The NLU boys just making it harder and harder for me to explain to my wife exactly what this is.
“oh are you watching the golf thing again?”
“well you see this one is more of an introspective on one of the guys and his journey of finding his way in the world and they happen to be playing golf…but yes I’m watching that thing again.”
I could have/should have been fired a year earlier than when it actually happened. Do not endorse how I went about it! 
Just wait until your kids (assuming you have them) start saying “be the right club today” at the beginning of the pod right on cue.
Oh I majorlyyyyyy pissed off the girlfriend last night while trying to watch this. She went to bed early bc she’s working tough hours right now. I had basketball on at a low volume then switched over to the episode. I tried to keep the volume down but I guess the change in audio type woke her up.
“I can’t believe you woke me up to watch a documentary about a golfer on YouTube.”
Randy prob won’t say any of this because he’s humble and it’s personal, but I think his time in the “wilderness” was exceptionally impactful, and really had an effect on me as I ambled along a similar parallel path. He went deep down the path of being a basketball coach. Committed fully. Uprooted himself and moved to Upper Arlington for to be a freshman/jv basketball coach/assistant on varsity and learning how to do film, and immerse himself, and the Kindergarten gig wasn’t just a normal Kindergarten class, it was a special needs class. And I know he loved that, but I know how much it also took out of him. He did consulting on the side for awhile. He worked hard. He moved back to Oxford at one point and coached at Talawanda. He was ok with living with his parents for awhile. And when he was in Columbus, or at Indiana, here in Jax Beach, or even in Cincinnati working in accounting, I’ve seldom met someone our age who lives more within his/her means. Cooks for himself, always insisted upon a laundromat, derives a bunch of joy from reading (like prolific reading), being outside, etc. All that’s to say that while someone unfamiliar may watch this episode and think Randy was “on the payroll” that’s not the case - there were no video games, or partying or flippant bullshit. I’m sure his parents were generous with college because they value that and were in a position to do so, and then helped bridge the gap on some student loans along the way, but Randy’s wandering wasn’t him running or hiding from anything, instead it was him actively searching for something, a thoughtful jog. I struggled with a lot of the same feelings, and my path was pretty circuitous (minus the MBA), and I can say with confidence that I dicked around along the way and probably made that search longer than it needed to be, whether consciously or not. Like DJ said, there’s a lot to the story that doesn’t fit neatly in, and Randy would somehow come off even more thoughtfully and well-adjusted than he already does if we had the desire/space to tell the whole sweeping arc.
An aside: that was some of the worst golf I’ve ever watched after the second hole. @djpie we gotta get your driver going.
Can’t reiterate enough that 3-4 years at big four is longer than average tenure. The structure of these firms is pyramid from staff level up, resulting in very high turnover.
I don’t play golf anymore since my family therapy biz took off.
Especially for people with Summer Busy Seasons. And if that’s the only time of year for golf up there? Sheeeeesh that would suck
I knew I would be starting a heated conversation and had second thoughts on doing it. I am now very glad I did. This conversation has been outstanding and I appreciate the insight everyone is giving into their lives. As @clevelandgooner said earlier, I was not aware of how fortunate I am.
Choosing a career very early in my life, following that road, loving it (almost) the entire way seems to be more rare than I realized. I am now less than 2 years away from receiving a pension in my early 50s and very excited to have that in my back pocket when I start a new journey.
Add onto that an amazing daughter and a loving wife and I couldn’t have asked for more.
One of my favorite videos NLU has ever put out. Telling Randy’s story mixed in with the golf was so well done. I’m so impressed with the quality of work the boys put out. It’s constantly improving each year/season. It’s so clear how much work and effort goes into the videos.
Would be cool to see biographical pieces about the other members in the future. Although probably hard not to force it as this fit in nicely and organically with Randy’s history in Michigan.
I worry that we don’t credit life enough with how hard it is to maneuver. Like Randy I spent a notable part of my 20s (and 30s…) with too many degrees and not enough employment. I’m sure my parents stressed (just kidding, they definitely stressed and told me!) watching me go through the job search. The crazy thing is the world had changed so much from their world just a generation before. Their tactics were obsolete (just print off a bunch of resumes and pound the pavement for a job with a pension and income to buy a single family home lol) and my tactics are probably going to be obsolete for your daughter’s generation.
In hindsight I actually wish I had taken it slower. Sure I felt like a failure and a million steps behind my friends but I was 28! That’s a baby and my friends happened to be rock stars. I spent a couple weeks at my parents cabin the summer after I passed the bar. I should have spent the entire summer there. I could have gotten a job at the coffee shop or general store and just read on the beach and kayaked all summer. The cabin is now sold and old growth forests are disappearing. I’ll never have that opportunity again. Instead I spent the summer writing requests for “informational interviews” and working a useless contract job before eventually starting a job that crushed me for 4 years.
I think it’s tough. It’s not an easy world to navigate. We tell people who are stuck with these structures to do what they love. Like you’re bound by the shackles of capitalism but you better love it too. Eventually I gave what turned out to be 8 months notice and left that job I hated and almost immediately (under 2 months) found a “good” job. At the time I felt so far behind but I had just turned 33 (a baby). Do I love my job? Sometimes. But I have a pension and I use my skills and intelligence towards an objective that I do think makes the world better for a lot of people and gives me time and resources to play golf, take holidays, play piano, read, drink expensive wine, go to coffee shops etc. That’s pretty cool
This is a lot of rambling to say I feel for your daughter. It’s a tough world to navigate. And her world is harder than mine. Can’t imagine trying to establish the holds of adulthood in the face of climate change, eroding social structures and rising fascism. But I’m sure my story isn’t unique (lots of us wandered a little…probably still are). Your daughter might too.
Fulfillment in life I guess can come from a lot of different places. More than ever people are looking to their jobs for this. I doubt when everyone was a subsistence farmer people loved it, but it’s great now to be able to find something you so love if you’re one of the lucky ones. There’s also the live to work / work to live point someone mentioned above.
The crazy part is we just have 1 shot at it all.
I will say I think our current college system and cultural approach to college is set up in an unsustainable way. Incentives are not aligned between students and universities.
$90 a year is a fucking bargain for this community. Appreciate all yall.
Straight out of the Randy playbook. “Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m in law school. I think I can help your business…” 
Great post. Thanks for sharing.
Not even that forward! “I’m interested in what you do and was hoping to set up a 15 minute meeting over coffee to learn more about it”
To be clear, there was nothing whatsoever in the video that led me to believe @Randy was taking time off to “have fun.” It’s pretty clear this was a situation of a guy trying to find a career path that wouldn’t make him miserable. Having a lot of ties to the IT side of “Big 5” consulting, I totally get it. It’s not “I want to go have fun”, but more of “I need to find something that’s meaningful for me and that I can do for many years.”
Question for @Randy or NLU crew, since this was quietly insinuated by the head Pro: Was Randy biking every day from Petoskey to Boyne Highlands the summer he worked there? Google Maps has that at 10 mile ride each way and that is a very hilly area.
If so, major, major props.
This hits home. My older daughter - who I said earlier seems to know her path and is working towards it- is on the spectrum and wants to be a special needs teacher. She has what used to be called Asperger’s, so she’s had a lot of struggles with school but it’s pretty clear she will be a great special needs teacher if she can get through the hoops required to be one.
When do we get the same video, but with Merchie ft. a cameo by his Columbia DC telling him he lacks pop and can’t play?
I can re-reiterate that the first 3-4 years are certain to involve 70-80 hour, or more, weeks during busy season. It’s not for everyone but if you do it for 3+ years, you have to be able to work your ass off.