Retired Major League Baseballer needs advice
HI! I am a soon to be retired Major League Baseball player, looking for insight regarding my career prospects.
I graduated from a top 20 undergrad business program with a B.S. in Finance. For the last 5 years i have been playing professional baseball, and in 2015 I pitched in the major leagues. My career was extremely promising (high draft pick, all star in the minor leagues, low ERA in the majors, etc...) , but sadly at the age of 26 injuries have completely ended my career.
I'm wondering how my unique life experience will be perceived in the job market. My dream is to work in either investment banking, PE or some sort of financial consulting. I have been told by numerous people that my experience as an athlete is a huge positive and carries significant weight on a resume. I hope this to be true, but am unsure. Baseball has been something I have completely dedicated my life to in the past 7 years or so. It has given me some amazing experiences and looking back I can say I wouldn't trade it for anything. Unfortunately my obsession with my possible baseball career distracted me from actually trying in college. I finished undergrad with a 3.1 GPA. Not good, but certainly not bad compared to my teammates and your average athlete.
I would love to hear what you guys have to say. Is it possible for me to enter the finance/banking field in my current situation? Or, would I be better suited pursuing an MBA first? I have been contemplating this, but would rather not go back to school if I don't have to. Luckily I have a pretty good amount of money saved up right now, so income in the next 5 years or so is not important to me and I would be able to afford any B-school without loans. What is the play to get my foot in the door and get started with a career in banking? I am hungry and will do whatever it takes if it is possible.
Any help is appreciated.
Yeah absolutely you see former athletes pop up all the time in finance and professional/college baseball experience is definitely a plus. It will help you network with alums big-time because everyone loves college sports and its just interesting to grab lunch with a former mlb player.
Former athletes college or pro tend to end up in entry-level sales and trading desks because they value the competitive instinct of an athlete and s&t interns generally just sit there and watch the action/get coffee.
Sorry to hear about your injuries and good luck on the job hunt. Try to use linkedin to find former pro/college athletes at firms you are interested in and reach out to them.
Not sure what the pay is but have you given any thought to trying to be an analyst at one of the sports networks? If you were to "hit it off" with the audience that would be a pretty sweet opportunity it seems.
Except he explicitly says he wants to work in finance...
You will do well. I interned with an ex MLB pro with a very similar background (top draft pick, big $ contract, but promising pitching career ended due to injury)
He ended up at a top b school and a great internship. Had his pick of full time offers. Recruiters will love the background because they can all appreciate the hard work getting to your position.
My advice would be wealth management, some of the most successful advisors in my office are ex-athletes and you certainly do not need an MBA to get started. If you have some money saved up and do not mind sales, seems like the perfect spot for you.
lol it's the perfect spot for him and you don't know if he likes sales
very few people thrive at sales
I suck at sales
"If you have some money saved up and do not mind sales, seems like the perfect spot for you."
You also suck at attention to detail.
If you want to do Investment Banking, I'd definitely go the MBA route. I'm sure you can get into a solid MBA program coming out of the MLB, and the on-campus recruiting, networking, and other resources will be a huge leg up as opposed to trying to go it alone.
PM me-- have some thoughts, but probably best shared privately.
Thanks for the MS, guys. I can't tell this guy what I want to tell him, which I think will be helpful, without outing him. I'd rather not, hence the request to start a private chain.
Can I have your autograph?
I've got a buddy in my MBA class who was a pro Football player. He's doing an internship at an Investment Bank and had an internship offer faster than most of the other students in the class.
Quick story:
Last year, those who were interested in high finance went around and visited banks and Asset Management companies in Chi and NYC. There was always a point were you had to introduce yourself and give a little bit about your background to make people actually interested in hearing questions from you.
It was pretty hard to beat "Hi, I'm ******* and I was a Pro NFL linebacker."
This is the route terry tate office linebacker went. If you kill the joe make some mo.
yeah, if you want IB, I think a top MBA makes the most sense given your profile...
How much money do you have saved up?
If you have money, why would you get a job like everyone else does to support themselves?
Start a company. Become an investor. You have a ton of options.
Because this guy wants to become an MD and crank out 7 figures for the next 30 years
Guessing he is ~27 Post MBA-> Associate, 30. VP, 32-34 Principal/Director, 35-37 Managing Director, 38-41
You think this guy wants to be working in banking until he's 68????
Plus majority of MDs do not make 7 figure salaries, even at bulge brackets (common misconception). And they still work like hell (think during vacation, 9pm nights with 3 kids, travelling every week, etc.)
Doesn't sound like the best path for an ex-athlete to me. As I said, start a business with saved $$ and gain some passive income
It will probably be a good transition for you to go Top 10 MBA. You'll refresh your skills and will be able to get a better position than just applying now. You might still have to study for the GMAT pretty hard to have a chance at H/S/W. I think you have good chances overall at going anywhere.
Also, a shot in the dark, not sure if you know Brett Gardner, but his cousin works in NYC in M&A IB as a VP and lovesss baseball.
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