Traditional education and higher education system are often placed on a pedestal. Many people could only envision the world as a place where they send their kids to school most of the week. Once those kids become adults, they are encouraged and pressured to attend college. The purpose of the education system is to make you conform, lack critical thinking skills, and become a good employee. This post will go over the true purpose of the education system.
True Purpose Of The Education System
Abstract Knowledge
The teacher or professor only deals with abstract knowledge from a book, not practical, real-world knowledge. A teacher is only familiar with book knowledge. Knowledge is not power. Information is only power when you can practically apply it in your life.
Most books you read for homework in the education system are dull. You are only reading them because you know you must know enough information from the text to pass a quiz or test.
The books you read in school or college often present an idealistic view of the world or how a system is supposed to work. The idealism in the textbook is different from how something operates in the real world. The information provided in the book may be opposed to how the world works in the twenty-first century.
Abstract knowledge is not helpful unless you also want to be a teacher. Those who cannot do, teach.
An employer hires based on competency and skill set. A skill set is applied knowledge.
Knowledge is only helpful if you directly apply it to improve yourself.
Higher Education System
The higher education system is meant to make you go into debt early by getting students to pay for college with student loans. This is because the financial system is debt-based. There are other ways to become successful without attending college.
That was the old way for how people became successful. In most cases, you no longer need a college degree to be successful today.
The worst thing you can do is to go into debt. Instead, dedicate yourself to remaining debt-free. USA Today notes that the average student loan debt ranges from “$18,344 in Utah up to $39,928 in New Hampshire for the graduating class of 2020.”
There is no need to pay thousands of dollars to learn abstract information by going to college today. You can now know how to do things online by taking an online class from someone with a track record. Digital courses often will cost less than a college courses. If you put in the work and develop the skills, you can then make money online.
Internet Is Revolutionizing Education
The Internet provides you access to people with varying experiences for how to succeed online. You can listen to a range of people. You can discover your strengths and find ways to monetize your obsession.
I made the mistake of chasing shiny objects for a long-time. I thought I needed to be across all social media. Managing all of the social media accounts today is a full-time job. When starting, you want to focus on your strengths. I especially thought I needed to be on YouTube despite having a speech issue and lacking the charisma of successful YouTubers. I then started to focus mainly on my writing.
I learned more from taking a few digital online courses that have helped me strategize and plan to build my business over time compared to what I learned in college. The difference is that the people who taught those courses taught applied knowledge and skills that you can apply if you put in the time and work.
The three digital courses I learned the most from are:
- Self-Publishing School
- Marketing Impact Academy *
- Courses about building a website by One Hour Professor
You can find online courses that cost less than a college course. The people teaching the courses often have real-world experience (they are not professors). You must then take action and apply what you learn from the digital courses.
Prepares You To Become An Employee
The main benefit of being an employee is receiving benefits such as an employer-matched 401(k), healthcare, and vacation time. It will depend on your employer. Not all employers provide benefits. Typically, larger and more established companies can offer them to employees.
No matter your career field, you will eventually reach the maximum income you can be paid for a salary. This is because an employee can only be so productive. You will make more in certain career fields. For example, a data analyst will make more than a night stocker at a grocery store.
In contrast, if you are a business owner. You can hire employees or contractors to work for you. You then delegate tasks to them to increase the productivity of your business. You can then start to scale. Your business will generate more profit as you scale and consistently release more products. You can then pay yourself as the business owner. You can always find new ways to generate revenue from your business to increase your income.
Your imagination, mindset, and resources are your only constraints. As you increase your resources, you can reinvest in your business or other ventures.
Related:
- 12 Reasons Why Young People Should Not Go To College
- What You Can Do Instead Of Going To College
- 6 Reasons Why College Is A Waste Of Time
Summary
*Secure Single will receive a commission if you decide to enroll in Marketing Impact Academy when enrollment starts again.*
Subscribe to Secure Single’s Substack for free to receive more content like this directly in your inbox.
The vast majority of young people are told that they must go to college to succeed. Colleges send people to stand behind high school booths to show students that attending college is the next step after high school graduation. High school students then meet with a counselor to discuss their interests and what they want to do with their future. You may have had a different experience, but I remember colleges visiting my high school and discussing my professional future with my high school counselor when I was not even in my twenties.
After attending college and graduate school, it is time for people to ask themselves, does this even make sense? Why send young people to college when they don’t know themselves? How did going to college become the standard for society? There are many other options besides learning from an old professor lecturing you about what you need to know to pass your stupid test. The reality is that you have many more choices than you know.
12 Reasons Why Young People Should Not Go To College
Sent Off To College When You Don’t Know Yourself
The first problem is that you are sent to college when you don’t know yourself. You are still learning what you enjoy doing, your strengths, and your skills. At least, that is what someone in their twenties should be doing.
Instead, society has said that sending these twenty-somethings to college is acceptable.
No one wants to discuss this significant problem with the entire higher education system. How do you expect someone in their late teens to early twenties to know what they want to do with their life? They don’t even know themselves. They are still trying to be part of the cool kids’ group in high school and college. While they would rather party, college only encourages this behavior. What do most students do after they finish studying or take a test?
Rather than becoming a student at a college, young people can be encouraged to become students of life. They can try different things. Have a range of different experiences. Figure out their likes and dislikes. Young people should be learning what they are good at rather than going to college. Once they know their skills, they can find ways to monetize them.
A person will likely switch majors at least once in college precisely because they do not know their strengths. Young people have no idea what they want to do with their lives because they don’t know themselves. College does not help, and it hinders this vital process.
Recommended – How To Use Failure As A Learning Experience
A Critical Decade Wasted In The Higher Education System
Second, you waste your most critical decade by going to college. Your twenties are foundational to the rest of your life. It will affect your next decades if you don’t get a solid trajectory in your twenties.
There are better ways to use your time that would benefit you than going to college.
You could travel to see the world or visit another state. While you are there, get a job as a barista, bartender, or server. At the very least, you will get some interesting stories and experiences that could be valuable later on.
You could shadow someone. You could work to learn new skills, then apply for internships or jobs.
You could work part-time or full-time while you work to start a traditional or an online business.
You will spend your time reading old books, most likely learning ancient computer programs and receiving lectures from a professor without practical life skills. After all, that is why he is a professor.
The bottom line is that you want to get as many experiences, try as many things as possible, learn your strengths, and make money as soon as possible in your twenties. You cannot do those things while in college.
Go Into Debt
The third problem is going into debt for college. According to U.S. News & World Report, the average cost of tuition from 2022 to 2023 ranges from $10,000 to $40,000 for an academic year.
That does not include the cost of room and board, books, and living costs, from groceries to transportation. The price also does not include entertainment and going out with your friends in college. The cost could easily double depending on what you do outside the classroom.
Unless you are working while you are in college, you are losing money and going into debt while attending college. It is the worst of both worlds. You want to start making money as soon as possible to build up your net worth. While you are making money, you want to continue improving your skills to increase your income over time. You cannot do either of those things while in college. Receiving a college degree does not means that you will necessarily get a higher-paying job as is marketed to younger people.
