College & Beyond

Trades, apprenticeships, military service, starting a business — all are valid paths to a great life. College is right for many people, but going just because "everyone does" is how people end up $80,000 in debt with a degree they don't use.

Go to class. Do the reading. Show up to office hours. The students who treat college casually get casual results. The ones who show up like it matters? They build networks, get mentors, and graduate with momentum.

Unless you're going into medicine, law, or engineering, your specific major is far less important than the skills you build. Communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to learn fast — these are what employers actually care about.

Your college network — professors, classmates, alumni — is one of the most valuable things you'll take with you. Go to events. Build real relationships. The person sitting next to you in class might hire you someday, or you might hire them.

Student loans are real money that future-you has to pay back with interest. Go to a school you can afford. Apply for every scholarship. Work part-time. The degree from the affordable state school and no debt beats the prestigious school with $150k in loans almost every time.

Whatever you spend on learning — time, money, effort — comes back to you multiplied. A skill learned today compounds for the rest of your life. Education is the one investment that can never be taken from you.

You do not need to have every step of your life planned out. You just need to know which direction you are headed. A clear sense of purpose will guide you through uncertainty far better than a rigid plan that breaks at the first surprise.

No one is fanatically shouting that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. When people are fanatically dedicated to beliefs or goals, it is always because those things are in doubt. Real confidence does not need to announce itself, defend itself, or attack anyone who disagrees. If you catch yourself getting loud about a belief, ask what doubt you might be covering up.

Focus is the meta-anchor — how you tend all other eight areas of your life. Whatever you focus on grows; whatever you neglect drifts. Multitasking reduces productivity by 40%. The practice: daily deep work blocks of 60-90 minutes with zero interruption, phone-free zones during important activities, and ruthless protection of your attention. This is especially critical if you have ADHD — systems and environment design beat willpower every time.