When Chris Columbus set sail for the New World more than half a millennium ago, he wasn't looking for the tiny island now known as San Salvador. But as fate would have it, that's where he ended up and today we can thank the patron saint of misguided road trips for our presence here in America (not to mention a day off from work for some every October).

When I was growing up I wanted to be the next Magic Johnson. But since owning the same surname and being tall and skinny were about the only traits I shared with the Los Angeles Lakers star guard, those hopes were quickly dashed. By the end of high school I had instead set my sights on becoming an All-America football player at the University of Notre Dame, where I had received an athletic scholarship, playing about 10 years in the NFL and then retiring to a career as a junior high school teacher. I came about as close to those things as Columbus did to India.

I managed to become a pretty good player at ND, although I was far from an All-American. I also managed to sneak my way into the 1999 NFL Draft as a 5th round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But little else from my original blueprint stayed the same. By my sophomore year I realized that I did not need a degree in education to teach junior high and I enrolled in ND's College of Business Administration. I guess it was then that I decided that being like Magic Johnson was still a real possibility. By 1996 Magic had retired from the game and was becoming renowned for his entrepreneurial efforts in inner cities across the country. I still had my eye on the NFL, but I was also attracted to the idea of building my community from a position of power.

I was active in ND's Marketing Club and I soaked up all the information I could in my Consumer Behavior, Brand Management, and Marketing Strategy classes. By the time graduation rolled around, I was confident in my abilities as a marketer and I was fully prepared to enter the corporate ranks and start climbing my way to the top. But the fantasy world of professional athletics beckoned, and there was no way I was going to miss that ride.

I spent my rookie year in the NFL with the Steelers in 1999. I thought it was only a matter of time before I took my rightful place alongside Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, and Barry Sanders as one of the greatest offensive players the game had ever known. I was quickly jolted back to reality when I did not play a single snap in our 43-0 season opening win over the hapless Cleveland Browns. I lasted for a year and a half with the Steelers before moving on to stints with the New York Jets, the Cincinnati Bengals (yeah, you read that right), and finally the Ottawa Renegades of the Canadian Football League.

My career as a professional football player lasted for all of four years, and the entire experience can only be described as exhilarating. The pay was great, the hours couldn't be beat, and the perks weren't bad either. Too bad NFL stood for Not For Long when it came to my career.

In between all the practices, workouts, games, and traveling, though, I managed to make a good number of business contacts in the cities I played in. And because I saw the end coming before it actually happened, I was completely prepared to walk away from the game and get on with the rest of my life. I left the game with a good idea of my strengths (and weaknesses – getting open deep was probably the biggest one) so when I filed my official retirement papers I immediately started looking at career options that would allow me to work in a challenging team environment while remaining close to both the community and the world of sports.

I eventually took a position with the Marketing and Merchandising staff in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics. The job, which turned out to be really nebulous in its day to day functions, gave me the opportunity to do everything from help implement a campaign for a Heisman Trophy candidate to lead tours of the Panthers football and basketball venues. I learned enough about marketing and brand management and how they relate to sports to realize that an MBA would marry the two fields perfectly.

When I made the decision to pursue an MBA, I was very cognizant of the fact that, by and large, my post-graduate career search would be self-directed. I was more focused on MBA programs with a high emphasis on building their students' business skills than I was with those that boasted an alumni database numbering in the high five digits. I chose The Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University because, as a career switcher, I realized my need to develop a stronger understanding of business models and their real world applications.

Tepper was the right choice for numerous reasons, not the least of which was the strong sense of community I felt during the application process. My past experience as an athlete has made me a believer in the benefits of collaborative working and I sought out a program that would encourage that kind of educational community.

My story is proof of one indisputable fact – as Columbus found out, you're only lost if you don't know where you're going. If you are contemplating a return to school for an MBA, then you must already know that something in your professional career is not where you want it to be. Do lots of research, seek the advice of colleagues who have their MBAs and most importantly, do your own due diligence. Don't let the process overwhelm you and approach it like everything else in your professional career to this point. Be prepared, be focused and be positive.

Check back with me soon to see where this voyage will take me next.