The worst financial mistake anyone can make is getting into debt. Yet, according to Forbes, more than 50% of students have student loans. They likely won’t be able to pay off their student loans because the average salary in the United States is just under $55,000 a year.
Overall, the higher education system is a bad idea. In most cases, it is not worth young people’s valuable time to attend college when they could learn practical skills elsewhere. There are better alternatives to college today with the Internet that cost less than attending a single college class. A better solution is replacing the Legacy Education System. People can now learn from people with a track record of success through digital courses rather than reading outdated books, learning ancient programs, and learning from a professor who only teaches because he has tenure.
[bctt tweet=”College is a waste of time. It is not worth going into debt for.” username=”@secure_single”]
Party Culture
Fourth, partying is common at college. If you think sending your kids off to college and they won’t party or potentially take part in the hookup or drinking culture, then you may be naive. Partying is common in college. Once the quizzes and tests are done, it’s party time!
Most twenty-somethings are likely following sports, watching popular television, going out with friends, hooking up, and drinking. In other words, partying is what mostly happens at colleges. Partying is the main attraction of college, rather than studying. Studying is for nerds.
While there is a time and place to enjoy yourself, this has become one of the primary focuses of going to college. It is not about getting an education. It is about going out with your friends to a bar or club on the weekend. It is about hooking up with your class’s hot man or woman. It is about fitting in—one of the main ways students try to fit in at college is by attending parties. Drinking often happens at these parties. The parties are where the cool kids are. Peer pressure is a problem at college. Everyone, for some reason, wants to be part of the cool kids club.
The latest drinking trend at college is the Borg, which stands for Blackout Rage Gallon. The Borg recipe calls for half a jug of water, electrolytes, vodka, and some flavoring. This drink has always been variations at college, from shared punch bowls to drinking out of bottles or keg parties. Drinking is part of modern college life.
At the Borg or frat party, the college students want to try to hook up with someone.
There could be frat parties. It could be hosting a small party in your dorm or apartment. It could be sneaking out with friends after hours to meet the popular students or even hook up with someone. College students care more about partying than doing well in school.
[bctt tweet=”College is about partying. It’s not about education.” username=”@secure_single”]
Told It Is The Only Way To Become Successful
Fifth, young people are brainwashed to believe they won’t succeed if they don’t attend college. Society sells young people the myth that you must go to college to be successful. The reality is that there are many ways that you can become successful. There is no one route to success.
On the contrary, the most successful people are entrepreneurs who dropped out of college or never attended college. Or, it was people who discovered what their talents were at a young age. They learned their strengths in their teenage years or their twenties. They then found ways to monetize them.
Young people have a range of options to choose from. You don’t need to go to college. One of the best things a young person could do is to find a mentor or someone they can look up to learn about something that interests them. Their interests may eventually change, but the skills they learned from someone may help them later.
Another option would be to learn a skill and see if they can be hired to perform it by an employer. You could negotiate with a potential employer who may need skills that you have to start you off as a paid intern. Once you complete your internship, your employer will meet with you to tell you whether you can stay on. Today, that could be getting employed by a business where someone may live to become a freelancer online at a site like Upwork or Fiverr. You could try freelancing to see if you enjoy it or not. You could also
Yet another option is to become an entrepreneur. This option will take on the most risk but has the biggest reward. You can become an Internet entrepreneur and create multiple income streams by producing content on various platforms, from YouTube to your website. You can then find ways to repackage that content in a range of ways for customers.
The bottom line is that you have many options. This is especially true today with the range of possibilities that result from the Internet, such as working remotely, freelancing, or starting an online business.
Miss Out On Learning Hard Skills
Sixth, young people are missing out on learning hard skills by going to college. College does not teach you hard skills. At least, you won’t get enough experience from a college program to compete against people who have learned technical skills while on the job.
Even if you take STEM classes as I did in graduate school for cybersecurity, I only took six labs on various topics over three years. Those are too few numbers to proficiently learn about a skill for any employer to take you seriously. Most of the students I was with in graduate school already came from an IT background. It was mostly going back to school to advance in their careers or because the military was paying for their education. They were in graduate school to appease their employer to move further up the employee hierarchy. I did not fit in, yet I thought I was “smart” because I was in graduate school. In reality, I was stupid to think I could get a career in IT without the right experience, but I thought a university degree would help me enter the field. I believed in society’s myth that a degree helped to get you places.
Your twenties are a vital decade where you should learn hard practical skills to improve your life. Hard skills are what employers care about. With a few exceptions, like STEM, you don’t learn those skills in most college classes. Even then, you may learn an outdated program that companies no longer use or not take enough labs to sufficiently be competitive against other applicants with years of practical experience using current technology.
[bctt tweet=”Hard skills include trades, science, technology, health, medicine, and business. There are then subcategories within these broad categories.” username=”@secure_single”]
In your twenties, you want to develop skills you enjoy and excel at. You want to continue to hone those skills. The sooner you can figure out your strengths, the faster you can make money. When you begin to make money, you can start to save. When you begin to save, you can build a rainy day fund. Once you have a rainy day fund, you can begin to invest.
You can’t do that when you must read from a book to pass a test. College teaches you passive knowledge, not active knowledge. Practical knowledge that you can apply in the real world is what matters. Ideals. Ideologies. Knowledge that does not improve your life in some way is what you want to focus on. That is applied knowledge. You learn that by doing things on the job or troubleshooting something independently, not by reading an outdated book that your college professor requires you to read.
Read Outdated Books
The seventh problem is that when you go to college, there is a high likelihood that you will be reading your professors’ books. There is the additional problem that many books will be outdated that you are required to read to pass your tests in your class. College professors often make their student purchase and read their books for their courses. They would not get book sales otherwise because professors often write boring books on a dry subject that an ordinary person does not want to read. Do you want to read dry writing about history? How about boring writing on how to write a proper sentence for English Majors? Or a book summarizing the works of modern philosophy? For most people, those would be a hard pass. Those are the types of stale books young people have to look forward to in college.
You will likely be paying thousands of dollars to attend a class to read a professor’s dull and dated book.
It could also be a book no longer relevant to modern society. The book could be behind on technology or another critical skill you need to know, but you are reading about Windows 95 when Windows 11 is the newest program. Why not buy a book on that topic and learn about it yourself? It will save you thousands of dollars, and you will still retain the information that you find interesting too. You don’t need to read a boring book by a professor.
Recommended – 3 Ways To Increase Your Value As A Single Person
Learn Outdated Programs
The eighth problem is you will need to learn updated programs. This will likely be the case, even with a STEM degree, putting you behind your peers. Even if you are learning a current program, you won’t do enough labs for it to make a difference for you to compete against people who have expertise and experience using those programs.
I did six labs throughout my graduate career while trying to get a cybersecurity degree. Are you going to be proficient in a technical piece of software or hardware if you only do six labs? The rest of the program was about the theory behind cybersecurity. The most critical part that would help students get a job, labs, was focused on the least in the program. It is no wonder why no employer wanted to hire me.
