Rating: 8/10

Recommendations

The future of school provides an interesting argument against the traditional college approach. The book spells out a clear framework for an individualized education that we can use outside of an institution. I recommend this book to anyone skeptical about college.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Fulfillment is a journey, not a destination.

Children create, as they have free time because adults provide for them.

Adults have to produce and exchange to meet their needs.

Often, we can have the best of both worlds. Learning is not opposed to fun, work is not opposed to playing, fulfilling is not opposed to practical, and teacher is not opposed to student.

Today, conventional schooling is a one-size-fits-all approach instead of an organic, non-linear, and individualized journey. Homeschooling allows for individualization, but can miss out on socialization.

The Seven Elements of an Ideal Education

1. Confidence
2. Experience
3. Universal Skills
4. Knowledge
5. Network
6. Abstract Thinking
7. Special Skills

Confidence:: Believing that the effort we put in will improve our results.

Experience:: Doing stuff.

Experience builds confidence.

Universal Skills:: Walking, talking, reading, writing, driving, computer skills, and basic math.

Knowledge:: Basic facts about the world and human nature.

Abstract Thinking:: The ability to see broader patterns, theorize, and conclude.

Special Skills:: Knowledge and ability unique to our vocation.

We can develop the different elements of the seven elements of an ideal education simultaneously.

Telling kids they can do anything does not produce confidence. We can’t do anything, and children will become distrustful when they fail.

Children act like entrepreneurs by nature. They test for solutions, receive feedback, and adjust. This produces confidence.

The goal of early schooling is to teach universal skills and knowledge.

We need universal skills to gain special skills.

We often associate network, abstract thinking, and special skills with higher education.

We can only network by immersing ourselves with other humans.

Find niches of groups that connect with you and cultivate those connections.

The internet allows for worldwide networking.

Abstract thinking is difficult to teach without the aid of other thinkers, writers, and teachers. The group provides exposure to novel ideas and viewpoints.

We developed special skills through experience, ideally with a mentor.

The value of special skills comes from their scarcity, hence the name special.

There is a high opportunity cost to developing special skills, so we should find our passions and interests before heading too far down a particular path.

Why College is No Longer the Ideal Path

College is the dominant path for more opportunities.

Many attend college without an obvious idea of what they want. This is costly.

College has two costs: debt and opportunity cost.

School has become so rigid that it has shut out the experience that leads to confidence.

School divorces real-world value from the learner.

K-12 schooling is useless for cultivating a network, getting specialized skills, or developing abstract thinking.

Because of poor schooling in K-12, most students arrive at college lacking necessary universal skills. So, college education has downgraded, becoming a place that focuses on universal skills rather than only abstract thinking and specialized skills. In this regard, college is the new high school.

Because the educational quality in college has downgraded, the degree has become a baseline indicator for employers.

The information cost of finding outstanding employees is high, so companies use anything that signals a candidate doesn’t have the requisite skills (not having a college degree) as a heuristic. They do not consider the candidate or they consider them after other candidates.

Degrees have become a baseline requirement for many jobs, driving young people to college, which drives up the price of a degree. This would not be possible without the prevalence of subsidized loans.

It has become culturally acceptable to go into debt for education, houses, or vacation.

Colleges lobby governments to avoid changing the educational system, as this system is profitable for the universities.

People still go to college because they believe it’s valuable. Kids are told in school to go to college, or else they’ll end up working a low-paying job.

The problem with college is it’s hard to determine a desired career without first-hand experience. College emphasizes lectures and textbooks, rather than experience.

The humanities often teach students to fear or mistrust capitalism, which is silly since college is supposed to prepare us for the job market, a capitalist invention.

The reason college is dying is that education has become much cheaper and ubiquitous with the internet.

The qualities that make an entrepreneur (not conforming, breaking rules) are the opposite of what the school system teaches.

Experience and schooling should be complementary.

Entrepreneurship is more efficient than politics at causing change.

Tips to Achieve Good Career

We can achieve almost everything in college better and cheaper elsewhere.

Our philosophy, education, and career path should feed each other.

Exploring is costly. Don’t use college to explore your interests. Explore them via free classes and internships.

We shouldn’t fear how we compare to our peers.

If the interest isn’t there, don’t put your energy into it. If it’s there, go all out.

We always get more out of the things we choose to do instead of the things we’re forced to do, as agency increases motivation.

Work ethic can overcome knowledge deficit, but innate talent cannot overcome work ethic.

If the process isn’t fun, we’re doing it wrong.

If the process isn’t hard, we’re doing it wrong.

Push your imagination to see yourself as capable of great things.

What Causes Societal Change

Politics is not the source of social change. Rather, it is the last domino that falls in response to cultural shifts.

Politicians only change policies when it is in their best interest. Otherwise, they risk losing reelection. So, only when the cultural majority favors change will policy change occur.

Politics biases towards the status quo until there is sufficient evidence that change is necessary. This helps politicians stay in office.

Public choice theory has found that special interest groups reward politicians for passing policies that benefit those groups. This often comes at the cost of the public good.

Public choice theory struggles with accounting for changing beliefs. Some policies are out of bounds because no matter how much special interests favor them, the public would never allow it.

Incentives form institutions, and our beliefs constrain incentives. The public controls beliefs, therefore the public is the primary driver of political change.

Large societal changes only occur when beliefs shift.

The two drivers of belief change are ideas and experiences.

Ideas are the data that form beliefs.

We are emotional creatures, so a powerful experience can sway our beliefs, even if irrational.

Why Experience Should Drive Education

It’s not realistic to stick to one career, as jobs are changing fast.

Ask yourself, how are you building the seven elements of an ideal education?

Every victory, no matter how small, is a source of confidence.

We can gain experience by working, reading, writing, networking, taking classes, performing hobbies, traveling, etc.

Each new experience provides information on what we like and don’t like.

We should look for experiences that help us overcome fear and insecurity.

In the beginning, pick low-risk experiences with tremendous potential upside.

Look for experiences where failure will lead to the accumulation of new skills and the opening of new doors.

Make a list of the skills you find valuable, find the ones you’re not good at, do the work, and ask people for feedback.

It’s valuable to find the skills we don’t want to master.

The source of knowledge is curiosity.

Teaching is a method of acquiring knowledge, as it consolidates our knowledge of a subject.

Teachers are guides to help find good questions and places to look.

We are a brand. Everything we share influences how others perceive us.

Our reputation is an asset.

Grow a diverse network.

Abstract thinking is what college originally focused on.

The good life is an examined life.

Specialization is a great path to material success.

The cost of re-specializing increases the higher our income rises and the longer we take to re-specialize.

Don’t put your eggs in one basket too early.

Finding skills we want to cultivate takes all the other elements, trial and error, self-honesty, and feedback from others.

When we want to develop a specialized skill, we should never assume the dominant distribution mechanism is the best.

The primary reason people go to college is to gain a signal of value.

Degrees mean almost nothing for entrepreneurs.

Have endorsements for your brand. These can include classes, tests, past quotes from employers, customers, or clients, tangible products created, published writings, or certifications gained.

If you did not know about the past – how education and careers have been done – but only knowledge of the present and future, what kind of education would be the most optimal for a meaningful and productive life.

Our knowledge of opportunities and resources depends on our network.

Summary

College is dying because of the inflation of degrees and the lack of individualized education. However, because of the internet, more efficient and effective educational sources are prevalent. We can craft our own education by focusing on the seven elements of an ideal education.