Is higher learning worth it? Or is snowboarding a legitimate alternative?
Many parents see college as a requirement for their children. They see it as a ticket to a better life and a better job for their kids. Not many see snowboarding or skiing as a smart life choice. Really, they should reconsider.
Here’s what college costs the average student:
- 5 years of their life (the average student finishes in 5 years, not 4)
- $25k+ in student loans, $100k+ if they want to go to prestigious university
Is it worth it? Let’s have a look at some arguments that justify this cost of time and money.
1) Kids learn to socialize in college
If by ‘socialize’ you mean ‘drink a lot of alcohol and have lots of sex’ than yes, kids do learn a lot about ‘socializing’ at college. I’m not sure how this is different from what a kid can do anywhere else.
Spend a season living at staff accommodation at a big ski resort and you can learn just as much about ‘socializing’ as you would at college for a fraction of the cost and time.
2) Kids learn how to ‘think’ at college
If by ‘thinking’ you mean ‘repeat exactly what your lecturer wants you to think’. College is just another way to avoid the real world for another 4-5 years. You learn more about thinking by going out and living your life, instead of putting yourself inside a bubble for 4-5 years and parroting back whatever professors tell you.
You can spend 4-5 years snowboarding/skiing and that will teach you just as much, if not more about learning how to think and master new skills and it’ll cost a lot less too.
3) College graduates make more money than non-college graduates
This is probably one of the most misleading statistics ever. It’s constantly quoted by every university and college in an attempt to get your kids to come to their college.
Why it’s wrong:
Who’s to say that college is the reason that college graduates make more money? Take 100 college graduates and 100 kids who never went to college. Of course the 100 who went to college are more motivated to succeed and make more money. There’s no proof that college is the reason they’re making more money.
Now instead, take 200 kids who are going to college and force 100 of them to quit. Now see if the 100 who quit ended up making less money. I think you’d be surprised at what a motivated kid can do without spending 4-5 years of their time and $25k in college.
So how about snowboarding? It opens just as many doors for someone who’s motivated to succeed and earn money.
How about my friend Nev at Snowboard Addiction who sold 17,000+ dvds and snowboard training videos in the last year. That was thanks to his experience in snowboarding and snowboard coaching.
Or how about Anthony over at Vivo Headwear who started his own headwear and clothing company that now does collaborations with huge names like Red Bull? Or how about the hundreds of other snowboard companies started by ex-pro snowboarders?
Did you know one of the leading executives at Quiksilver is a former snowboard pro who got his opportunity thanks to his former links to the company? Sure he had to work his way to the top, but it was because of snowboarding that he got that chance.
Final thoughts
So, I know I came off pretty anti-college, but really I’m not. There are legitimate careers that require college degrees such as law or medicine or engineering. However, not every person is destined for or will be happy in these careers.
For other careers like business, college is like spending 4-5 years and $25k+ in exchange for a chance at more job interviews. Personally, I can think of easier, less expensive ways to get job interviews. Never underestimate what a little creativity and passion can do to get you a job.
Heck, did you know Steve Jobs got one of his first jobs at Atari by walking in and demanding they give him a job? Never forget that many careers have come from following passions such as snowboarding. Also, don’t think that snowboarding would mean just lazing around all day.
Snowboarding might mean working on becoming a level 4 instructor, coaching or even starting your own business in the snow industry. That’s what I ended up doing and that’s exactly how many businesses in the snow industry began.
At the end of the day, you should consider your options carefully because just like going to college, there are advantages to snowboarding and following your passions.
- Jed
|  |
I said fuck college nearly 10 years ago and don’t regret it one bit. It’s not for everyone and I felt it wasn’t giving me the experience I wanted. I went to work in a shop that I got fired from that taught me more about business than I would have learned in college. Now I’m doing what I want how I want and it’s starting to pay off.
I wish I would have read this sooner lol. I am literally a few weeks away from graduating with a bachelors in communication. Snowboarding has become my life and it has taught me more about myself, goals and drive than I ever thought possible. Sad news is, since I graduate mid-season, I’m having a rather difficult time finding a job out west so I can envelope myself in the culture finally. Then again, I might have to let go of what college has filled my head with and start from $9 an hour scratch again… Still, I’d be living my dream!