The technology you will be using at a university will probably be dated and slow because a university does not spend the resources to keep everything up to date as private companies do. Students are there to study, and you will likely have to pay a technology fee to use the technology you must use for a STEM course. The library is associated with universities for a reason.
You have better options to learn about technology if you are interested in an area in the tech field. You can find modern online alternatives that will help where you have more updated technology. You will often receive a certificate or sign of completion after completing the program. TechTarget lists some of the online courses here for cybersecurity. You can find something similar in another tech field. Solutions like this will likely continue to happen in the Internet Age to compete against the traditional higher education system model.
Some employers now want a degree or enough work experience to interview for a job. If you had actual work experience in the tech field and one or two certificates from a program or two, that would be a better use of your time than going to college. You can later study to get the approved certificates your employer may need to advance in your field.
Pay-To-Play
The ninth problem is the higher education system is pay-to-play. Your official education must continue after you receive your overpriced piece of paper from your university. That is because the educational industrial complex consists of many parts. All of the parts are pay-to-play. You pay to attend college to network and get recommendations for your first job after college. You must continue to get certifications to move up in your chosen field. You will also be encouraged to join membership organizations to network with other professionals in your field. All of these things cost money. You will find yourself paying hundreds of dollars a year if not more, to maintain your standing in a field. This is especially true in some very litigious fields like medicine.
With the Internet and sites like LinkedIn, there is no longer any need to go to a university to network and meet others. You can build up your reputation within your niche and become a master in your field. You can then contact other people on the site if you like, and others can connect with you too. The Internet, with professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, has now made the concept of going to college to network outdated.
Not Taught Self-Responsibility
The tenth problem with college is that students are not taught self-responsibility. Instead, they are led to believe they are planning for their future by attending college. This makes them give up on self-responsibility. They can casually go through their life because they have nothing to worry about. Once they receive their degree, life will be alright. College markets to students that they can get a good job because they attended college.
The education and higher education system teach students that there are “experts.” Those are the only people who can make good decisions. Those are the people who should dictate your life. The people with a fancy title by their name or are in a position of “authority” are the people you must respect.
On the contrary, the people with fancy titles are often the most unworthy of respect.
Controlled Academic Space
The eleventh problem is that college campuses are separate from the real world. Even if they are located in a major city, they have a college campus that is usually very nice. Sometimes, the college campus could be nicer than the city or town it is in. Students get used to being in this safe and controlled academic space without being exposed to the reality of how the world operates. They are not taught critical thinking skills.
In some cases, students are not exposed to ideas or concepts that go against the university’s values. Or, students want to have their own “safe spaces” that eliminate challenging ideas from the campus. This has become more evident over the last decade on college campuses.
When someone comes who discusses an opposing view or belief, they are shut down and censored. Instead of being a place to discuss various ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and rationally debate, the modern college campus has become a prison.
The modern university system teaches you what to think, not how to think. If you don’t go along with the “approved ideas,” you will be labeled a series of slurs ending in ist and ism.
Think Everything Will Turn Out Fine After College
Twelfth, students think that everything will turn out alright after college after they have received their fancy piece of paper. You are taught that your only option is to become an employee by attending college. You are told that by attending college, things will turn out fine, although you will likely end up at the bottom of the financial pyramid unless you can work your way up in a STEM area.
College students after graduation average around $20 an hour. Unless you develop other skills that make you more valuable to employers, that is the most that your overpriced piece of paper can make you worth. That is not enough to cover expenses as an adult.
Unless you are in a valuable field like STEM and are a good interviewer, you may have a chance to make more than the estimated $20 an hour. The United States has become a service economy, meaning most jobs are in the service sector. Even if you did not plan to work in the service sector because you think going to college would help you, that is where you may end up.
Unless you are in a valuable field like STEM and are a good interviewer, you may have a chance to make more than the estimated $20 an hour. The United States has become a service economy, meaning most jobs are in the service sector. Even if you did not plan to work in the service sector because you think going to college would help you, that is where you may end up.
There are better options than going to college, and the higher education system only teaches you how to be an unthinking employee.
[bctt tweet=”You are not taught about the three other models to make money: self-employed, business, and investing. This is intentional because the education and higher education systems’ roles are to create employees.” username=”@secure_single”]
Recommended – Rise Of Ghost Jobs And Fake Job Ads
Summary
These are twelve reasons why young people should not go to college. There are many more reasons not to attend college. It is ultimately up to each individual to decide if college is worth the investment of their time, attention, and money. There are not enough people presenting an alternative position against college. This is why it is critical for young people to know there are more choices than simply applying to different colleges to see which accepts them only to come out on the other side in debt and working a dead-end job.
Secure Single is now on Substack. Subscribe to Secure Single’s Substack to have Secure Single delivered to your inbox. Receive 20% off an annual subscription to Secure Single’s Substack.
Anyone who has ever gone through the process of applying for jobs online knows how frustrating it can be. You can spend hours creating multiple versions of the same resume in an attempt to increase your chances of it getting seen by the right person. That means you must slightly change your summary, work experience, and skills to get past the keyword tools. All of your hard work to make an impressive-looking resume won’t matter if you are applying for ghost jobs.
Companies use multiple screening tools to ensure your resume never gets seen by HR or the person who posted the job. You can also be screened based on your social media history. Your resume may never even get noticed if you don’t support specific issues that are in fashion. The rise of fake job ads only makes the life of a job applicant more infuriating. There are now counterfeit jobs out there that are just using you to gather your data. How likely do you think the jobs you are applying for are fake and scams?
Welcome to the life of a modern job hunter.
Ghosting has moved on from relationships. Even employers do it now by posting ghost jobs. These jobs never existed in the first place.
Rise Of Ghost Jobs
How many jobs that you apply for have you never received a response from? Maybe you thought you didn’t meet the cut. Or, perhaps that was a fake job. It was a ghost job. The job never existed. The employer intentionally ghosted you.
The Wall Street Journal reports:
“Mr. Kelly, who has decades of experience as a technical and marketing writer, estimates that when he was job hunting in late 2021, about 20% of listings that interested him were posted and reposted without anyone evidently being hired. Since his layoff from a startup in August, he says he has noticed that most jobs that catch his eye have been up for months.“
I first thought of it as an anomaly, and now I see it as a trend,” he says.”
After you spend hours applying for jobs that you think are real, you may only receive an email saying, “Thank you for your application, but you have not been accepted for an interview or the role.” That is likely an automated response. The job may or may not exist. At least you feel somewhat relieved because you got a response, even if it was bogus.
To make matters worse, there may be jobs that remain up on job sites that are inactive. The job website or the employer has not removed the job yet. This further increases the chance that the applications you spend so much time on do not exist. Ghost jobs are another problem applicants must be wary of when applying online.
Employers And Fake Job Advertisements
Employers keep fake job advertisements up for appearances. This means that employers are posting jobs, or keeping job posts up, on online job applicant sites when they have no intention of hiring. Employers leave job posts up to make it appear that they are fairer about their hiring process than they are. They say they want to be open to all candidates to come across as being objective to job seekers. This creates plausible deniability for the employer.
