40 Alternatives to College [Kindle Edition]

James Altucher (Author)

Book Description

Kids at 18 have no idea what they want to do in life. The world is a very big place. It’s bigger than five classes a day on philosophy or chemical engineering. Most kids at 18 don’t relish philosophy but they relish the experience of freedom and being out of their parents’ home for the first time in their lives.

Young adults have a lot of energy and should use it. But the problem is that college costs have risen 1000% in the past 30 years while healthcare has risen 700% and inflation has risen “only” 300%. Colleges have made use of the myth that you can’t get a job unless you have a college education. But a rose needs space to bloom. Here are 40 alternatives to help that rose bloom. And to help keep innovation, creativity, and youthful energy alive and well.

Product Details

• File Size: 146 KB
• Print Length: 52 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Yes Life Publications (April 15, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007USP5P0
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,674 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #4 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Education Theory > Non-Formal Education
  • #19 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Professional & Technical > Education > By Level > College
  • #29 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > College & University

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I had this 6 years ago April 18, 2012

By Tom

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I wish I had read this book 6 years ago, before I wasted those years accumulating $130,000 in debt without acquiring any real skills. I feel cheated, I've lost some of the most crucial time in my life.

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're a "what kind of crazy person doesn't go to college?" person, please read this book! April 17, 2012

By Joel Grus

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

There seems to be little middle ground in the argument over college. Some people (including me) are in the "college is an expensive scam, and almost everything you learn there you could learn cheaper and more quickly elsewhere, and there are much more productive ways to spend four years of your time, and someone please build a time machine so I can get those years back and use them to instead start Google" camp, most everyone else is in the "what kind of crazy person questions the value of college?!" camp.

If you're in the first group, there's probably not much new for you here. Altucher's arguments against college are (for the most part) the same ones that I always badger people with at cocktail parties, at weddings, at college graduations, and so on. (They are presented nicely, though.) Some of his 40 alternatives are new to me (I would not have thought of encouraging my daughter to go on a "spiritual quest", for instance), but most of them are what I expected.

So this book is written more for the "what kind of crazy person?!" people (and the handful of "I'm not sure about the value of college, but who am I to flaunt the conventional wisdom?" people), and how I hope they'll read it! Altucher nicely lays out the case against college; he has good, brief answers to all the pro-college arguments; and if you're someone who believes that college is the one true path to success in life, then hopefully some of his 40 alternatives will resonate with you. It's a really short book, so it won't even take you long to read.

In the end, you're paying 99 cents to read the case against spending (or borrowing) tens of thousands of dollars. That's a pretty good return on investment!

36 of 48 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Repetitive Garbage April 21, 2012

By Nathan Dau

Format:Kindle Edition

This "book" is a quick read, because it is short and so repetitive that you can get through it in an hour. After that hour you will be no more informed about why you shouldn't go to college or what you should do instead. First, the account of why you shouldn't go to college is based solely on the authors own experience. He got little out of college except a piece of paper, which is what he wanted at the time. If you are really interested in the faults with the university system read Academically Adrift. This book actually has real data about student performance, and why the system is broken.

The reality is you will get out of college what you put into it. If you don't want to go, DON'T. It'll be a waste. If you have no idea what you want to do in life, spending a hundred thousand dollars to do figure it out is not a good plan either. However, there of plenty of motivated people who get a degree to work in a profession that requires it.

The alternatives are so simplistic and ridiculous, they've already been thought-up by young adults decades ago. The other issue with the alternatives is that the author assumes young adults will embrace these things with an effort to get the best life experience out of them. The reality is if you're not a driven individual, the only difference between going to college and these alternatives is the possibility of having a piece of paper that says you accomplished something if you complete college.

A better book might be how to get the most out of college for the least amount of money. That would be more helpful in preventing the next generation from being saddled with overwhelming debt. It would also be short:

Seek out grants, scholarships, and any assistance possible (loans being the last option)
Take classes at community college that interest you until you figure out what you want to do.
Work part-full time during school.
Only take as many classes as you have time for, assuming 2 hours outside of class for every 1 in class.

If you do those 4 things you'll limit your debt and get the most out of your education. More importantly, you'll find a life balance between work, learning, and leisure that work for you. This is something every grown adult must do, and it changes over the course of your life.

More About the Author

James Altucher is a writer, successful entrepreneur, chess master, and investor.

He has founded over 20 companies and sold some of them for large exits. He has also run venture capital funds, hedge funds, angel funds, and currently sits on the boards of many companies.

He has written and been profiled in most major national media publications like the Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, CNBC, Forbes, and Business Week.

His blog, which began by detailing Altucher's precipitousfall from wealth and success to absolute rock bottom and then back to wealth, has attracted more than 10 million readers since its launch in 2010, and in 2011 inspired a comic book.