32-year-old left her dream job in the NFL to make a career pivot
What causes a person to leave their dream job? It’s a daunting decision, as Melissa Menta knows.
Menta left his executive role in player operations at the NFL to begin law school in 2023.
“If you had told 22-year-old me that I would quit this job, I would have said, ‘You’re crazy,'” he says. “I made it; why would I want to leave?”
Journey to and from the NFL
From gymnastics to football to lacrosse and track and field, Menta He participated in sports for as long as he can remember.
The 32-year-old also says, “I always knew I wanted to do something in business.” “So when I found out I could intersect that with something I really love, like sports, I said there’s no other way – this is what I want to do.”
After receiving his sports management degree from NYU, he began working on player content development and marketing at the NFL in 2016 in the player operations department. He says he was promoted three times in seven years and was in charge of a team of four when he left.
Menta says working in the NFL has been a great experience, but he also says he increasingly feels like his job requires reactively solving problems rather than proactively “shaping how things look.” “I was feeling a little unfulfilled, intellectually.”
Menta, who finds himself positive and energetic, says that he feels that his work temperament has changed. “When I started feeling my energy drop, I thought maybe something needed to change,” she says.
Although he attended multiple Super Bowls, his favorite event was the annual owners’ meetings. “I loved being around decision-makers,” he says, “and I realized these were the rooms I wanted to be in.”
Melissa Menta left her dream job in player operations at the NFL to go to law school.
Melissa Menta
She chatted with a successful woman in the NFL who had a law degree and suggested Menta get a law degree as well. “It’s a credential you have at your disposal,” Menta says, which seems especially valuable as a woman working in a male-dominated industry like sports. He adds that many league commissioners and other prominent executives in the sports world have legal backgrounds.
“I kept finding myself in rooms where lawyers were not just making recommendations, but driving decisions,” Menta says. “I felt like I already had the business acumen and institutional knowledge, but I didn’t have the legal framework to be a truly effective decision maker.”
He says he hopes law school will help him hone his skills in critical analysis, prepare definitive documents, negotiate the rules that govern the operation of sports organizations and more, all of which will one day facilitate a return to sports.
“I felt like these were skills I didn’t have,” he says, “and I said, ‘Let’s do it. Let’s continue down this path.'”
‘Time to take risks’
Menta had some hesitations. He felt he had a good chance He says he will continue to advance his career if he stays in the NFL, and wonders: “Am I potentially going to give this up for something? Great?”
A few questions helped him decide to take this step. First, he says, he asks himself: “Do I really see myself doing this particular job for the rest of my career?” The answer was no. He also asked himself whether he would regret staying or leaving more, and what was really holding him back. As a single woman with no children and no home, she says it’s “time to take risks.”
Adjusting to law school was challenging. He says he initially felt behind compared to many students who were younger or had previous law experience, and had to return to the rhythm of student life after years of full-time study.
“I was feeling dizzy,” Menta says. “‘Am I in over my head?’ “There were a few moments when I thought ‘
Amidst her doubts, she says, she tried to remember: “I was going to grow and learn so much during these three years of law school that there was no way I could end up in a worse situation.”
Tip #1 for career changers
Menta’s best advice for everyone Weighing a career change based on the experience of making a breakthrough is talking to “people who have already turned the corner.”
“I needed to get advice from people who had done something similar,” she says, noting the influence of the female mentor figure who inspired her to go to law school. “There are many people who are successful in their careers [who] I like to pay it forward and give advice and guidance as long as you reach out and ask.”
If you’re considering a switch, “trust your instincts,” Menta says. “If you’re thinking that, there’s a reason.”
Menta is scheduled to start working in corporate law after graduating in May. While the position does not have an immediate sports affiliation, he hopes to return to the industry one day, ideally in a leadership position.
“I say I’m quitting my dream job, but I’m taking a break from my dream job,” he says. “The goal is always to get back into the sport.”
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