What I Wish I Knew

Have you ever wanted something so bad, you would do anything to get it?

When you finally got it, was it everything you had hoped it would be?

Since I was in high school, I was single-mindedly focused on earning a position in a Major League Baseball club R&D department. It was all I thought about. Every decision was made with my goal in mind. I took my senior photo with a baseball and a calculator. Seriously.

I did all of this because I thought the job would provide me with excitement and deep fulfillment. If I could just get one of those few competitive spots, I’d be set for a long time. I was building the life I wanted.

And then I did exactly what I set out to do. I acquired the necessary technical skillset through coursework and practice. I honed my analytical communication in my free time. I started an analytics department at my college to practice working with coaches and managing a team of other analysts. I networked relentlessly (and I sincerely thank everyone that helped me along the way). I literally wrote a playbook for how to achieve the dream of working in a MLB R&D department.

Less than two years since my first day with a team and after much reflection on my experiences, I’d like to have an open discussion about my decision to leave and the things I wish I knew about this profession earlier.

My relationship with my career began to change during the COVID pandemic in 2020. I had accepted an internship offer with a club for that summer and…