Cover Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
Today, you can learn for free and make a great living
When I read about the ridiculous debt young adults have after getting out of college, I’m seriously pissed. The average debt of students in the USA is $29,800!
Thirty thousand dollars!! This is not acceptable!
I dropped out of college about 10 years ago and have never once had a problem finding employment or making ends meet.
And if you think I’m a privileged kid, let me get this straight: my 3 brothers and I were raised by a single mom who was making less than $10,000 per year. Even today, she’s struggling to make ends meet, working as a janitor at a bowling center.
I worked hard all my life to be where I am today, and I’m no smarter than the next kid. So if I can do it, so can you.
When I brought the idea to my wife that I’m not interested in putting our child into the traditional school system, she panicked.
“But, but, but, how’s he going to find a job?”, she said.
How did I find a job? How are innovative people in third-world countries finding a job these days?
There are so many ways today that I can’t help but wonder why most people are still going to higher-ed school. There are jobs where you still need to go, don’t get me wrong, but unless you absolutely want to be a lawyer, a medical doctor or a nurse, it’s probably better for you to not bother.
Not enough people are realizing this, but today we live in a global economy. People in India and the Philippines work for western countries all the time. Digital nomads work from wherever they want and still pay taxes only in their “residing” country. Heck, some of them register their business in “tax haven” countries or states to avoid reporting back to their home country where they don’t feel like home.
But what does living in the global economy mean for you?
Everything, really.
Whereas in the past, you were pretty stuck working for a company not far from where you lived, now the world is open to you. There are now hundreds of thousands of coworking spaces around the globe. That includes the most remote countries in the world. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few even in North Korea.
In a lot of fields, you can now work anywhere in the world, wherever you are in it. I employ one person full-time for Forest Co. He lives in Kerala, India. He is not traditionally trained to do any of the work he does for me, and let me tell you: he fucking rocks!
He’s a serious rock star, yet he had a hard time finding a good and decently paid job back home. I don’t know what I would do without Ajith, to be honest. He does video editing, graphic design, data entry, research, mind mapping, social media management, customer support, editing (writing), website building, and much more. He learned all that through real-world experience with us at Forest Co.
He’s now a polymath and a deeply curious and hardworking fella. He’s also a very caring and empathic man. These are qualities that matter, not a stupid piece of paper!
He now loves what he’s doing and he thrives.
But I’m not the hero here, he is. He’s the one who dared to step up and did all these things, I was just an enabler. And again, Ajith doesn’t come from a wealthy family either. You don’t need to come from the upper class to succeed. Sure, they have it easier to start with, but I’ll always put my bet on someone who actually had to work hard in life much before someone who really hasn’t.
Anyway, my point is that there are tons of other enablers out there. The rise of the popularity of platforms like Fiverr and Upwork shows there’s a market for other Ajiths or other people who, like me, didn’t care for university.
The beauty of these platforms is that only one thing matters: can you do the work? I don’t care that you had a D in French, can you create a kickass video intro you said you can do on your profile? Yes? Take my money, these 5 stars, and a great review.
Isn’t that what work should be about? Pleasing the client? Of course, it should be more than that, but it’s the start.
I’ve never been asked for a diploma wherever I worked. I build software. If I can show employers I can build software, they couldn’t care less that I don’t have a piece of paper. The same is true in so many disciplines.
When you go to your garage, do you scout the walls to find diplomas? I bet your mechanic never even went to school for it. He’s a tinkerer who does a damn good job. Screw the diploma!
Okay, that’s all well and good, but you still need skills, right? Where do you acquire those skills?
Before I started learning 3 new skills a month, I learned 90% of my skills at work. If you show your boss your desire to learn, they’ll help you with it. If they don’t, someone else will.
My friend Carla was a Petroleum Engineer back in Venezuela. When shit hit the fan, she moved her family to Colombia. There was no job in her field in Medellin, so she had to improvise. She knew Spanish and English, so she decided to open up her Spanish teaching skills for expats. I’ve never seen someone so overbooked. She had no teaching experience before. She just improvised, learned on the spot, and kicked ass.
Outside of work, you can learn any math and science topics and skills you want for free using Khan Academy. Lambda school teaches you their whole curriculum for free in exchange for a cut of your salary when you land a job. Springboard works similarly.
Not the intellectual type?
Most creative jobs can be learned by doing things and posting them online. Once you’re good enough, you can get clients in many places, including Fiverr and Upwork, but also in video game companies for example.
Don’t let people tell you there’s no job in what you’re interested in. There is. Paying ridiculous amounts of money for college is one path. It works for some fields, but not for most anymore.
Dare to be creative and think outside the box. The path people tell you to take, it sucks. If you don’t want it, don’t take it. There are tons of great books and articles online showing you better alternatives.
I know it’s not easy to go against the mold, but damn, it’s your life, and you only have one of those my friend! I’m almost begging you to think deeper before putting all that time and money investment into an education that may not be worth it for you. I don’t know you but I care for you.
If you need any guidance, reach out in the link from my bio and I’ll do my best to help you. I will never tell you what to do, but I’ll help you find different choices.
Ultimately, the choice will always be yours.
Cheers to a happy future!
And if you’re interested in a true alternative to traditional schooling, one that empowers a community of learners, check out SkillUp Academy.