Oh well, the way I see it, nothings a total waste – even college – as long as you made some friends along the way and got to experience some good times. Despite how useless I found college, some of my best friends are people I met in college.
In the end, I say go for your dreams. The average person starts a whole new career several times in their life, best to get it done early while you’re young and mobile
Besides happiness doesn’t have a price in my opinion. Way too many people stuck in jobs they hate just because it pays a little better.
Jed I believe it’s 9 times that the average person finds a new job/starts a new career. I’ll be honest to the college grad you’re going to the bottom of the barrel regardless of that education of yours that’s the real world right now. I don’t know how many jobs I’ve interviewed for that my experience trumped people with bachelors and masters due to them having 0 real world experience.
I went to school, followed my career path and ended up in a very dark place. I now submerse myself in the snowboard world. I have debt from school and a car from a job that I though I would have forever. I have to make monthly payments on my student loans. It puts a damper on dreams when everything you earn is put into your past. Snowboarding has given me more then a piece of paper could ever. Jed, great article man.
Thanks Are! Appreciate it.
hmmm, yep. Definitely don’t agree with this article. I’ve been following your articles pretty much since you started Jed. Two points for you.
1) You do learn how to think at college. Being able to approach problems in a structured way and apply subject matter knowledge is growth man. That’s how we went from cave men, to shaved cave men, to the men who engineered the chair lifts you ride every day. College minds are the ones advancing the human race.
2) Motivation only gets you so far. I won’t go in to too much detail here but a college degree is a required ticket to play today man. Let’s see how your motivated non college kids go at a reputable professional services firm….oh wait…they’ll need a degree to even get in the door.
.
You need to at least acknowledge that people would be better off getting a degree before becoming a full time snow bum. If 10 years down the track they realise they are sick of it they won’t have to buy a squeegy and bucket…
I’m sorry to say that these articles are very narrow minded Jed. We all know you are loving your lifestyle living in the mountains, hating careers n such. But you need to keep it likeable for everyone man. This is shiftylifty signing out…
I think you might have misunderstood the blog a little. I don’t think careers are bad, in fact, I think any smart snowboarder will be working on some means to support themselves in the future. I myself run my own company in my spare time, so it’d be hypocritical for me to say careers are a bad thing.
I don’t think people should be lazy, rather I think college is an inflated piece of paper these days.
Just two counter points:
1) I believe in learning by yourself rather than relying on college to tell you that you have to learn x, y or z. I myself read about 1 business/marketing/programming book per week.
Never stop learning and consuming knowledge. Ever. But I think learning at college is inefficient compared to picking the most important courses yourself and learning just the good stuff. I believe it was Steve Jobs himself who dropped out of college to pick and choose to attend only the classes he wanted to learn from.
2) I do agree that kids need more than just motivation to get a job usually, but I believe there are better alternatives to a college degree.
For example, many employers these days employ based on real world experience. Particularly in fields related to the internet or business. Real world experience such as running a company can be taught for cheaper than most college degrees and offer more knowledge and lessons than you get from college.
I have nothing against people who want to go to college, but I think for most degrees, there are better alternatives to securing a future for you.
For some reason people seem to think I advocate slacking off and doing nothing with your life as a snow bum. I don’t. I think have fun, but also be working on some sort of goal and future for yourself at the same time.
I don’t know maybe it’s just me but there’s something to college degree. It’s probably that I know I won’t be able to be a professional snowboarder, or owning a snowboard shop, or even a business in general.
This article makes me question my possibilities without a doubt which is annoying because I’ve spent so much on college already but now it’s too late. I’m to far down to quit now.
I don’t regret it though but again that just may be my look on life–not regretting anything. I do wish I lived closer to the mountains, the midwest and southwest are no place for a snowboarder to live.
Well if you’re nearly finished, must as well finish
I agree that you shouldn’t regret anything. Even if you don’t get much from college career wise, I always think that everything up to this point in time has made you what you are.
Personally, I spent a year in college and I made some life long friends that I’m still close with to this day. It also taught me what I didn’t want and taught me to question and change things when I think they can be done better.
Nothings a complete waste as long as you learn from it or had some good times, at least that’s my opinion
I bet you went to a college in the rockies somewhere. Somewhere where the mountains are close.
..Jealous.
Heh I wish! I went to college in Australia so I actually had to quit and fly halfway around the world to see real powder in Canada.