Back To School With Big Gundy
Alex Oyler is my best friend. We met in 8th grade when I was the new kid and he told me he was from Mexico, he’s not. I was like “oh no way, me too.. where are you from?” Out of all the places in Mexico, Alex said Chihuahua, which is where I was born. I’m not really sure how we ended up getting so close but I’m very happy we did. Alex was always a little brainiac and always did well in school. Some classes were too easy so when he finished his work he would take naps. He Graduated from the University of Louisville in 2016 with a Bachelor’s in Finance and then worked at Adidas’ Global Basketball department in Portland, Oregon as a Business Analyst. Now? Alex has just finished his first year at HBS, or for those of you that don’t know, Harvard Business School. He is currently a Summer Consultant at one of the top consulting firms in the country, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and clearly just crushing life.
I asked him to answer some questions about how he decided to go back to school and how he manages his life now and when he was working. I think a lot of people, myself included, are hesitant to go back to school. I was always just average in school and I don’t want to give up my amazing job (or salary) to go back to school. So he’ll address some of these concerns in his answers. As always, his answers will be indented and mine won’t be.
Why did you decide to go back to school? How did you pick schools to apply to and ultimately to attend? How did you know it was the right time? Are you happy with your decisions?
I knew when I graduated from undergrad that I was pretty sure I wanted a second degree at some point, but didn’t know much beyond that. I took the GMAT 8 months after graduating, which gave me a 5 year timeline in which to decide where/what to go back for. I played around with a MS in Finance, but realized I didn’t love Finance itself that much, and decided that an MBA would be a better option for the things I wanted to do later in life.
As far as timing, I went back earlier than most people do, but it felt like the right time. I knew what I wanted to do and accomplish, and didn’t see a point in waiting around to do that if I knew I had the drive and skill to do it now. I really liked my job, but the pay wasn’t great and I wasn’t sure what the future actually looked like in that role. Regarding schools, I honestly was just going to stay at adidas and try to do a hybrid online/weekend program somewhere in the Portland/Seattle area at first. But I had/have a great mentor, who was the reason I came back to adidas at all after my internship, who challenged and encouraged me to go for much higher. So then I decided that I was only applying to a top 10 school, and if I didn’t get in, that I would try again the next year. My top two choices were Harvard Business School (HBS) and Stanford Graduate School of Business after doing my research. I wanted a well rounded education and I was looking for schools who had strong alumni in the world of sports business. I received interviews with both of the schools. I was accepted into HBS in the first round and was on the waitlist at GSB, so it made my decision extremely easy (lol).
The role I had at adidas when I applied was different than the role I had when I left, and it did give me doubts upon leaving. The role I had was perfect for me and it was putting me in a position to do what I loved. At the same time, I knew that role would always be there and that I needed to continue to push myself to grow. So, all in all, I’m happy with the decision I made. It hasn’t been all flowers and sunshines, but I think it was the right move for my future.
Do you feel HBS is really as good as its reputation? What do you think sets this program apart?
It’s reputation is a large part of what makes HBS, HBS. I knew that when I graduated from here, I would have an immense network of highly skilled and accomplished alumni who I could reach out to. I knew that when I sent in my resume for a job, that there would be a moment of recognition when they saw that name at the top. With that being said, there’s a reason that HBS has that reputation and it’s because of the quality of education here. I’ve had some amazing professors, who control the classroom like an orchestra director, knowing when and where to push and pull to get the most out of classroom discussion. And the vast wealth of student experiences and insights from a myriad of industries and countries is what makes it truly special. So much of the learning comes from student to student interaction and it’s my favorite part of the education here.
HBS also has its flaws, no matter what it looks like from the outside. It has the same problems as other institutions and things that need to change. The other side of that is that the students have the ability and drive to demand those changes. Amidst the ongoing racial tensions that have plagued America for hundreds of years and have been elevated in the past couple of months, I’ve been impressed by the work of our student government to demand that changes happen in our curriculum, hiring, and representation on this campus.
I think it’s scary to take a break to go back to school full time and stop making money. Was that an area of concern for you? What were some other concerns that you had?
As I said earlier, I wasn’t making a lot of money at adidas, so this was less a concern for me than for others. I wasn’t giving up a ton to go back to school and I saw it as an investment. I knew that I was going to bet on myself and that I would make up the loans once I graduated. My education is funded completely by financial aid and loans, about half and half. I didn’t have any savings, and that did stress me out. When I first called my mom and told her I got in, her first response was “How are you going to pay for this??”. Which is very indicative of why I am the way I am with money. But I knew this opportunity would be worth it and I wasn’t going to let a lack of resources stop me.
I had some concerns about just being back in the classroom and getting back into a school mode, but I was able to jump right back in within a couple weeks in the system. This is a silly one, but one of my biggest concerns was about working out. I’ll talk a little more about it later, but I had just gotten into competing in powerlifting heavy in the last year and had gotten used to having the time and resources to participate.
I know he says that being worried about working out being one of his biggest concerns is silly but I really don’t think it’s silly. Working out is a great stress reliever and essential for our health. I went to visit Alex in Cambridge one weekend and we spent, I shit you not, 3 hours in the gym one day. I can’t even imagine if he did have all the equipment that he’s talking about missing.
