College is a scam and it’s not an education
College is a scam that puts young people in massive debt before they land a full-time job. Thankfully, there’s a way out of this mess.
My biggest mistake was going back to college. In 2014, I made the dumb decision to start going to school again. And for what? To get a piece of paper and end up $30,000 in debt? Especially since that piece of paper wasn’t necessary to advance my career at the time.
I had made a decent living as a personal trainer. I had a full book of clients, those clients renewed their training annually, and I was the most popular fixture in the gym. Hell, I probably could’ve bought the place outright, now that I’m looking back on it. A lot of this is ironically detailed in the backstory of one of my main fiction characters — just a fun fact.
Anyway, I had three different certifications. So why in the world did I think I needed a piece of paper? Because I fell for the “a degree is always better than a certification” nonsense. Even if reputable certifications (ISSA, ACE, ACSM, NSCA, NASM) require continuing education credits. Something a degree doesn’t do. At least in my field. Hell, with so many changing trends in fitness, degrees get outdated fast.
College is a scam when you realize low-cost alternatives exist
Even if you’re not convinced college is a scam just yet, wait until you check out sound alternatives. I came across John Thornhill’s Online Success Coaching in 2025, bought into it, and saw immediate value. One that showed me how to build a digital product, market that digital product, and even engage with joint ventures to help launch the product.
Better yet, I could apply those tactics to my freelance sports writing and fiction endeavors. Add in the Tom Woods Jr. Mastermind, which I took for six months in 2025, and the total cost for both sat at around $5,500 for the entire year. All without the need to renew and keep going because they gave me the information I needed.
Imagine if I just did that as opposed to landing in debt by age 25! And I don’t necessarily feel for myself. Roughly $30,000 at graduation isn’t some wild exaggeration, either. According to College Board, bachelor’s degree recipients who borrowed for college graduated in 2023–24 with an average of $29,560 in student debt. And that’s just the average among borrowers — plenty walk away owing far more.
What if more people knew about options they had as opposed to thinking college was the truth and the way? Luckily, trade schools have seen a resurgence. But if one wants to run their own freedom-based business, going to school, graduating with a bachelors degree, and going on to get an MBA isn’t the only option. Hell, it was never the only option, and it’s probably the worst option.
How to avoid ending up five figures in debt
For one, avoid college unless it’s absolutely necessary to enter your field with a degree. If it’s “nice, but not necessary,” don’t waste your time and money. Two, take a deep dive into programs like Online Success Coaching. You will learn business tricks and how to build your own digital assets without the massive price tag. Thanks to AI, you can build quicker than ever.
Heck, with John Thornhill’s methods, you can get an online business up and running for less than $1,000. Best yet, you don’t need to invest in expensive ads to market yourself. Thornhill shows you how to cross promote, reach out to other marketers, and start building a network.
Other notable names like Paul Counts is always showing people ways to earn money both on and offline. He’s often coming up with Private Label Rights products (PLR), which you can rebrand and resell under your own label, which helps you avoid months of product design and creation.
It’s all about identifying a problem that people need to solve and selling them the solution. That’s all it is. So, check out the names I’ve mentioned above, and also guys like Gary Vaynerchuk and Alex Hormozi. You’ll get enough free and paid info to avoid the relentless scam that is college, allowing you to transform what would otherwise be massive debt into profits.
Why not take the opportunity?
If you’re a fiction author like me…
If you’re like me and fiction is your thing, explore this author blog. Take notes on how many different themes I write about and how I link them to my books. Pay close attention to the flamethrower that is my persona — a mixture between Pat McAfee and Mark Madden.
Sure, I’m a howitzer, and you probably were brought up to think you need to act upright, professional, and sanitized. Fuck that shit. If I needed to be fake, I wouldn’t be doing this. Be the best version of you. Be authentic, and people will remember you.
That’s one common denominator you’ll see from myself, Vaynerchuk, and Hormozi. And if you want more proof, check out my backlist of books at The Rebel Lore Vault and you’ll notice in two seconds that I absolutely refuse to play by the rules.
But guess what? I have a readership. And that’s more than what most fiction authors playing the “Hey, I’m glad you’re on my list” game can say.
Catch the entire backlist here
