If you have been reading these blogs, there might something you’ve noticed. I haven’t talked about education or college or how smart you need to be to succeed. The fact is, in order to be successful, you need:
- To have a goal
- To have a job or income
- To change your habits and choices to save and invest
- Persevere when times are difficult and stick to your plan
I am proud to say that I have a college degree in Civil Engineering for which I used that degree for about three years before discovering the internet. Then, the degree and all of the classes I took went out the window while I self taught myself how to build web sites and a friend helped me with understanding how to use graphic design software to create images. I self taught myself how to do “some” programming, but mostly I outsource programmers to do the hard stuff. I figured out how to sell, how to create passive income with my business (although I didn’t even know what that was until later) and then how to do marketing.
The title of this blog should tell you a lot about what I am about to say. You don’t have to go to college to be successful, but I can tell you right now that you won’t be successful if you are not educated. You need to understand what is happening in the world around you to make good decisions. As the popularity of iPhones started growing and the introduction of cameras on the phones started getting better and better, would you want to be stuck owning a company that developed camera film? As video streaming became more and more popular, would you want to be the one trying to sell DVD players? Being educated means you are in touch with the world and how it’s constantly changing and jumping into an industry that could be the future. It requires you to read the news daily and business news to see what industries are coming up and which ones are failing.
Why do you think I left civil engineering to get started in the internet industry back in the late 90s? It was obvious to me that the internet would change our lives. Another reckoning is starting now in the crypto blockchain space and I am moving to that industry next.
WHAT GOOD IS COLLEGE?
So, the question on your mind, “what do I need college for?” This is a great question and college is great for a lot of things:
- It provides a transition for most people living at home into the real world – if you have some financial support from your family, it eases you into real life unlike getting kicked to the curb at 18
- It provides your first steps in being self sufficient
- It allows you time to reflect on what you really want to do in life
- It provides an experience in social skills that you didn’t have growing up
- Depending on your major, it provides case studies and a guide in your industry for being successful. From a business aspect. some courses are invaluable if you are looking to start a company:
- Business Majors
- Economics Majors
- Marketing Majors
- Law School
- Other areas of expertise could help in starting a business that could change the world:
- Technology
- Bio – Technology
- Getting your foot in the door at a company. Unfortunately, the minimum requirement to get most jobs is a college degree. If you are looking for a really good salary while you figure out a business to start, you will need a degree to get a job.
Now, many of the people I knew went into Social Studies, Fine Arts, History or History of Dance. In the real world, I am not sure how many opportunities are out there for those people, but a degree is helpful. What do you get after you’re done?
Many companies require a minimum of a college degree to even get in the door. No matter how smart or driven you are, if you are looking to land a job in an industry you’re interested in, you won’t be able to compete with other young applicants who have college degrees. Having a college degree gets you in the door.
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE?
There are many industries that don’t require a college degree where you can make a lot of money. However, this is where being educated is vital. Think really hard about industries that are up and coming and, more importantly, recession proof. A few of these industries include:
- Nursing
- Home care or Healthcare
- Computer Programming
- Accounting
- Legal
These are industries that will always be around regardless of how the economy is doing. The baby boomer generation is getting older and there will be a greater need for health care providers than ever before. If you don’t go to college, there are many vocational schools where you can get degrees or certificates and introduce you to real world cases so you will already be familiar with jobs when you get your certificates. Also, many of the teachers in these schools work in these industries and if you network right, you can land a high paying job in any one of those industries. These vocational schools tend to be far less expensive than 4 year colleges also.
Overall, in order to be successful, you do need to start working in a field and generating as much knowledge and education as you can. It doesn’t mean you need a college degree, but you need to start somewhere and getting a steady income is vital as you look to expand your horizons and goals.
EDUCATION WILL HELP IN BUSINESS AND LIFE
Being educated and well-spoken will help you in all areas of your life. If you currently have a job, being educated about different topics will help you communicate with higher management and will help you to move up in your company faster. If you are able to relate to people on topics such as sports, news, politics (although I recommend staying away from this one), world events or even entertainment, the more you know, the more chances you have to connect to people. Those people can, in turn, help you in your career or provide business opportunities you might not have otherwise gotten.
You don’t have to be an expert in any one field. However, you should know a little bit about as much as you can so you can carry a conversation on almost any topic with anyone. By reading the news and knowing about the things going on, your conversations and your knowledge will help you succeed.