Data is the new oil. Posting job advertisements on job websites is a way for employers to receive that information from job seekers. They may then add you to their database. They may sell your information to a third-party company. There are many wants that a company could use the data that you gave them when you filled out the job application form.
Your data is more valuable to them than interviewing you for the job.
America Has A Fake Economy
If ghost jobs and fake job advertisements were not enough, the United States has created a phony economy from cheap money and zero percent interest rates. To make matters worse, it has outsourced many of the country’s industrial jobs to China. That was a result of NAFTA. The United States is now primarily a service economy. The American economy is largely dependent upon other countries for the goods that it receives that Americans use every day. According to Forbes, roughly 40% of cotton apparel comes from China. That does not include other products. Many American brands that say their products are “Made In America” still manufacture them overseas. It just goes through a processing plant in the United States. The company can then put “Made In America” on its products. Many Americans will buy it because it says “Made In The USA” when it never was.
The reality is that the American economy has been butchered and gutted. There are still ways to make it today, but it will require non-traditional thinking and going against everything you are told to do, like going to college to get a “dream job.”
What You Can Do
The best thing you can do is recognize that there are no ghost jobs and fake job advertisements online. You can review the job descriptions if you are applying for a position on an online job website like Indeed. The more detailed the description, the higher the likelihood it is a real job. But, if they only want your data, writing a more detailed job description doesn’t take much extra time.
You can look for alternatives outside of the traditional job market. If you have transferrable skills, consider becoming a freelancer on a site like Fiverr or Upwork. It could start as a side hustle, but you could eventually make it into your full-time job. The same problem likely exists on those types of websites as well.
If you are more ambitious, you could start your own online business. To do this, you first need a website. You can then add social media to spread your content and message. You can then come up with products and services to sell. Once you have enough infrastructure and income, you can hire and delegate responsibilities to others. You will then have money coming into your business’ bank account that you could reinvest or invest in other projects. This one requires the most responsibility, but it could save you thousands of hours of the annoyance of applying to jobs that don’t exist. You can see the results for yourself since you built it from zero.
Recommended: 6 Reasons Why People Obey
Summary
Job hunters have too many things to worry about, from overly picky employers looking for a dream candidate that does not exist to now ghost jobs. The American economy is a service economy now. You will likely be working a service job unless you can get one in a STEM profession. That is true even if you go into debt to get a college degree.
Welcome to the ghost economy. Employers are now ghosting you, the job applicant.
Why do people obey? While this is a deep topic that can go into psychology, societal pressures make people unquestionably obey. These are six reasons why people obey.
6 Reasons Why People Obey
Psychology Of Obedience
There are many reasons why people obey. The psychology of obedience is built into human behavior. People are naturally social creatures, and societal pressures can influence people to comply even when it goes against their self-interest. Many areas of society make people obey, making them think they will face societal consequences if they don’t. Many people will choose to conform to the influence of popular culture rather than embrace and become confident in themselves as individuals.
Societal Pressures
Six main societal influences train people to obey others rather than think for themselves.
Raised To Obey
Parents raise children to obey, and they are often not taught to distinguish when disobeying is okay. People are taught from a young age to defer to others simply because they are older, teach, have fancy titles by their name, or are in a position of authority. This trains people from early on that there are people who are better than them merely because they have a position of authority that society has arbitrarily deemed worthy of respect.
[bctt tweet=”Once you mature and ask critical questions, you may discover that those popular culture tells you to respect are the most unworthy of recognition.” username=”@secure_single”]
Education System
Starting from a young age, people are taught to obey without question. This often begins in kindergarten and continues up to the higher education system. They are told to respect teachers. The education system trains people to get ready to become employees. They are told what they must do to do well in a class. Students think that doing well on quizzes and tests to please their teachers and professors means they will do well in life. This creates obedient and conformist people rather than individuals who can think for themselves and do things independently without instructions.
Religion
Religion plays a role in obedience. If someone believes that disobeying is often considered wrong if they do something immoral, they become concerned that they have sinned or angered the deity or deities that are part of their religion. They fear being condemned in the afterlife for disobeying.
Rather than being able to see certain things in shades of grey, everything becomes black and white. Right and wrong. If they do something wrong such as disobeying someone in a position of authority, they think they have committed a sinful act that whichever deity they may worship condemns. Disobeying means they are not living a virtuous life which could have implications for them after they die.
Status Quo Bias
Some people need help dealing with or do not like change. This means that someone will stick to the status quo in one’s daily life or when it comes to more significant societal issues. People obey rules without question because they know that if they depart from what is established, they may be viewed as disobedient or even break the law.
There is little to nothing to lose when someone always tries to follow the rules. Some people want to do everything by the books and follow the same routines and rules because it is a safe choice.
Surveillance State
The surveillance state intrudes into the everyday lives of ordinary people. When you know everything you do is on record, you are likelier to obey and follow the rules without question. With all the data collected about people today with the Internet and digital records, you know that your actions, voice, fingerprints, and face are in a database somewhere. Anything about you that you may say that goes against the status quo could be used against you at any time.
[bctt tweet=”“An unjust law is no law at all.” – St. Augustine of Hippo” username=”@secure_single”]
Laws And Regulations
Laws and regulations can also contribute to making people obey. Many people don’t want to be seen as breaking the law, yet the United States is the most regulated country in the world.
The coercion from laws, regulations, and mandates uses the psychological tool of reward power. People obey and follow the rules because they want to be rewarded for their good behavior.
An example is not jaywalking across the street when no car is coming because you are worried you will get a ticket.
Many people who don’t want to break the law unknowingly do break the law. The average American breaks three laws a day. It is ridiculous to aim to be a good upright model citizen.
Recommended: Why Inflation Won’t Go Away In 2023
Summary
There is nothing wrong with questioning authority. It can be healthy to disobey. Question authority and think for yourself. You can take back your life today by not always obeying and letting people control you. You are the one responsible for your life, no one else.
Views expressed in this article are the author’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of Secure Single. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not investment or financial advice. James Bollen is the author of Thriving Solo: How to Flourish and Live Your Perfect Life (Without A Soulmate). Now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon. Subscribe to Secure Single’s Substack for free!
There are many things that people like to blame for why people stay single. Yet, society only looks at the convenient problems that fit a particular narrative. They rarely go deeper. In this article, you will discover the unexpected reason young adults stay single!
Discover The Unexpected Reason Young Adults Stay Single
Many people are wondering why people are remaining single. The usual problems are often blamed, such as pornography and social media for single men. In contrast, single women say that “suitors of the same age are becoming less desirable.” This is the usual way that the mainstream media presents the reasons why men and women are single:
- Men are slobs and stay inside watching porn, scrolling through social media, and never going outside because they play video games all day.
- Women are told they must have a high-value man because they are all princesses. Only a man who makes at least six figures yearly, with six-pack abs and a six-inch penis, will do. These high expectations are acceptable to society.
- These are two very contrasting messages. Women can have a high-value man, but all the men seem to be addicted to porn and playing video games according to society’s narrative?
