The 27-year-old, who returned to Windy Hill via the final selection in the 2005 NAB Pre-Season Draft, is a graduate of "The Next Goal" career transition program.
Coordinated by the AFL Players' Association and AFL SportsReady, the program provides grants to players who meet certain criteria to help them establish a career path for their life after football.
Heffernan says the program has many benefits because it reduces the burden on employers, particularly when footballers enter a workplace usually for only one day per week.
"If you're actually going to work, unless you're starting your own business, you need someone who's willing to make a bit of a sacrifice themselves because you can be coming in at odd hours, you're not a regular full-time employee," Heffernan told afl.com.au at the launch of "The Next Goal" program for 2006 on Thursday.
"The Next Goal program lessens the burden on an employer and basically helps us get in the door and, from then on, it's up to us.
"It's a real door-opener and that's the main thing that I've used it for … I think it's a great initiative."
Heffernan agreed that young footballers entering the AFL system needed to be reminded that football careers don't last forever.
"When you come in at 17 or 18, you dream of a big career but I've seen it all the way through … Guys that I got drafted with - a couple of years later they were gone - or guys played a few games early and thought they were going to make it - next thing they were gone.
"Even if you do make it, you can get injured and squeezed out. It can just happen at any stage so it's important that you study, or work, or do something else … not just so you've got something to fall back on but even if you do have a long and successful career, you're still only going to do that for 10 years max(imum). So you've still got to do something else with your life."
Heffernan was grateful to be re-drafted by Essendon - the club where he was a member of the famous 2000 premiership team - because his chances were going to be limited at Melbourne in 2006.
"Essendon really have thrown me a lifeline and given me an opportunity. The ball's totally in my court and I've got to play well otherwise I'd expect it will be all over," said Heffernan, who played 97 matches for the Bombers between 1997 and 2002, followed by 47 games for the Demons over three seasons.
It was undoubtedly special for Heffernan to return to Essendon during the off-season. The utility was one of three premiership players (along with Blake Caracella and Justin Blumfield) traded by the Bombers at the end of 2002 due to salary cap pressure.
"I sort of didn't try deliberately not to watch Essendon so much over the last three years, but I obviously spent a lot of time there and had success there and a lot of good friends there - both in the playing group and otherwise," he said.
"It wasn't an option to go anywhere else. If I wasn't at Melbourne the only other place I would have gone is back to Essendon. Obviously it's an easier transition when you know most of the people there.
"There's some new players and new ideas, but the basis is still similar. It's good to be back and hopefully I can contribute and go pretty well."
There was no bad blood between club and player when Heffernan was traded, but coach Kevin Sheedy has previously alluded to the enormous difficulty of the decision.
"There's no doubt that helped that I had some good will at Essendon and also that 'Sheeds' thought I still had something to offer.
"Obviously I was one of the ones who left because I wasn't performing, but … at the time we spoke about it and regretted what was happening, but they had to make room in the salary cap and I was - along with two others - chosen to leave.
"Thankfully, at that stage we cleared the air and I thanked him because I was lucky enough to go to Essendon and play in a premiership in the first place.
"Lucky I didn't leave with any real bad taste in the mouth. It was all out in the open and if it wasn't for that I probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to come back."
