Insights. I emphasize fundamentals and systems. I use multiple analytical methods depending on the situation, but I usually begin with cause-and-effect analysis. First, I identify the likely root causes and assign probabilities to any that are uncertain. Next, I trace the effects forward through first-, second-, and third-order effects. In human systems, I often stop at the third order because beyond that point uncertainty compounds to make the causal links too weak to be useful.
Current Focus. I’m currently focused on insights about football, politics, and economics.
Marine Corps discipline is the foundation of my life. It has three interconnected components: emotional, mental, and physical.
Emotional: setting boundaries on the time, place, and manner for discussing specific topics.
Mental: searching for the truth even if it challenges my beliefs, reaching sound conclusions, and adapting when circumstances change.
Physical: pushing through the pain of growth but resting through the pain of injury.
I treat the components of discipline as adjustable dials rather than on and off switches. I turn the dials down low when it’s time to relax and enjoy life.
Marine Corps. Earned the title of United States Marine at MCRD San Diego and machine gunner (MOS 0331) at SOI-West. Honorably discharged from the Reserves. Never deployed. No combat experience.
Politics. Registered voter with no political affiliation but open to joining a party if meaningful solutions can be achieved. Socially tolerant and fiscally pragmatic.
Economics. Capitalist who believes competition produces the best products at the best prices with the best customer service. Realist who understands perfect markets only exist in textbooks and real markets are distorted by monopolies, regulatory capture, and cronyism.
Accounting and Finance. California CPA. Began in the Bay Area audit practice of a Big 5 (now Big 4) accounting firm, where I learned why and how businesses succeed or fail. Then worked in startups, public companies, and government entities in financial reporting, FP&A, cost accounting, tax, and forensics. Learned to find the financial reality buried in the documents and trace its cascading effects.
Cannabis. Nearly three years in accounting and finance roles at vertically integrated cannabis enterprises in Nevada, Oregon, and California. Managed the full financial system of a large operation from seed to sale. Spent several months doing backbreaking cultivation work to learn the sources of the numbers. Learned growth and atrophy from both the financial and the cultivation side.
Athletics and Adventure. All-star central midfielder in youth soccer. Three years of varsity baseball. Two years of varsity football as a two-way starting tackle, placekicker, and punter. Set a small college record with a 79-yard punt that the local newspaper reported as traveling more than 100 yards through the end zone. Eagle Scout. Visited every California county and nearly every U.S. state. Lived in California, Nevada, New York, and Florida. Backpacked through most of Western Europe and some parts of Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.
Ancestry. Germanic and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) ancestry. Direct descendant of Scottish Clan Scott. German ancestors immigrated to America in the 1890s. Other ancestors arrived before the Revolutionary War.
Early Background. Born in Concord, California, and raised in the East Bay.
Resilience. I’ve endured and conquered severe hardship, adversity, and trauma throughout life. The number and magnitude of tragedies is extreme. Those experiences are significant parts of my life story, but not the full story. They led to three commitments:
- Honor the Marine Corps with discipline and spirit.
- Honor my ancestors with grit and growth.
- Honor the lost with authenticity and a meaningful life of connections and joy.
Defiant Grin. I’m a multidimensional person who also writes and performs comedy using separate social media accounts. I adjust the dials to take the craft seriously while always keeping the comedy fun on stage and the conversations fun off stage. Only good vibes.
Never quit laughing when life knocks you down.
Always get back up and keep laughing.
Once a Marine, Always a Marine.
Semper Fi.
Scott Ernst at USMC SOI-West
Preparing to climb Mt. MFER with 150 pounds of gear
