Don’t confuse schooling with education. I didn’t go to Harvard but the people that work for me did. – Elon Musk

College is a bad option (for many people).

I remember thinking the traditional route of going to college was the only way to make it in life.

But let me tell you, I learned this the hard way.

Over the years, I learned that most people who want a well-paid, highly fulfilling career end up failing.

Why?

Conventional advice leads to conventional results

Fitting into a group never worked for me. If this sounds like you, keep reading.

Here are some reasons why people fail at creating their ideal life:

• They aren’t building high-value skills.

• They listen to people who aren’t fulfilled themselves.

• They don’t reflect on the natural talents they already have.

• They aren’t aware of the options that support their unique learning style.

Today, I'm sharing the route I took that led me to the amazing work-life balance that everyone dreams of.

In next week's article, I’ll weigh out my personal pros and cons of traditional and newer forms of education so you may choose your path wisely.

Let’s hop in!

My “Rags to Riches” Story

Your Mom Goes to College

In 2012, I started college having no idea what I wanted to major in.

I had many interests but I was told, “You need to choose one and do it for the rest of your life.”

This concept stuck in my head.

My parents didn’t go to college so this was “naturally” my next step.

University was a rollercoaster, and I didn’t wear a seatbelt at first.

In sophomore year I hit a wall.

• I had social anxiety

• An addiction to video games and other online media

• Lived in a dorm with high-energy roommates that seemed to have it all figured out.

I dropped out twice and lost the one scholarship I had.

Even though I preferred to keep to myself, the college experience pulled me in.

I partied more than I should have, losing sight of my true goals and chasing the wrong achievements.

Overthinking, overwhelm, and lack of direction made me feel out of place.

How does an introvert like me make it in a world of hustle and bustle?

After many highs and lows, depressions and rebounds, I pulled myself from the trenches.

I settled on Kinesiology while building my body to greek god levels in 2015 (after a breakup).

A passion for fitness gave me a leg to stand on but it wasn't exactly the most lucrative field nor did it pan out perfectly as I imagined.

Here’s the kicker: I was lazy, I wasn’t disciplined (other than hitting the gym), and I didn’t know how to prioritize my life let alone my day.

A lot of good came of it though:

• Got into powerlifting and bodybuilding

• Met my wife, had 2 kids, and got married

• Joined a fraternity and built networking skills

• Got clients that helped me grow and get testimonials

But all that fun led to burnout in a sales job and feeling broken once again.

At the time, I had to leave the job and find something more sustainable, especially with a baby living in a bad neighborhood apartment.

The Big Scare

Clearly, my life was a mess.

I had to take a warehouse job that would pay the bills.

Lifting weights was fun but I was not built for manual labor!

It was rough working in a freezer, 12-hour days, and timed for delivering with our jobs on the line.

Sadly, I only saw my family at night.

I tried to keep my spirits high but it was slowly fading as I’d toss boxes of food cans on a pallet 100s of times.

One day I was showering at my apartment after a long shift.

My wife and son were in the living room

Then…BOOM!

My wife busted the door open, “I heard gunshots!”

Someone was shot outside our apartment in the parking lot just 100 feet from our unit.

Fear and anxiety hit us like a freight train.

This sparked a light in my brain: we cannot live like this anymore.

The Tech Turnaround

Less than a month later, I exchanged texts with an old fraternity friend who mentioned a new boot camp she joined.

“The program is only 6 months”

“You learn based on coding projects”

“The average starting salary is $74,000”

“You learn job skills that employers actually need”

“They guarantee to land you a job or your money back”

My eyes lit up and I jumped on a call right away!

I stumbled upon the tech industry and coding boot camps.

Apparently, you could get a job as a software engineer or data scientist or similar with the program.

People like teachers, healthcare workers, and food servers were becoming techies.

My mind was blown!

This ignited a flame in me that could not be fizzled.

A light had dawned upon us in a time of turmoil.

The next 6 months I became unrecognizable – I had never been so determined in my life.

The lazy guy who took things for granted didn't exist anymore.

He became a dedicated father who decided to take his future into his own hands.

Programming my Future

I learned that there were 2 programs Data Science and Web Development.

I took a deep look at my strengths and what I excelled in:

• Problem-solving

• Analysis

• Design

• Logic

Tech was far more aligned with my abilities and interests.

I took many math and science classes back at uni that I excelled at.

This wasn’t a requirement but it helped me choose the program that I believed was the best fit.

So, I left my warehouse job in 2020 and became unemployed for a year (during the pandemic no less).

I joined the boot camp my friend sold me on, Codeup.

It was a 22-week Data Science Bootcamp that taught me the skills and tools that the booming data industry needed with a project portfolio to showcase.

I took the time to learn networking on LinkedIn, tightened my resume, and used resources like David Paykin, Samantha Sloan, Morgan Medoza, and Wonsulting.

For 4 months I faced nothing but rejection, but all of a sudden, 3 job offers came in and I accepted the best one.

This was one of the most joyous days of my life.

As a Machine Learning Engineer, I make nearly 3x my old salary, enjoy my job, and work remotely.

This new phase of life was exactly what I imagined back then when we hit rock bottom.

You know what everyone says about writing your ideal life and reverse engineering it.

This was my ideal vision!

Now I get to spend more time with family and thrive in an environment where I can control my lifestyle choices and learn every day.

This article I’m writing to you wouldn’t be possible without this journey.

My new goals are to get certifications, monetize my writing online, and build my family’s dream home on the 1-acre property we bought last year!

Closing Thoughts

So how does this benefit you?

Well, for starters, please learn from my mistakes!

You don't have to go to college or follow a traditional career path to be successful.

For me, a boot camp was a good balance of self and guided learning.

Takeaways:

• Get to know yourself

• Build out your own path

• Learn through experimentation

• Avoid unnecessary mistakes if possible

Next week, I'll do a full breakdown of the pros and cons of college, boot camps, and self-study methods from my experience.

Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss it!

See you then!

Resources:

• Content OS: Set up a framework for content creation around your interests to attain internal fulfillment and financial freedom! Check out the article on creating your own content.

• 2-Hour Writer: Learn a marketable skill by writing 1-2 hours per day that translates to a professional upgrade, starting a business, or bringing clarity to your overactive mind.

• Modern Mastery: Join a like-minded group of individuals committed to content creation, starting a one-person business, and networking with others on the path to self-mastery.

• Hypefury: Tired of posting your content manually? Schedule unlimited tweets and save your ideas in a simple dashboard. I schedule all my tweets on Sunday saving me hours per week! (Also post to IG, FB, and LinkedIn) + many more features!

Read the previous letters on the blog.