The Real Reason Why People Are Remaining Single Longer
[bctt tweet=”There is a cost of living crisis. Most young people cannot afford to buy a house. Many Millennials have a low net worth.” username=”@secure_single”]
The rising cost of everything is a key reason people stay single longer. On top of that, most young people are in debt. You can’t precisely start thinking about dating or starting a family if you are still living with your parents or living with roommates. You don’t have the privacy of your own house, and it’s awkward to even think about getting it on when friends or family always enter, giving you no privacy. Hence, the importance of homeownership which a majority of Millennials have been unable to attain.
There is a cost of living crisis in the United States. This crisis has many layers, but unaffordable real estate is a vital part of it. Homeownership is out of reach of many young people. Homeownership is a traditional way to build wealth.
Further, homeownership allows people to have privacy. It enables a person to have one’s space and a place free from friends, family, or acquaintances. You control who comes in and out of your own house. Currently, most Millennials still rely on their parents for financial support. By extension, many Millennials still live with their parents.
Generations Failed To Launch
Due to the rising cost of everything and student debt, many young people have failed to launch.
Statista writes about the chart below:
“Gen Z and Millennial men in the United States are more likely to live with their parents than women in the same age group. In 2021, approximately 13 percent of women aged 25 to 34 lived in their parents’ home, compared to almost 21 percent of men. When looking at the age group of 18 to 24, the difference was less drastic.”
Statista’s graph may be too optimistic since many Millennials still rely on their parents for financial support. They are likely still stuck living at home if they rely on them for financial aid.
This is a consequence of being sent to college for at least four years. Many young people went into debt for an overpriced piece of paper only to work an entry-level service job where they likely won’t be able to pay off their student loans. They also delayed making an income which could have helped them by beginning to save earlier rather than going into debt for college. Young people were not taught the basics of finance because many parents left it to the education system to teach their kids and young adults what they needed to learn about topics. That critical topic is not taught in schools; many parents do not teach it to their children. This is a vital reason why many Millennials have a low or negative net worth that The College Investor highlights below.
The College Investor writes:
“You’ve heard the stat – the average net worth of millennials is roughly $18,000. Older millennials are doing much better, but they’re also approaching 40. Younger millennials typically have a negative net worth, and may be struggling to launch with the pandemic.”
You cannot live in the United States on $18,000. You cannot afford to pay ever-rising rent, health and car insurance, medical, medications, and grocery bills. You cannot even think about being able to save for a down payment for a house when you are struggling to get by and may still live with or receive support from your parents. Young people, especially men, will have no interest in dating since that is a significant turn-off to still live with and rely on one’s parents financially in your late twenties to mid-thirties. Yet, that is the reality for 64% of Millennials who still receive financial support from their parents.
What does that say about the economy, workforce, and financial habits if many Millennials have a negative net worth to an average net worth of under $20,000? Not good.
Finances, Not Social Problems Are Why Many Remain Single
Generations lost. Generations failure to launch. The real reason why people remain single longer comes down to finances. Young people cannot afford to buy a house. Real estate is in a housing bubble. Many are still living with their parents. Some even have a negative net worth. Many could not afford a starter home despite a housing crash.
Since they don’t have enough net worth, they cannot afford to buy different types of assets that can help increase their net worth. Types of assets that typically help raise an individual’s net worth are owning stocks, renting, owning a house, and owning real assets such as a business.
Many young people never learned any practical skills due to being sent off to college. They have been left behind. As a result, the demographics have changed, and people now stay single longer. The cost of living crisis only adds to many young people’s already poor financial standing.
Summary
The favorite things that people often blame are superficial issues for why people are remaining single longer, such as pornography to social media for men. There may be “less desirable” men for women to date as a combined result of having too high of standards, men being unable to afford a house to have privacy when it comes to dating, and most Millennials have a net worth of around $20,000. Finances are a critical aspect of life that was inadequately taught to most young people. They were not taught how to make money, despite the Internet creating massive opportunities for many to make money online.
Views expressed in this article are the author’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of Secure Single. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not investment or financial advice. James Bollen is the author of Thriving Solo: How to Flourish and Live Your Perfect Life (Without A Soulmate). Now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon. Subscribe to Secure Single’s Substack for free!
The culture wants people to learn to manage disagreeable people. The problem with this view is that society thinks something is wrong with someone being unfriendly. People expect everyone to want to be friendly and to get along. Disagreeable people are inaccurately portrayed as “whiners, [k]no[w]-it-alls, angry and confrontational, pushy and me first, rude, [a] tendency to fly off the handle, manipulators, bullies, sarcastic, and resentful.” In other words, anything that is the opposite of being a people pleaser or someone who tells someone exactly what they want to hear is considered to have a disagreeable personality. The power of the disagreeable personality is a strength.
[bctt tweet=”The reality is that it is different from how the world works. The world is not a nice place, and there is nothing wrong with being disagreeable. In a culture that wants everyone to be “nice,” this is the opposite message that people are brainwashed by through popular culture. ” username=”@secure_single”]
The Power Of The Disagreeable Personality
Culture Obsessed With Being Nice
[bctt tweet=”By believing in the “niceness myth,” you allow others to stomp on you, abuse you, and manipulate you.” username=”@secure_single”]
Our culture is obsessed with being nice. It expects everyone to be friendly, and society thinks everyone wants to get along. Society presents a fake facade of niceness, and this facade is a way to subject people to the false belief that being nice is the way to be.
You are expected to want to please people, and you are expected to tell people what they want to hear. You are expected to believe everything will turn out alright if you follow the steps outlined by society and trust the institutions.
In reality, the people who run the public and private institutions are out for their self-interest. It is in their interest that as many people as possible buy into the myth of being nice to decrease their number of competitors. The culture of niceness helps you to remain stagnant. The niceness culture helps to keep the following people in power:
- Politicians
- Celebrities
- CEOs of big business
- Academics
- Financial and health “experts.”
- Mainstream media newscasters
There can maintain their grip and control over you because you accept your place as lesser than theirs. They knew what to do to get to where they are at. They know how to maintain their position in the public or private sector. You listen, obey, and respect them because you were taught to do that.
You obey and respect fake people because you are fake as well. You pretend always to be nice when deep inside you is darkness you have been too afraid to explore. That darkness is your shadow self which gives you power.
Culture Of Niceness
The culture of niceness is a way to tame you. It is a way for society to neuter you. Society does not want you to ask critical questions. It does not want you to question authority and “leaders.” The culture wants you to be obedient, compliant, and do as you are told. The myth of niceness is a way to make you docile. You can then be managed by the people you are told to respect and trust unquestionably. You’re being nice muzzles you from reaching your full potential. That is precisely why society wants you to be a nice person.
The culture wants you to believe that self-interest is unnatural. When you surrender your self-interest, you allow other people to use you. Niceness is submission. The “leaders,” “experts,” and “celebrities” want you to bow to them by thinking that they are special. They want you to accept that it is alright for them to do what is needed to get what they want, but you must be friendly and defer to the people society tells you are your superiors.
