But then one phone call changed everything.
Macdonald spent most of his twenties and early thirties at the Baltimore Ravens; stepping in as an intern in 2014, he quickly worked his way up to defensive assistant coach less than one year later, and trained the Maryland team’s defensive backs and linebackers.
After breaking away for one year to lead the University of Michigan’s defense, he returned in 2022 and became the Ravens’ defensive coordinator at just 34 years old—the youngest in the sport.
And his strategic chops clearly helped deliver the team’s recent Super Bowl victory; with an impressive defense, the Seahawks reigned supreme.
In only two seasons of leading the team, and at only 38 years old, Macdonald proved he was meant for football instead of finance.
It’s not just Macdonald who sacrificed a high-paying career to find fulfillment.
As a 19-year-old student at the University of Virginia in 2005, he already had his career sketched out: Ohanian would take the law school admission test (LSAT), spend another three years in school, and land a high-paying legal job. But just 20 minutes into taking the LSAT, he had a revelation.
Two decades later, Reddit has over 100 million daily active users, and boasts a market cap of $28 billion.
