I've never really thought about this too much since I threw my last pitch in Santiago, Dominican Republic in January 2008. I remember thinking to myself after giving the ball to my manager for the last time, "Well, that part of my life is over, now what?" I almost immediately turned the page on my professional baseball career and looked forward to my life and career after baseball. The problem was I wasn't prepared for life after baseball. I wasn't prepared psychologically, financially, or mentally for the challenges that lie ahead. I flew home satisfied with the modest career I put together but completely clueless on how I was going to lead my family and myself into the next stage of our lives. From that point on, I began to make hasty and desperate decisions about my future because I never took the time to plan for life after baseball.
I had been lucky to enough to dream of doing something as a kid and having the talent and opportunity to pursue it. For 25+ years I was all baseball, all the time, and then instantly that was gone.
Looking back, it would have been so easy to commit to finishing my education online during my playing career. I was only15 hours shy or graduation and never even looked into what I would need to do to finish. I also should have taken offseason jobs that could have helped build my resume or give me the opportunity to network with valuable future contacts.
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