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Why I’m Gradually Retiring from Teaching Live Online Classes

1 year ago
cabo, life quest, mexico
45 Comments

I really love Mexico. I love the people, the vibe, the food, the tequila, the beaches, you name it. If I had to pick just one place that’s my happiest place in Mexico, it’d be Cabo San Lucas at the very southern tip of the Baja peninsula, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortés, aka the Gulf of California.

Over the years after a lot of visits to Cabo, my favorite beach became the quiet, private Playa Solmar at the very southern tip of Cabo, next to the Arch. Mama sea turtles climb ashore, dig a hole, and bury their eggs. The locals keep an eye on the nests, relocating them to safer areas if necessary to make sure the eggs aren’t dug up by predators or crushed by beachcombers:

Baby sea turtles incubating under the sand
Baby sea turtles incubating under the sand

The baby sea turtles dig their way out at night, then hustle out to sea before the birds can eat ’em. They don’t all make it – some of ’em are exhausted from the digging, and the ocean seems so far away:

Poor thing can’t even see the water

So each morning, folks walk the beach and help the stragglers in:

Yes, I’m wearing my Oracle hoodie, get over it

How noble of a profession is that? That’s exactly how I’d like to spend my mornings, helping little baby sea turtles.

Turtles aside, that particular beach is a magical place to be, very peaceful. No vendors are walking around selling things, no full cruise ships of passengers pouring out – and yet it’s still only a ten-minute walk to the bustling Cabo marina with its dozens of restaurants, bars, fishing tours, and active public beaches.

There’s just one big downside to Playa Solmar: it’s almost impossible to buy property there. It’s all resorts, like the Waldorf Astoria Pedregal. The only condo complex is a tiny charming one called Terrasol:

Terrasol’s set up like a resort, too, with big pools and a bar & restaurant – and yes, you can charge your stuff to your condo. Don’t even have to bring a wallet when you’re bumming around on the beach.

For years, I’ve been watching listings at Terrasol come and go. Every now and then, a good unit would come up, but it wasn’t a good time to buy. (Buying property in Mexico is much harder than the US: you either have to pay for the whole thing in cash, or the seller has to be willing to finance you. Mortgages were available for foreigners for a while during the property craze, but that pretty much evaporated.)

This year, the right Terrasol unit came up at a time that actually worked financially, and now I’m in the process of closing on it.

My patio
My patio overlooking the pool and the palapa bar

I’ll still teach training classes from San Diego because I need rock-solid internet, and that is not how I would describe the internet in most of Cabo, hahaha. There’s talk of running fiber to Terrasol, but I’d be surprised if that ever happened. For the next year, I’ll teach in San Diego, then hop onto one of the direct flights from San Diego to Cabo to veg out down there. I’ll also work on writing & recording new training material down there. When I schedule client work, I’ll schedule that to happen on the days prior to or after my live classes so that I can spend as much time in Mexico as possible.

Working on helping baby turtles into the sea.

cabo, life quest, mexico
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45 Comments. Leave new

  • Peter Mourfield
    October 13, 2021 12:22 pm

    Congratulations Brent!

    Reply
    • Brent
      October 13, 2021 12:22 pm

      Thanks sir!

      Reply
  • Ignacio Salom
    October 13, 2021 12:58 pm

    Congrats Brent!

    Reply
    • Brent
      October 13, 2021 3:25 pm

      Thanks, sir!

      Reply
    • Marlon Ribunal
      November 18, 2021 8:15 am

      Congrats Brent!

      Reply
  • Steve
    October 13, 2021 12:59 pm

    Congrats!… and wow… as I approach 4 months of Canadian winter… I’m sooooo jealous!

    Reply
    • Brent
      October 13, 2021 3:25 pm

      Hahaha, yeah!

      Reply
  • Dready
    October 13, 2021 1:22 pm

    Congratulations Brent!
    Wishing you all the best!

    P.S. Can’t wait for a walkthrough video of Cabo. 🙂

    Reply
    • Brent
      October 13, 2021 3:26 pm

      Thanks! Heh, walkthrough video hopefully coming up in December.

      Reply
  • CHANDRA MOHAN KANITHI
    October 13, 2021 2:40 pm

    Congrats Brent!..

    Reply
    • Brent
      October 13, 2021 3:25 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  • Don
    October 13, 2021 2:50 pm

    How about sattelite broadband?

    Reply
    • Don
      October 13, 2021 2:52 pm

      PS One of my customers used to run his one-man business over satellite broadband from a Winnebago!

      Reply
      • Brent
        October 13, 2021 3:25 pm

        Yeah, running a business is one thing, but live streaming in 1080p is another.

        Reply
  • Ryan
    October 13, 2021 4:59 pm

    Having the dream is the most important part of the plan. Congrats and best of luck seeing it come to fruition!

    Reply
  • Arnie Rowland
    October 13, 2021 5:05 pm

    Congrats Brent!
    I get down to Cabo on occasion. Perhaps circumstances, and COVID, will allow us to connect. Have fun!
    Arnie

    Reply
    • Brent
      October 14, 2021 11:36 am

      Thanks man!

      Reply
  • Scott Emick
    October 13, 2021 6:13 pm

    Seems like Life in Paradise!

    Reply
  • Francesco Mantovani
    October 13, 2021 6:41 pm

    Speeding up turtles… isn’t that what you have done through all your work life? 😉
    You shall triumph.

    Reply
    • Brent
      October 14, 2021 11:34 am

      Hahaha, that’s true!