What has been the best part about going back to school? The worst? Anything you didn’t really expect that surprised you?
The best part has 100% been the people. I really like my section here at HBS and the AASU (African-American Student Union) has been an integral part of my experience. There’s nothing like being around this many intelligent people on a regular basis, who are always willing to share their experiences and support you. I really want to hark on my AASU family, and it really does feel like a family. People who will support you and have your back because they are really able to understand what you’re going through. They aren’t afraid to call you on your shit either, and we all need people like that in your corner.
I’m going to try and separate the worst part from post-Rona times, because virtual classrooms have by and far been the worst. But that’s not really indicative of HBS, and I’m grateful I’ve been able to continue my education at a time when so many are without jobs and paychecks. For me, the hardest part, and it doesn’t deal directly with school, but has been losing my church community. I haven’t really found one here at school or in the community, and it’s been a drain at times. It’s one thing that I really miss about being in Portland, and I honestly thought that by moving to the Northeast, I would find a church home somewhere.
The thing that surprised me the most was how humble people are here. I had this vision of HBS students being stuck-up rich kids who didn’t know anything about the real world. And they are here for sure, but they are outliers instead of the norm. People have been surprisingly humble and very relatable, which is what I was worried about. By virtue of being at HBS, we all have some type of privilege, but I’ve met people who realize that there is more out there than closing deals and extracting shareholder value.
I think that probably everyone has this perception of people that attend Ivy League universities. I was really worried about Alex going to HBS because he is not stuck up at all. After visiting him and spending time with his friends, I realized how wrong I was about the people there. I met people from all kinds of backgrounds and they were literally the sweetest people I have ever met and obviously, they were all brilliant. The conversations we had were so normal. I don’t know what I was expecting but they didn’t make me feel like anything less for not being a student there or for not having that level of education. It was really nice to get their perspective on regular topics and understand their way of thinking. Bottom line, don’t judge a book by its cover — You might be pleasantly surprised.
Now that you have lived all over the country (lmao i remember when you had never been on a plane but look at you now) which has been your favorite city and why?
The 502 will forever hold a special part in my heart. It’s where I grew up, where my family is, where I formed my greatest friendships, where I met Bailey. The pride that city has in itself is ridiculous and I love it, and is why I love being from there.
When I first moved to Portland, I hated that place. It was the least religious, least diverse major city in America known for unending rain and seasonal depression. Like what?? But I grew to become more fond of it. It’s still too hipster for me, but it has its perks. The food scene is amazing, it’s where I got introduced to Thai and Hawaiian food, both of which are fire. I made some great friendships there, both through adidas and through my powerlifting community, which is so close knit. I loved being in such a progressive city, especially after coming from the South. It’s also where I found my church home at the Madeleine. Father Mike and the rest of the old folks there were amazing and somehow made me feel more comfortable in my faith than I ever had before. However, I didn’t like the lack of black people there though, that will forever and always be my biggest criticism. If you need a prime example of gentrification, Portland can be your poster child.
Cambridge is easily my least favorite. Food not good, weather not great, STILL no black people. I won’t miss it when I leave at all lol.
What are your goals for when you graduate? Do you think your goals have changed since you started the program?
I’m honestly still trying to figure that out. Coming to HBS, my goal was to return to the sports world, and that is still my long term goal. Trying to understand now what the next steps are now though. In general, I want to empower athletes to use both their wealth and fame to create change in their communities. They have immense influence on the youth and if I can help facilitate those interactions, I think it can lead to lasting change.
That goal hasn’t changed since business school, but I have reevaluated the steps to get there. There may be more steps along the way that involve skill building, but I still have that vision as my north star.
Knowing someone from middle school all the way through adulthood is really special. We’ve known each other for so long, we can finish each other’s sentences and we know what the other needs sometimes better than we do ourselves. It’s really nice to have someone that is so brutally honest with you all the time, even when it’s not something you want to hear. There is some level of respect that has to be reached before you can get there and we are so lucky to have that.
Alex is that person for me. He drives me and pushes me to and beyond my limits. He tells me when I’m in over my head or when I’m overreacting, which happens a lot. And he also encourages me to reach for more even when I’ve just achieved something great.
Alex has this amazing vision to use sports for good. If every athlete could repurpose even part of their wealth for a good cause, we could drive tremendous change. To have a vision like this, one has to be incredibly selfless and there’s really no one more selfless than Alex and I cannot wait to see him achieve his goals and dream.
Did you like working when you were working? Do you see yourself going back to a job like that?
I did. adidas was a great place to work and I really enjoyed the culture. I’m not a workaholic by any means, so the work-life balance was great as well. Plus, my job consisted of talking about basketball and shoes, it was a dream for me. Especially my last year at adidas, I really enjoyed the projects I was working on and the amount of autonomy I had with driving those.
I don’t know if I would ever go back to be honest. Part of working in sports is that the money isn’t great, and right now I’ve got loans to pay back. Maybe if I was in a role where I was able to make more decisions, it would be enticing, but it would really need to be the perfect role.