[bctt tweet=”The culture of niceness prevents you from learning about your shadow self. Popular culture does not want you to meet your monster. Embrace being a disagreeable person.” username=”@secure_single”]
Disagreeable Personality Leads To Success
A disagreeable personality can lead to success. That is because you are willing to do the things that must get done to achieve your life goals. You will always find ways to improve. A disagreeable person is not afraid to cut toxic and damaging people out of their life. An unpleasant person learns to value their time.
[bctt tweet=”There is nothing wrong with being a practical person. An efficient person recognizes that disagreement is required for success.” username=”@secure_single”]
An unpleasant person is willing to do the things needed to succeed. They will develop the core habits and skills to prosper:
- Time management
- Organization
- Self-mastery
- Self-discipline
- Money management
- Self-education
- Hard skills
- Critical thinking
- Ability to make hard decisions
There is no need to apologize. Apologies can waste your valuable time. Your choices and actions don’t need an explanation. You are willing to make hard decisions and hustle to self-actualize your goals. You acknowledge that self-interest is natural.
You Acknowledge That You Control Your Destiny
Machiavelli wrote in The Prince, Chapter 25:
“I conclude therefore that, fortune being changeful and mankind steadfast in their ways, so long as the two are in agreement men are successful, but unsuccessful when they fall out. For my part I consider that it is better to be adventurous than cautious, because fortune is a woman, and if you wish to keep her under it is necessary to beat and ill-use her; and it is seen that she allows herself to be mastered by the adventurous rather than by those who go to work more coldly. She is, therefore, always, woman-like, a lover of young men, because they are less cautious, more violent, and with more audacity command her.”
[bctt tweet=”You control your fortune. It would help if you dominated Fortuna and ruled over your future. No one else does.” username=”@secure_single”]
Society wants to tame you. It wants to manage you. You want to give the culture the bird. It would help if you became ungovernable in your quest to achieve your goals.
It would help to take things into your own hands rather than wait for things to happen. You will make your choices count when you stop believing that something outside of yourself has a plan for your life. You can take calculated risks, and being adventurous and doing things others will not do can help you rule over fortune.
You have the free will to self-direct your life. Your inner monster helps you to accept the powerful parts of the self that society wants to tame out of you. Be bold. Take control of your future.
Control, dominate, and master your future by accepting self-responsibility. You can then work to make your goals a reality.
Views expressed in this article are the author’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of Secure Single. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not investment or financial advice. James Bollen is the author of Thriving Solo: How to Flourish and Live Your Perfect Life (Without A Soulmate). Now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon. Subscribe to Secure Single’s Substack for free!
You have likely heard your high school teachers or the majority of people you may know encouraging you to go to college. It is in the high school counselor’s interest that you go to college since college placement is their job. Colleges visit high schools to convince students that going to college is the only option. After all, it is in the universities’ interest to have student tuition. The reality is that you have options.
Today, going to college is the last thing anyone should do. It is not worth going into debt to get a fancy piece of paper from an outdated institution that thinks too highly of itself. You learn from a professor who requires you to read outdated books. You learn old programs. You are required to take stupid tests to say you went to college. It could be a waste of your time, attention, and money.
I wasted eight years of my life going to college and graduate school. College and graduate school got me nowhere.
What can you do instead of going to college? You can do five things rather than following the herd and participating in the higher education system.
[bctt tweet=”The five things you can do instead of going to college are: figure out your skills, learn a trade, shadow someone, find an internship, and turn a side hustle into an online business. ” username=”@secure_single”]
What You Can Do Instead Of Going To College
Figure Out Your Skills
Your skills are the most important thing you want to figure out as soon as possible. What hard skills can you master? What do you enjoy doing? You need to know your skills. This will save you time rather than always trying new things, which could save you time. Once you master one skill, you can learn a new one.
You will still be figuring out what you are best at in your twenties. You can try new things until you decide what you enjoy doing and what comes most naturally to you. You don’t want to distract yourself by becoming a master of none by learning skills only on a surface level that you most likely will never use again. Learn one thing you enjoy doing. Master it. Move on.
Hard skills are the most critical to learn. Employers care the most about hard skills.
[bctt tweet=”You want to start making money as soon as possible. You will then be able to save, invest, and plan for your future.” username=”@secure_single”]
Learn A Trade
The trades have been destroyed because everyone has been told college is the only route to a promising career. The trades are still around, but fewer people are going into them because many people bought the lie that going to college is the way to a promising career. If you are good with your hands and enjoy working on things, consider going into a trade. You could attend a trade school, which is only two years compared to two years. Compared to book knowledge, you will also learn a hard skill that employers will pay you forward.
Some current trades that are in demand are:
- Plumber
- Construction
- Electrician
- Elevator mechanic
- Car mechanic
- Boilermaker
- HVAC technician
- Rotary drill operator
- Home and building inspector
- Power plant operator
- Nuclear technician
- Industrial mechanic
- Truck driver
- CAD drafter
- Landscape architect
Note: some of these may require you to get a college degree. You will probably still need to get a certification. Check the job descriptions. Talk to anyone who works a job or position that interests you.
Shadow Someone
Do you know someone doing something you find interesting or think you may enjoy doing? You can ask the person you may see if you can shadow them. They may tell you “no.” But they may be intrigued that someone thinks what they do is interesting, not dull. They will need to check with the boss, and the company they work for is giving you a final answer. If they tell you “yes,” consider it an opportunity to learn firsthand what skills are required for a job.
Be sure to ask them what the dress code is like where they work. Depending on the company and the line of work, it could be anywhere from casual to business professional. You may also be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) form that legally prohibits disclosing anything about the company’s internal operations before you can officially shadow the person. This is to protect the business.
Internship
An internship is another option. You may be able to find an unpaid or paid internship. It will depend on the company’s industry. An internship will be a step up from shadowing someone. Most internships are only a few months to maybe a year.
You’ll be able to look online to see what internships are available near you. There may be some companies that are looking for interns. If you know of small to medium-sized businesses lacking someone in a position that could benefit the business, you could always email the company and ask to start as an intern. You could get hired if the firm finds your skills valuable and can afford to pay you after testing your skillset.
This could be a strategy to create your position within a business. You could make your opportunity within a company if you offer the business skills it needs in the current economy. You will need to prove your worth first to the business.
Turn A Side Hustle Into An Online Business
While you could work a regular side hustle like driving for Uber or delivering food for Grubhub, you can’t turn that into an online business. You could learn some skills, pass an online certification (depending on the skill), then provide services on Fiverr or Upwork. Fiverr and Upwork are the two most well-known freelancing websites. You could make some money as a freelancer while you learn new skills.
Other side hustles you could do to start a website, substack, YouTube channel, write a book or e-book, affiliate marketing, find ways to create passive income streams, and build an online business. There is no one correct way to build an online business. You’ll need to know your strengths, skillset, then focus on developing those. In the beginning, it will only be you. Once you have revenue coming into your business, you can hire contractors and freelancers to do the work you are not good at doing or don’t enjoy.
[bctt tweet=”A business is the most powerful asset that anyone can have. It is a real asset. You won’t learn that in college.” username=”@secure_single”]
Bottomline
You have many more options than society presents to you. Society only offers one option to drive you toward its false solution. College is that one option. College is not worth going into debt for. You have other options where you could start to make money sooner and even make more than most college graduates, depending on the degree.
