Randy Bigos

Getting in the swing

After graduating from ASU with a degree in accounting, Randy Bigos ’98 B.S. thought he’d already found his second career in a hobby: computer programming. Although he enjoyed the intellectual challenge and the plentiful opportunities offered by programming in the late 1990s, after the post-2001 business slump, Bigos wanted out. Many programming jobs were being offshored, and he says there was a pressure on the part of his contract employer for him to take increasingly unpalatable assignments.

After deciding to leave programming work, Bigos started his quest by researching fields that interested him, including the sport that he calls “my passion” — golf. Reading a careers book published by the National Golf Foundation, he realized that he wanted to find a way to make a living in that industry.

"I knew that (golf) would be part of my new career, but I wasn’t sure of the format,” he said.

Soon after, Bigos saw an ad in a golf magazine for the San Diego Golf Academy, which has a branch in Chandler. Although he made a joke about attending the school, Bigos didn’t seriously consider leaving his well-paid profession until his wife came home with a packet from the academy.

"She said to me, ‘you could make money at this — why not try it,’” Bigos said. “She saw I was stressed out and she just wanted to see me happier.”

Bigos attended the academy and began working in the pro shop at the Western Skies golf course in Gilbert, where he now teaches lessons. He acknowledged that it was possible to become a golf pro by working one’s way up the chain of command at a golf course, but asserted that going back to school to refine his skills in the sport allowed him to tap into several assets available only in a formal educational setting.

"School helps you understand how managers do things at other golf courses; it gives a broader perspective,” he said. “And all the good schools have active alumni you can contact later to network.”

Although he is currently making only about half what he did as a programmer, and is busy with lessons, pro shop work, and golf club repair from 3:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the winter, Bigos says he loves what he’s doing. He’s happy to wait and see if the money follows later.

"If you love all aspects of a job, you may work a lot of hours,” Bigos said. “I’m not watching the clock and saying ‘I’m on hour 16 and a half’— it just flies by!”

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Photo by Dave Tevis