I feel like growing up, we would hear adults complain about work a lot and I don’t really have a memory of people saying that they loved their job. I think there has been a huge culture shift and people really are starting to enjoy their jobs now more than before. Alex came to NYC once and we had dinner and drinks with our good friend Lucas. Lucas and I worked at big financial firms at the time and had pretty busy work schedules. Lucas more than me, as he worked really late most days. We were comparing our work lives with Alex, who was still working at Adidas. I thought he might have a hard time adjusting to the East Coast corporate world lifestyle, but he really is adjusting very nicely. And I could not be more proud of him. I think there are jobs that are very demanding and don’t really respect work-life-balance but there certainly are others that do. If you do not have one of those jobs, find one — they are out there. Be upfront with your employer and establish your expectations. Depending on your line of work, you can usually set your guidelines upfront and your managers should respect that. If they don’t, find managers that will.
How do you manage your social life, staying fit, long distance relationships (friendly and romantic)?
Hahaha sometimes I don’t, is the short answer. My social life took a hit when I started to be honest, and that had to do with priorities. When I had free time in the evening, I chose to spend that time in the gym instead of going to happy hours and drinks. It’s gotten better as the year went on. You get more efficient at reading cases and it opens up more time in the schedule.
Priorities are everything. You can really tell what’s important to people based on what they prioritize and sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get to where you want in life. Set your goals and go after them. There is really no excuse not to and no one else is going to do it for you.
Long distance relationships are tough. But they’re tough because they’re worth it. Bailey and I have dated for a year and a half now, and all but two months of that has been long distance. It’s really about being intentional with your time and trying to bring each other into your daily worlds as much as possible. Admittedly, it’s been a learning process for us, but I’m happy to be figuring it out. Love Island was our connection in the first semester, we always made time to watch that together and it was helpful to have specific time set aside just for each other.
As for friends, it’s hard. I’m trying to meet and connect with as many people as possible here at Harvard, and make the most of the experience. But I also rely heavily on my friends back home in Louisville and Portland to keep me grounded. Friends come and go, but the best ones are always around and I’m so thankful for the ones who have been with me through thick and thin. And those are the ones I make the time for.
Long distance relationships are hard. And I’m not just talking about romantic ones. Keeping in touch with friends, family and significant others that don’t live in the same city as you is tough. We have our own lives, in our own cities, with our own friends. It’s hard to pretend like you’re both in the same city and swap stories. These types of relationships take time and effort, but those that do survive the distance are the ones that are worth it. In my experience, it’s important to dedicate time and create a routine. For instance, my grandpa texts me every morning and we check in briefly every day. At night, especially during quarantine, we speak on the phone and catch up with each other about our days and our health. My friend Christine has never lived in the same city as me except for briefly for a few months when I was living in Louisville. Yet somehow, she is one of my closest friends. We don’t talk every day but we are always there for each other. If I call her for anything, she will be there for me. My point is that you don’t have to text all day and night or talk every single day on the phone, you just have to put forth a little effort to show the other person that you’re there for them.
What are some of your hobbies? You were big into powerlifting in Portland and you had a community there. How has that changed, if at all since you moved to Cambridge?
Powerlifting is hobby #1 for me. I started in August of 2018, following a shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, and did my first meet in December of 2018. Since then I competed twice, once in May 2019 and again in August 2019. I’ve had to take a step back since coming back to school. I don’t have 2 hours 5 times a week to dedicate to the training and the gym here doesn’t have all the equipment I’m used to. I’ve been able to stay pretty consistent in the gym, but just not training at the level I’m used to. The closest powerlifting gym to me is a 35 minute bike ride and I don’t have a car, so it’s just been a reality I’ve lived with. Outside of powerlifting, I’ve started to cycle more, due to the fact that all gyms have been closed for months, and I really like it. I think it’s something I will stick with it even once the gyms are open, and it’s an activity I can do in the future when my body just can’t handle powerlifting anymore.
I still play a lot of Xbox too. It’s my way to stay connected with my brother and the friends we grew up with. Sometimes I’m embarrassed to admit it lol, but it makes me happy and I think I’m doing okay in life, so I cut myself some slack. I love reading and have a growing home library. It’s a mix of fantasy novels (George R.R Martin really needs to finish the 6th GOT book), Catholic education, and works about race and the status of African-Americans in our country. And I love music. I think Marnie is my only friend who had more hours listened to on Spotify than I did last year. I’m picky in the genres, I listen to rap, r&b, some gospel, and have been getting into Latin music, but refuse to stray outside that. I also listen to a lot of battle rap, which isn’t just a scene from 8 Mile!
Our hobbies don’t have to be as intense as Alex’s power lifting but they are what keep us sane. It can’t be work work work all the time. Life is a balance and it’s important to find that so that we don’t get burnt out. For me it’s playing tennis or listening to podcasts or riding my Peloton or traveling. There are so many things that we can spend our time on to distance ourselves from work a little. Alex is a great example of someone who has made things work for him. Our paths don’t have to look the same as his but we can all learn from the way he approached going back to school. Whatever your goals a are, don’t be afraid to go for them and if they are easily attainable, set higher goals. You are capable of that and more.
