40 Alternatives to College by James Altucher 📖 Book Summary

Is college worth it? In this summary of 40 Alternatives to College by James Altucher, you'll learn alternate pathways to university that won't cost you an arm and a leg to get ahead in your career.

★★★ 40 ALTERNATIVES TO COLLEGE ★★★

1. Start a business
2. Travel the world
3. Create art
4. Make people laugh
5. Write a book
6. Work in charity
7. Master a game
8. Master a sport
9. Explore how you can become a doctor without a degree
10. Work for free as a paralegal for a year
11. Do anything you want to for one year
13. Do the daily practice for a year
14. Take a job
15. Write a script for a movie
16. Direct a documentary on something you are interested in
17. Audition in broadway for a whole year
18. Volunteer gardening around your neighbourhood
19. Become a real estate agent
20. Take up yoga
21. Go to 4 vipassana meditation retreats within one year
22. Study whatever it is you are interested in
23. Become a connector
24. Become a party planner
25. Learn and master a foreign language
26. Solve what's bugging you
27. Become a personality
28. Write and pitch your own TV show
29. Go to motivational seminars
30. Play!
31. Become a model of whatever your size is
32. Go to San Francisco and mingle with silicon valley
33. Visit all the architectural historic sites of Europe
34. Backpack el camino
35. Hike the appalachian trail
36. Make your own list of alternatives
37. Virtual mentors
38. Run for office
39. Raise funds for a cause you feel strongly about
40. Watch a movie a day for a year

I feel like many of these were just slapped down and written but overall the message is develop skills, try new experiences, and follow your curiosity! Trust the process.

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[DannySullivanMusic]

The knowledge that has stuck with me the most is experiential.

[phipsdeus]

The only people that should go to college are doctors, lawyers, and engineers. Everyone else can learn from boot camps and online school

[rusydahsyarlina]

The only way to be a doctor is through going to college (i.e. medical school)

[Pop]

In college you are forced to learn the material and obtain a bachelors degree but if you self study it can get distracting unless you’re really disciplined. P.S LOVE YOUR VIDEOS❤️

[coleweede]

I took a gap year, decided not to go to the 35K a year school and chose the 13K a year school for the same degree. Gap year is cool but it also let's a lot of people settle for less and never strive to become better later on.

[chrisclayton]

Go to trade school. Working with your hands will never ever be outdated.

[GodGuy]

Just start a business and travel the world: actual advice in this video

[makaylamelendez]

Just gonna see what i've got after that really good, persuasive video. You should go to college because your intuition is telling you to do so. You should go to college because you know the education you acquire there will help you advance in your career path, if you are already in one. I really don't want to go to college. Thanks for the video lol. Made this even more clear and made me feel like I'm right to not want to.

[owlan]

I'm doing a course at the open university, its the same degree but its cheaper and i can do it in my own time, from home or wherever I please

[banditman]

college ruined my life. i wasted countless amounts of time and money going to college and what do i have to show for it not a dammed thing!!! It ruined my financial, physical and mental health it was not worth the price i paid.

[ytubelord]

Hi, Big Fan CyberPunk here,
Can you do your next video on 48 laws of power by robert greene?
People are gonna love it with your animation touch.

[OnePercentBetter]

Addressing the arguments FOR college:

1. But you NEED college to be a surgeon
There are ways to become a surgeon assistant without college if only you were to explore alternative options and think critically, but for arguments sake, let's assume you NEED college to be a surgeon. Even if you take this pathway, just know that you are locking yourself into decades of commitment. That could involve 8 years of learning. And then another decade to pay off the hundreds of thousands of debt, in some cases over a million depending to what extent Sallie Mae has conned you. Don't forget taxes on your projected income. Plenty of stories of those in the medical field who are in stressed out of their minds in crippling debt having taken out an unsecured loan, struggling to keep up with the interest (See Dave Ramseys channel). If you are convinced that becoming a surgeon is your calling then go for it. Just be sure to explore your options before making a HUGE commitment. If you are pursuing this path if you are unsure or just doing it for your parents: DON'T.

2. But college is good for some people!
Yes. But for most, it is not. And most people who think they are the exception, are not the exception, because they want to allay their fears of admitting to themselves, their parents etc... that college has or will be a great investment, when it's not. It's particularly bad for those who have to take out a college loan. In Europe you may be a little luckier. Even if college is free, it's still wise to take into account the 4 years that you could be spending doing something else. The college system has a century old set way of doing things. If you're a circle, you may be shoved into a square. "Here! Read this disengaging textbook for 3 hours a day! Even if it isn't your optimal learning style and it bores the hell out of you! It is compulsory!"

3. Why are you so against college?
I'm more against ridiculous college loans than I am college. But the system is still drastically outdated (can't learn at your own pace, the grading system is bullshit, textbook prices are insane, being forced to read textbooks is insanity, etc etc etc). The ones I'm hoping can benefit from my opposition are particularly those coming out of high school (age 18) and are UNSURE about what they want to do with their lives. Their brain is not fully developed to be making such big financial commitments. They don't even know who they are yet or what their strengths are! Take that gap year. Explore different options. Learn about thyself. Let's not waste 4 years, 100k, and another 10 years paying off a loan for a job we may not even be passionate about but are pursuing out of FEAR.

[bingoberra]

No matter the flak I might get here, I´m happy for our scandinavian system. We get equal oppertunities for a career within any field since both college and university doesn´t cost you money. Yes it comes from taxes, but the schools and universities are far cheaper to run here because their tuition costs are much lower compared to the inflated costs in US caused by the ability to take incredible amounts of studentdebt to pay the schools.

[derrickjuma]

Great great video... am actually graduating from college next year, , , but I wish I could have known all this 5 years ago

[DJ-snwn]

It's a good idea if you want to be in crippling debt for the rest of your life, essentially for a piece of paper.

[optimuminsight]

Great video! I think that going to college (i.e. university in UK) is a path to doing well in life, but i definitely agree that based on the person there are other paths that you can be much more successful through. e.g. business, apprenticeships (there are some really amazing ones that would lead to higher salaries than the average graduates).

[dtbristol]

The onerous burden that your student loan debt will spawn, will create added stress in your life for over a decade. Don't go, unless you can show tangibly, that university will permanently increase your salary. Also go to a community college, if you can. It's a fraction of most private schools.

[samuelzev]

You should also include apprenticeships, they make you learn by doing

[DanZhukovin]

James Altucher graduated from Cornell. He says college is a bad idea because he thinks that going to Cornell didn't open a bunch of doors for him.

[gyrothomas]

Hi OnePercentBetter, thanks for making such great videos and inspiring thousands of people.
I wish to make such videos by compiling a summary of various books but i am not sure how to get the permission for copyrights of each book. I have already contacted many book publishers for the same.
My target audience is in india and language is non English. I would like to share the wonderful information to non english speakers to inspire them.
Can you guide me through the steps you take to make such videos??