I’ll admit that this article could be emotional for some people. Having a college degree is their greatest achievement for many people, and they couldn’t imagine life not having one. They will proudly send their kids off to college all day, every day.
I always had a different mindset. I graduated high school with a 4.3-grade point average—I was smart. However, I took a different path. I went directly into the Marine Corps ten days after high school.
Today, I make $140,000/year with no college degree. Furthermore, I have written more words and released more written content than most college graduates. I have nothing against college; because an intelligent person is smart with or without a degree.
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The challenge. Today, I will put my son’s future to the test in the comparison of a lifetime. Would it be more beneficial to attend a four-year college or spend that time becoming a content creator?
I want to make this as fair as possible so let’s set the ground rules. My son will live at home for both adventures. For this article, there will be no college costs. We will pretend that we used real estate to pay for college.
So, we will compare both of these paths on their merits alone. It will be challenging, but we will come to the best possible conclusion by being honest with ourselves. Let’s begin.
Education. The most critical part of either journey is education. My son will have to take a prescribed course to obtain a degree in a specific career path in college.
For content creation, he can read what he wants. Reading is the most critical part of being a content creator. We always have to push our minds to the limit to have a fresh slate of content to publish.
My son will have professors who can help and mentor him in college. Luckily, for creating content, I can assist him with forming a solid path. Not every parent is a content creator, so I recommend reading and learning along with their kids.
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Career Outlook. According to stats on Finder.com, 40% of college graduates are not working in the same field as their degrees. That’s understandable because life sometimes takes an unpredictable turn. There are many reasons that people take jobs outside of their degree, including location, time, commute, and pay.
I wasn’t in my career path in the Marines for all 23 years. They moved me (and used me) as they saw fit. That’s a part of life, and no amount of preparation will prevent someone from needing to take a random job at some point.
Content creators are more in control of their time. I highly recommend starting and focusing on one of the six career tracks. There are probably more, but here are the ones I wrote articles about: music, photography, art & design, video, audio & speech, and writing.
My son would want to spend the first four years drilling down into one of these paths, eventually becoming a subject matter expert. Something is unique about devoting eight hours a day to learning one particular subject.
Freedom & Money. This is where things become emotional. Who has the higher earning potential throughout their lives—the college graduate or content creator?
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Easy, the content creator—here’s why. The content creator produces work that becomes assets. These assets are the same as dividend-paying stocks and income-producing real estate. Each asset the content creator produces can make money while they sleep.
I made $560 in my first year as a writer. I started with zero assets, and now I am starting 2022 with 337 books. I don’t advertise or promote my books. I already have a full-time job, and I am doing this because I love writing.
However, I can increase my income by marketing and advertising. I can build my email list more aggressively, among other ways to monetize my work. I am saying that I can increase my income three or four-fold, all passively.
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Hopefully, a college graduate will have a great job waiting for him upon graduation. Let’s say my son finds a job earning $80,000/year in north Florida. That is a good chunk of change up there.
However, my son is then exchanging time for money. During his work, he is not producing assets. He is climbing the corporate ladder, precisely the path I took in the military.
I believe someone focused solely on content creation can make more than $80,000/year after four years of hard work. There are just so many ways to monetize your assets. “Creating Income Streams” is one of my favorite books exploring multiple income streams.
The power of assets. The most powerful thing in the world of finance is owning assets. Once you create assets, you just need to find a way to promote and exploit them. Let’s look at what my son could create in four years.
- Music- 200 instrumental beat songs
- Photography- 100,000 stock photos
- Art & Design- 100 NFTs
- Video- 400 YouTube videos
- Audio- 1,000 podcast episodes
- Writing- 40 book mystery series
These assets can follow my son for the rest of his life. He need only add more content at his leisure to continue the hype train.
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From here, my son can then go to college, get a job, or double down on content creation. He will have a steady stream of income coming in from his works as long as he positions his content for people to find.
The college graduate is starting just like everyone else—no assets, new job, and a tiny clue about what’s happening. A college degree is the starting point to a new life.
Personal growth. Who do you think has had more personal growth over these four years? It depends, right? My son could have made some great friends and mentors at college, maybe even found a future wife.
Hopefully, as a content creator, he can attend some expos and conventions with like-minded creators. He will have become an entrepreneur, which is the best outcome anyone could achieve (my opinion, of course).
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I have a different mindset after releasing 300+ books this year. I released my content to the market, and the market spoke. I had to listen to the market to become stronger and grow. I became an entrepreneur, and it was amazing to develop from military dude to entrepreneur.
Conclusion. I am 100% biased because of this statement, “The mindset of an entrepreneur is always growing and involving. An employee always has someone to blame for inaction or lack of productivity.”
I just made up this quote, but it consolidates many passages from books like “Unfair Advantage,” “Company of One,” and “The 4-Hour Workweek.”
I prefer the content creation route because it builds my son into an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur knows how to solve problems at a profit. If he can keep his greed under control, an entrepreneur will never go hungry.
I love my time in the Marines as an employee. I learned a lot of things I couldn’t know working alone in my room. I learned about interpersonal relationships, conflict resolution, and leadership under fire.
However, becoming an entrepreneur is the most extensive growth I have ever achieved (outside of marriage). I am 100% in control of my time, and I have to do what’s most efficient for my business at all times.
Learning to be an entrepreneur at a young age will set anyone up for success throughout life. For me, shedding my employee mindset was extremely difficult. Learning to think and move like a business person is how you guarantee your family’s survival.
For this reason, the article comes down to employee vs. entrepreneur, and I choose entrepreneur (content creator). Thanks for reading. If this article surprised you, please let me know by joining my Facebook Group.
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