Views expressed in this article are the author’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of Secure Single. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not investment or financial advice. James Bollen is the author of Thriving Solo: How to Flourish and Live Your Perfect Life (Without A Soulmate). Now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon. Subscribe to Secure Single’s Substack for free!
People continue to lose trust in society’s institutions. The loss of trust in institutions is well-deserved.
Loss Of Trust In Institutions
[bctt tweet=”The institutions exist to serve the interests of the people who run them.” username=”@secure_single”]
People continue to lose confidence in society’s institutions. Our culture raised people to believe that the institutions were there to help them succeed. People were told society’s institutions were there for their benefit.
On the contrary, the institutions are there to maintain the status quo. The institutions are there to keep the people at the top in power in both the private and public sectors. Here are five institutions people have lost trust in.
Real Estate
Socar Chatmon-Thomas, who is a realtor in Austin, Texas, told The Guardian, “It’s pissing me off because somebody who went to school, got a degree, or otherwise did everything right and now has a job making $60,000 can’t buy a home” and is a “breach of the social contract.” The Motley Fool found that “home prices in the U.S. increased by 30% from 2020 to 2022,” while the “median home price increased by 416% from 1980 to 2020.” The Zillow Housing Value Index puts that typical home price in the United States at $355,852 (up 18.2% over the last year). Since real estate is a crucial way to build wealth and security, People have lost trust in realtors.
Since most younger people can no longer afford a house, they must find other solutions. One solution is leaving expensive countries like the United States to live in less expensive countries.
Higher Education
According to a 2018 Gallup poll, only 48% of Americans expressed “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education, “down from 57% in 2015.” There has been a loss of trust in the higher education system for several reasons. First, many people must go into debt to receive a college degree. Second, higher education does not prepare students for life. It teaches people to regurgitate information, be good students, pass a test, and become good employees. Third, the higher education system no longer teaches critical thinking and how students can learn to think for themselves. Fourth, people realize that the most successful people don’t have degrees. They learned by educating themselves through self-education. Finally, the higher education system is going the way of the dinosaurs as the university system will be replaced by digital alternatives: online education and digital courses. The last person you want to learn from is a professor.
[bctt tweet=”The higher education system is merely a business that society tells you that you must go to do well in life. As usual, our culture is wrong.” username=”@secure_single”]
Banks
Banks have also seen a decline and loss in trust. According to The Financial Brand, “Half of US adults say their trust in banks has declined over the past few years, although only 18% of Americans say the same about credit unions.” Reasons for loss of trust range from poor customer service to offering a low-interest rate for savings accounts. The Federal Reserve, and central banks, are cartels that do not serve the interests of the people but their self-interest. The centralized banking system is dated in the technology age.
There are now decentralized options to the centralized banking system with cryptocurrencies. You can also put some money into precious metals: gold and silver.
More people are learning how the financial system, specifically the banking system, works through YouTube Channels such as George Gammon. The more people know about how the modern monetary system functions. If you can, consider keeping as little money in the banks as possible.
Government
According to Pew Research, the public trust in government is near historic lows, with only 20% “who say they trust the government to do what is right just about always/most of the time.” Pew Research has also found that 65% of people polled say “most political candidates run for office to ‘serve their own personal interests.’” Investment Watch proves that 65% of people surveyed made correct observations, with Republicans and Democrats beating the S & P 500. According to a report by Unusual Whales in 2021, “Congress bought and sold nearly $290 million in stocks (corresponding to 3,500+ transactions by 105 members of Congress).” If you or I did that, it would be considered insider trading.
Politicians are not public servants. They are out for their self-interest. The greater good is a myth.
Medical System
There has been a loss of trust in the healthcare system. According to Deloitte Insights, “After an experience where they lost trust [with a healthcare provider], four out of five participants say there was nothing the provider/health system could do to make them return to the same provider or health system.” A Gallup Poll found that Americans’ trust in the medical system declined from 44% in 2020 to 38% in 2022.
The pandemic exposed the healthcare industrial complex for what it was and how it operates. People rightly became cynical and lost trust in doctors, hospitals, vaccine manufacturers, and government agencies such as the CDC and FDA. To make matters worse, Millennials experienced a ‘Vietnam War event’ in 2021 that went unnoticed by the medical system. The medical system also pushed masks. There have been more than 170 studies on the ineffectiveness of masks and harm. Here are more studies on masks.
If the medical system would push things onto patients that don’t work, what else has your primary care doctor been telling you that works that don’t?
Steve Kirsch and Dr. Mercola have investigated and asked the questions the medical system would never ask.
What could have caused so many healthy working-age adults to die?
Solution
Invest In Yourself
[bctt tweet=”It was always a lie that the institutions were there to help you. There are no public servants. Everyone naturally looks out for their self-interest.” username=”@secure_single”]
You can work to find ways to increase your income to buy a house. You could also consider moving to a less expensive country if you can work remotely or have an online business.
You focus on self-education. You can learn from people with experience by finding people who have mastered a topic or skills by learning on their own. You can learn from people online today. You can read blogs and watch YouTube videos. You can take digital courses.
You can find ways to keep as much of your money as possible to prevent the government from stealing it from you. You can find tax deductions. You can learn about the wealthy’s business strategies to pay as little tax as possible. You can find ways to keep more of your money which will help you.
You can learn about the history of money. You can learn about how the financial system works. You can become your own central bank by holding precious metals, cryptocurrencies, and owning real assets.
You can focus on your health. You can exercise. You can regularly go to the gym. You can follow a diet. You can eat healthy instead of consuming processed and fast foods. You can lose weight.
[bctt tweet=”No one is coming to save you. You can invest in yourself.” username=”@secure_single”]
Conclusion
It was never a good idea to rely on people and institutions you have no control over. The loss of trust in institutions results from more people realizing the institutions they were told to respect are self-serving. The best thing you can do is start focusing on yourself. Pursue your self-interest.
Views expressed in this article are the author’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of Secure Single. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not investment or financial advice. James Bollen is the author of Thriving Solo: How to Flourish and Live Your Perfect Life (Without A Soulmate). Now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon. Subscribe to Secure Single’s Substack for free!
We live in a society that wants you to be mediocre. Our culture encourages this by encouraging people to be consumers rather than producers. Society says there is nothing wrong with being addicted to entertainment, eating processed foods, or being in debt. Instead of being ordinary, be exceptional!
Be Exceptional In A Society That Wants You To Be Mediocre
Society Encourages Mediocrity
Modern society encourages mediocrity. It looks down on those who want to be different. People who want to separate themselves from the herd are pestered to rejoin the pack.
College To Career
Our culture wants you to be ordinary so you can be just like everyone else. You are told that you must go to college to be successful. After spending a minimum of four years in the higher education system, you are instructed to apply for jobs for which you may not have qualifications. You have no practical work experience. You have no hard skills. But you went along with what society said was the right way to become successful.
Job
You are told that the 9-5 jobs are your only option. Unless you can get a job in a high-paying field after college, you will likely find yourself among the 64% of Americans who live paycheck to paycheck.
