This is an article written by Alec Torelli in Poker Player magazine. It makes some good points, including "Sure there are exceptions ... ."
Following your high school graduation, imagine you told your parents, "instead of sending me to college, give me $175,000 and let me do as I please." (For you rich people that's over 4 times higher than the average American income). "You will save $50,000 and spare me the pain of enduring 4 years in a classroom." Sound crazy? Think again. As a student, I would take this deal in a nano second. Furthermore, I'd be fully confident that I could use that $175,000 to make much more than my college diploma would ever award me. Don't believe me? What if I told you that you had two choices. Option 1: A degree from your university of choice (this is best case scenario) with potential college loans to pay off for the next 5 years. Option 2: ALL of the following over the course of the next four years; Visit 25 countries, learn a language of your choice, start your own business, learn to cook foods from all over the world, learn to dance, play an instrument, see your favorite bands perform in every corner of the globe, visit your very own wonders of the modern world, explore every major museum and library on your wish list, meet like minded people from every major metropolitan city on the planet AND have $50,000 left over - in essence DO your bucket list. Still not convinced? We'll folks, over the last four years I've done every one of these things and more! Ask yourself this, "why do I need a college degree?" I'll tell you why. Everyone else does it! Sure there are exceptions for those that want to be a doctor or lawyer. But a musician, dancer, producer, writer or (insert esoteric profession of choice here). Give me a break. Do you think Eric Clapton would say, "you better go to school so you can play guitar." No you imbecile. You lock yourself in your room and play until your fingers bleed. That's how you get good. Those who are going to "make it" aren't going to have their future hindered by their lack of diploma. Once we can understand that our education doesn't end when we leave college, but rather begins, we start to see the light!
"What about security?" you ask. I have an exercise for you. Talk to a recent college graduate. Ask them about the "flood" of opportunities available to them. Oh wait, they aren't there! There's no security in college. There's no pot of gold at the end of the tunnel. One of the key elements to one's success in poker is their ability to adjust to a given situation. If one's betting patterns become too predictable, that person is doomed to be crushed by opponents who are constantly adjusting to the flow of the game. Likewise, in 1960 when nobody could afford to go it was necessary to get ahead. In the information age of 2010, where the internet is readily available, you have the freedom to access things from anywhere on the planet. It's time we start utilizing the resources available to us to mold our lives into what we want them to be! Or you can do my old school favorite and travel! Instead of spending $40,000 taking art and european history you can learn first hand by exploring the Lourve, Vattican and Sistine chapel. You can take guided tours from natives who speak the language and are versed in the subject you wish to learn. It doesn't mean you need to open an art gallery, but the deciding factor shouldn't be monetary but rather, which is going to provide a more memorable experience? Which environment is going to provide more value? Which setting are you going to learn and retain more information? When we start seeking these more abstract questions, the answer becomes trivial. Instead of developing an adderol addiction and cramming for a test, you can take a boat ride through the Seine river in Paris and look at historical monuments! Folks, it's a no brainer. It's both ironic and painful that I seem to be a minority. My neighbor works 80 hours a week commuting an hour each way to LA as a lawyer and is absolutely miserable. I can't begin to describe how much harder his life is than mine. If he put in merely half of the effort at becoming financially independent, he could start to make money on his own. It's sad that the only thing holding us back is the fear of failing. We would rather have a certain way to be unhappy than take a chance to be happy doing something we truly want.
"Alec, you can't be serious. You can't expect me to just drop everything and travel the world for 4 years on a budget of $100,000." Fair enough. But to shed some light on the possibilities available should you pursue this path I'd like to share the details of a recent trip I took to New Zealand. For the 2009 New Year, I took a leap of faith and ventured alone to the unknown land of New Zealand. As it turns out, I had the time of my life. I went skydiving, took an overnight cruise of one of the wonders of the modern world, hiked through the countryside, climbed a glacier with an ice pick, explored the entire west coast, fell in love, ate amazing food, kayaked through the open waters, played with native seals, made countless new friends from all over the world and had memories that will last a lifetime. How much did the trip cost? Not including the flight it can be done for under $1000. I stayed in hostels where I met some of the coolest people of my life for $12 per night. They have these in every major city in the world where backpackers and aristocrats alike come from anywhere between Australia and America! I met one student who had been doing this for 3 years and everything he owned was in a single backpack. He worked at the hostels and took free rent as payment. On his journey around the world he visited over 20 countries on a budget of under $10,000 a year. Those who want this life will have it. We have everything you need right now. The only thing holding us back is fear and a lack of priority. We value useless material more than a life of adventure or aren't willing to sacrifice what it takes to do it. We associate traveling with luxury which I can assure you is far from the truth. Sadly, the only one we have to blame is ourselves. Too often I hear the lawyer wishing he could go there. The accounting wishing she could do that. The family wishing they could try this. To you my reply is always the same, you can.
