The question I hate more than anything

holding a diploma
Photo by Ekrulila from Pexels

The question, asked by young people, is “should I go to college?”. Or, worse yet, “should I drop out?”. I personally hate this question for a couple reasons. One is, I don’t want to be the person to tell anyone to quit their education. For some people, it’s a great experience and can lead to a good career. Also, I personally dropped out of college for a couple years, before going back, and what ensued was a very difficult period. It’s not like – like Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg – I dropped out and went on to start a hugely successful company and become a billionaire. Nope, I dropped out and basically wasted 2 years doing nothing. Eventually, I went back and even got my master’s degree. Here’s the flip side of it, though: I never used my master’s degree. As an entrepreneur, it was irrelevant. And in the job market, it still didn’t get me the jobs I wanted.
And here’s the thing: I know a lot of wealthy and successful people. Most of them never went to college, or went to college and dropped out after a short while. Many are still in their 20s, and already multi-millionaires (mostly from real estate and online businesses).
In fact, I recently spent a few days hanging out with people making $2 million to $20 million a year. None have advanced degrees, and none came from money. Some barely graduated high school. Meanwhile, I know multiple people with advanced degrees who can’t afford to buy a house. It’s all very interesting, and somewhat confusing, because it goes against what we’ve been taught. I remember getting my master’s degree, and sending out all these resumes and getting nowhere and feeling like a loser. I never felt like a loser making money in my own business, I can tell you that. The world is changing very quickly, and is filled with opportunities and pitfalls. The future belongs not to the well educated (formally), but to those who innovate and think creatively; those who capitalize on opportunities and put systems and processes in place. What a time to be alive.
P.S. I’m still not telling anyone not to go to college. But I’m saying you don’t need to go to be financially successful. Learn business skills! We will try to teach you some here.
Jason Buzi
Editor in Chief
MoneyHippo

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