Debt
You may find yourself among the “80% of Americans with consumer debt. Americans have $14 Trillion in debt collectively.” Society wants you to get into debt because debt is the foundation of America’s financial system. The system is based on debt. Debt is another form of slavery.
Media
The mainstream media wants you to pay attention to celebrities. People think it is cool to keep up with the Kardashians. The media wants you to be afraid. You are fearful you are on the defensive rather than on the offensive. You will continue to worry. The media may make you think that you lived through the worst pandemic in history or that nuclear war is threatened. You will remain fearful by listening to the media.
[bctt tweet=”The media pedals fear. This is true for both legacy media and alternative news media. ” username=”@secure_single”]
Social Media
Social media is not social. It is anti-social since you don’t have human contact with real people. Like the media, people can compare themselves to an influencer on Instagram or YouTube who appears to have everything: a nice house, a cool car, and a hot wife or handsome husband. It is there for you to look at.
5 Ways You Can Become Exceptional
Turn Off The TV
You can begin to turn off your television. This will help you to become less worried about the state of the world. You may eventually discover that you are less fearful of the world. You will then be able to focus more on yourself. You will gain more time in the day when you stop watching television.
Minimize Your Use Of Social Media
You could also minimize your use of social media to only the most helpful people you follow. You don’t always need to be logged in to social media platforms. You don’t have to check them every five minutes. What you miss likely won’t be very important. You can only look at it when you are taking a break between tasks for a break to watch content that will help you in some way.
Time Management
Go to bed at a consistent time each night. Wake up early to get more hours in your day to get tasks done on your to-do list. Make a goal of finishing one to three tasks each day. You could have a consistent sleep cycle. You could make it a plan to complete daily tasks. You will more likely achieve your life goals by managing your time.
Exercise
You could make a point to exercise each week. It could be as simple as going for a walk. Exercise could be spending a couple of hours at a gym doing cardio and lifting weights. Regular exercise will help make you more focused, have more energy, and incentivize you to follow a healthier diet. Exercise will help to improve your overall well-being.
Find Ways To Increase Your Income
Certifications
You have options today to build up your income. If you are in a career field that you enjoy, it could be studying for certifications that will make you more competitive in your industry. You can then ask your employer if they would pay for the certification test.
Side Gigs
You could work a side gig to bring in extra income. Some popular side gigs could be freelancing on sites like Fiverr and Upwork, driving for Uber, or delivering food on Grubhub. There are many options.
Start An Online Business
You can start a website to be the front door of your business. You can then work to build an email list to reach out to your most loyal subscribers once you have a product or service to sell. You can sell online merchandise, digital products (pdf, audio files, et cetera), and digital courses. When you have a range of products, you will have a range of price tiers to sell to your subscribers and customers.
Conclusion
Society does not want you not to achieve your full potential. Society’s institutions actively encourage you not to be exceptional. The financial system wants you to be a debt slave. The media companies want you to be an entertainment addict. It is up to you to decide to work on yourself to become exceptional in a mediocre culture.
Views expressed in this article are the author’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of Secure Single. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not investment or financial advice. James Bollen is the author of Thriving Solo: How to Flourish and Live Your Perfect Life (Without A Soulmate). Now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon. Subscribe to Secure Single’s Substack for free!
Are you contemplating spending at least four years of your life going to college? While this is by no means an exhaustive list. It concisely goes over the six reasons why college is a waste of time.
6 Reasons Why College Is A Waste Of Time
Go Into Debt
The worst thing that you can do is to get into debt. Unfortunately, the higher education system legitimizes debt through false promises to students. The educational, industrial complex says that if you pay your tuition and get your degree from us, you will make more money than if you didn’t attend college.
According to the Education Data Initiative, below are the average amount that students borrowed in 2022:
- The average federal student loan is $37,667.
- In one year, 31.8% of students borrow money to pay for college.
- The average student borrows more than $30,000 to attend school.
Going into debt is the worst financial decision anyone can make. Going into debt for an overpriced worthless piece of paper for a degree that does not benefit you is foolish. You are stupid if you do this. Hopefully, you will learn the hard way if you decide to go this route.
Don’t Learn Any Hard Skills
Most of what college teaches are soft skills and book knowledge, not hard skills. Hard skills are what you must learn for an employer to hire you. Soft skills are excellent, but you don’t need them to complete a job successfully. Colleges overemphasize soft skills with group work.
Classes misrepresent what is required for a job by having students practice in hypothetical labs that the university controls. Hint: these labs are nothing like the real thing.
Hard skills are the skills that employers care about: plumbing, woodworking, sales, coding, data management, website design, fixing a car, or running a profitable business. College does not teach you those skills. At least not enough students are going to college to learn STEM because it is difficult. Those are the skills employers care about, not basket weaving or gender studies. It would help if you knew those jobs on the job.
Waste Time Partying
Our culture portrays college, and some parents legitimatize partying in college. While having a good time in life is good, always partying, drinking, and hooking up with people does not encourage a healthy culture. It also does not instill good values in the next generation. You can spend your time how you want and do what you want. That is fine, but that is different from what has become culturally acceptable for students to behave in college.
This is why we now have terms like hoe phase, which applies to men and women. Our culture approves and encourages this behavior.
Teach People To Give Up Self-Responsibility
Colleges teach people to give up self-responsibility at a young age. Universities teach students to respect “experts” who spent too many years living in the fantasy world of academia instead of in the real practical world of life. People in their late teens and twenties should not be taught to respect “experts” or “authorities,” They should be encouraged to question authorities. Young people need to learn to think for themselves instead of regurgitating answers to please a professor.
The higher education system is one reason we are where we are today as a society. People have become afraid of responsibility because they didn’t have to practice self-responsibility in college. They only had to go to class. Pass a test. Suck up to a professor.
Learn From Professors
Professors are the last people you want to learn from. Professors think that because they have a Ph.D., are tenured at a university, and write papers for academic journals. They are the best things to walk the earth. It’s the opposite. Professors are the most boring people. They were only good at passing tests. Professors were superb at telling their professors what they wanted to hear on those tests to get high marks.
Academics contribute the least to society. That is why you don’t want to learn from academics. Professors only will tell you to read some books in college. They will then go over the concepts you need to know to pass your exams. Professors don’t teach you hard skills. The only reason professors have a job is that they never left the world of academia.
The reality is that most professors probably wouldn’t make it in the private sector, hence why they are teaching students at a university. That is a red flag that professors are not the people you want to learn from.
Delay Making Money
Ultimately, you are delaying making money because you believe the marketing that colleges tell you that you will make more money with a college degree compared to without a degree. The Education Data Initiative writes, “Considering student loan interest and loss of income, the ultimate cost of a bachelor’s degree can exceed $500,000.”
You want to make money as soon as possible. There are lots of creative ways to make money today with the Internet. You don’t need a college degree for that. You don’t need an overpriced piece of paper to do most things.
Conclusion
There are many different ways that you can learn today. You don’t need to attend a legacy higher education system for that. You may even be able to find something that pays you sooner. That way, you don’t lose out on making an income while in college.