Following your high school graduation, imagine you told your parents, "instead of sending me to college, give me $175,000 and let me do as I please." (For you rich people that's over 4 times higher than the average American income). "You will save $50,000 and spare me the pain of enduring 4 years in a classroom." Sound crazy? Think again. As a student, I would take this deal in a nano second. Furthermore, I'd be fully confident that I could use that $175,000 to make much more than my college diploma would ever award me. Don't believe me? What if I told you that you had two choices. Option 1: A degree from your university of choice (this is best case scenario) with potential college loans to pay off for the next 5 years. Option 2: ALL of the following over the course of the next four years; Visit 25 countries, learn a language of your choice, start your own business, learn to cook foods from all over the world, learn to dance, play an instrument, see your favorite bands perform in every corner of the globe, visit your very own wonders of the modern world, explore every major museum and library on your wish list, meet like minded people from every major metropolitan city on the planet AND have $50,000 left over - in essence DO your bucket list. Still not convinced? We'll folks, over the last four years I've done every one of these things and more! Ask yourself this, "why do I need a college degree?" I'll tell you why. Everyone else does it! Sure there are exceptions for those that want to be a doctor or lawyer. But a musician, dancer, producer, writer or (insert esoteric profession of choice here). Give me a break. Do you think Eric Clapton would say, "you better go to school so you can play guitar." No you imbecile. You lock yourself in your room and play until your fingers bleed. That's how you get good. Those who are going to "make it" aren't going to have their future hindered by their lack of diploma. Once we can understand that our education doesn't end when we leave college, but rather begins, we start to see the light!
"What about security?" you ask. I have an exercise for you. Talk to a recent college graduate. Ask them about the "flood" of opportunities available to them. Oh wait, they aren't there! There's no security in college. There's no pot of gold at the end of the tunnel. One of the key elements to one's success in poker is their ability to adjust to a given situation. If one's betting patterns become too predictable, that person is doomed to be crushed by opponents who are constantly adjusting to the flow of the game. Likewise, in 1960 when nobody could afford to go it was necessary to get ahead. In the information age of 2010, where the internet is readily available, you have the freedom to access things from anywhere on the planet. It's time we start utilizing the resources available to us to mold our lives into what we want them to be! Or you can do my old school favorite and travel! Instead of spending $40,000 taking art and european history you can learn first hand by exploring the Lourve, Vattican and Sistine chapel. You can take guided tours from natives who speak the language and are versed in the subject you wish to learn. It doesn't mean you need to open an art gallery, but the deciding factor shouldn't be monetary but rather, which is going to provide a more memorable experience? Which environment is going to provide more value? Which setting are you going to learn and retain more information? When we start seeking these more abstract questions, the answer becomes trivial. Instead of developing an adderol addiction and cramming for a test, you can take a boat ride through the Seine river in Paris and look at historical monuments! Folks, it's a no brainer. It's both ironic and painful that I seem to be a minority. My neighbor works 80 hours a week commuting an hour each way to LA as a lawyer and is absolutely miserable. I can't begin to describe how much harder his life is than mine. If he put in merely half of the effort at becoming financially independent, he could start to make money on his own. It's sad that the only thing holding us back is the fear of failing. We would rather have a certain way to be unhappy than take a chance to be happy doing something we truly want.
"Alec, you can't be serious. You can't expect me to just drop everything and travel the world for 4 years on a budget of $100,000." Fair enough. But to shed some light on the possibilities available should you pursue this path I'd like to share the details of a recent trip I took to New Zealand. For the 2009 New Year, I took a leap of faith and ventured alone to the unknown land of New Zealand. As it turns out, I had the time of my life. I went skydiving, took an overnight cruise of one of the wonders of the modern world, hiked through the countryside, climbed a glacier with an ice pick, explored the entire west coast, fell in love, ate amazing food, kayaked through the open waters, played with native seals, made countless new friends from all over the world and had memories that will last a lifetime. How much did the trip cost? Not including the flight it can be done for under $1000. I stayed in hostels where I met some of the coolest people of my life for $12 per night. They have these in every major city in the world where backpackers and aristocrats alike come from anywhere between Australia and America! I met one student who had been doing this for 3 years and everything he owned was in a single backpack. He worked at the hostels and took free rent as payment. On his journey around the world he visited over 20 countries on a budget of under $10,000 a year. Those who want this life will have it. We have everything you need right now. The only thing holding us back is fear and a lack of priority. We value useless material more than a life of adventure or aren't willing to sacrifice what it takes to do it. We associate traveling with luxury which I can assure you is far from the truth. Sadly, the only one we have to blame is ourselves. Too often I hear the lawyer wishing he could go there. The accounting wishing she could do that. The family wishing they could try this. To you my reply is always the same, you can.