      Reply
  • Andrea
    October 13, 2021 7:34 pm

    Those is so awesome!!! So happy for you! *Hugs*

    Reply
    • Brent
      October 14, 2021 11:34 am

      Thanks Andrea!

      Reply
  • B@
    October 13, 2021 8:00 pm

    That place definitely looks like a good location to retire *wink*

    Reply
    • B@
      October 13, 2021 8:03 pm

      And quite a change from Iceland 😎 Don’t think you’re going to need any polar mittens 🤣

      Reply
  • Gab
    October 13, 2021 8:52 pm

    I love it, congrats Brent! i want it too, what is the link to get a deal like this?

    Reply
    • Brent
      October 14, 2021 11:34 am

      Thanks! If you’re talking about buying a condo, there are a lot of Cabo realty sites you can find via Google.

      Reply
  • Angeline
    October 14, 2021 10:25 am

    What an epic way to start a day!
    I’m not saving baby turtles but recently moved out from London to live by the sea and its incredible. Living by the sea is good for the soul!
    Best of luck 🍀

    Reply
    • Brent
      October 14, 2021 11:33 am

      Thanks, Angeline.

      Reply
  • James
    October 14, 2021 11:29 am

    Many congrats Brent, very well deserved for all you give back to the community, and the incredible work you obviously do on your business.

    Still hope one-day I get the chance to meet you and if allowed, buy you a beverage.

    Would Starlink give you the bandwidth needed?

    Reply
    • Brent
      October 14, 2021 11:33 am

      It might! I’m excited to see how the latency and upload speed goes, and whether I’ll be able to mount the satellite dish at my condo building.

      Reply
  • James C.
    October 15, 2021 2:04 pm

    Just living the dream!!!
    You’re an inspiration Brent!

    Reply
    • Brent
      October 16, 2021 12:34 pm

      Thanks sir!

      Reply
  • Jason Squires
    October 16, 2021 1:36 pm

    Picking up baby sea turtles on a daily basis and bringing them to their home would be amazing, I will take the 4am shift till noon! You are a true inspiration man. I look forward to reading more of your amazing adventures and yes you for sure deserve everything you have earned. Your contributions are countless and hope your blogs stay up for a very long time. Looking forward to the videos and pics when you move there.

    Reply
    • Brent
      October 20, 2021 12:42 am

      Thanks, Jason! Good to hear from you, sir.

      Reply
  • Ayyappan
    October 16, 2021 5:09 pm

    what a beautiful dream of one comes true today!!! great work Brent.

    Reply
  • Cavaliery
    October 18, 2021 9:52 pm

    Hello Bren,
    How secure is Cabo? And are there activities for kids?
    I want to go in late December.
    Thanks for the advise

    Reply
    • Brent
      October 20, 2021 12:41 am

      You know, that’s a really good question. I think Cabo is as secure as any other vacation destination. If you want to get into trouble, you can – like if you’re a clueless American walking around waving $100 bills asking where you can buy weed, you can get into trouble. If you stick to normal sites and act with good behavior, you’ll be fine.

      About activities for kids – I think it depends on what your kids are into, and where you are in Cabo. The Cabo area is huge, like any other city, and it’s up to you whether you stay in a kid-friendly area or not. The place where I’m moving, I’d say is quite kid-friendly because there are pools, beaches, and more swim-friendly beaches within a decently short walk.

      Reply
  • Jesse
    November 8, 2021 9:46 pm

    I was showing your training class prices to my department head for approval and came across this sentence:

    “Enough with the logistics! This is your year, and it’s the last year you can catch me for a year of straight classes with the Live Class Season Pass. I’m really excited to go out with a bang, and I can’t wait to see y’all in class.”

    I searched for retiring and came across this post from you. Does this mean office hours will be a thing of the past as well?

    Reply
    • Brent
      November 8, 2021 10:28 pm

      No no, I’ll keep those going – they’ll just be asynchronous like they are now. Most of my Office Hours are shot via recording, like I’ll go to a scenic place or hang out on my balcony. That way I don’t have to worry about a stable Internet connection or picking a specific day/time to stream – I can just do it whenever works for me.

      Reply
      • Jesse
        November 8, 2021 10:47 pm

        Well, that is good news! I just came across your content in the last year or so and though there is a lot to take in on your site already, I do quite enjoy the videos.

        Congratulations on your condo! Thank you for the content!

        Reply
        • Brent
          November 17, 2021 1:55 pm

          Thanks Jesse!

          Reply
  • Mattia Nocerino
    November 17, 2021 10:47 am

    You’re inspiring Brent. Thanks for everything you do!

    Reply
    • Brent
      November 17, 2021 1:55 pm

      Thanks Mattia!

      Reply
  • Josh
    November 17, 2021 1:40 pm

    Glad you found a home in a location you love. Would you say you’re fluent in Spanish, or are you still learning?

    Reply
    • Brent
      November 17, 2021 1:54 pm

      I have a long, long way to go. I had 4 years of it in high school and I use it whenever I go to Mexico, but I don’t speak it anywhere near well enough to have a passable conversation in public.

      Reply

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Hi. I’m Brent.

That's me, Brent.

I live in Las Vegas, Nevada. I'm on an epic life quest to have fun and make a difference.

I co-founded Brent Ozar Unlimited to help make your SQL Server go faster. I also maintain sp_Blitz® and the open source First Responder Kit repo.

My current car collection includes a 1986 Ferrari 328 GTS, a 1964 Porsche 356, a 1971 VW Type 3 Squareback, and more.

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