you are chasing down a dream, but if there was some sort of guarantee that was attached to the $1500 price tag, it would be a lot easier to pull the trigger. After you factor in the idea that most of the jobs are internships, it makes it an even tougher decision.
However, one should look at it as an investment in their future. It’s like a business paying a marketing firm to market a product–except in this case you are paying for the opportunity to market yourself. Can you really put a price tag on that?
I guess it depends on how bad you want it.
The game has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My love for the game started while I was still in diapers as I would smack a ball with a shoe, prompting my mother to purchase me a wiffle ball set before I could speak in complete sentences. It wasn’t long before I was breaking lamps with line drives, and my game had to be moved outside.
I played the game hard and fast–I left it all on the field. As I grew older, and the time came to hang up the spikes, my life took me on an alternate path, but the love for the game and the desire to do something in the game always remained.
I developed business acumen with the idea that I could combine it with my knowledge of the game and make a difference someday. Because of that, I have the odd ability to tell you where a ball is going to land simply from the angle of the hitter’s bat and then tell how to drive Key Performance Indicators, in the same conversation.
These 2013 Winter Meetings felt like they were going to be my last chance to chase down a dream–a dream that now feels like it will go unfulfilled. I’m not one to condone anyone giving up their dreams, and I’m not giving up on mine. This is more like moving on to another.
If you are interested in attending the PBEO job fair, you can download the 2013 Winter Meetings brochure here.
