“Dropped out of school, now we dumb rich.” - Drake, circa 2016.
A college degree was once the pathway to financial freedom for many, but it looks like things have changed.
Students nowadays are plagued with mounds of student loan debt, with the ROI sometimes never “PEMDASing” it. With an economy changed by a global pandemic and now, the looming threat of a recession, it’s no wonder that people are seeking alternatives to higher education. Digging yourself into thousands of dollars of student loan debt only to find out that the job market is full of underpaying jobs that require years of experience isn’t exactly fulfilling.
Makers Tarlon Khoubyari and Naomi Thomas picked up on a “mass exodus” from higher education and created their own solution—Infinity Careers (∞edu). From self-paced certifications to bootcamps, there’s a whole new world of possibilities that don’t require a college degree. ∞edu taps into that world, and seeks to answer the burning question many have—”how do I get into tech?”
“The real tea,” as Tarlon puts it, is that you can have a lucrative career without going to college. In partnership with LinkedIn Learning, Skillshare, and Coursera, ∞edu “hand selects” the best courses for you to break into the tech world.
The course creators take a brand approach to the curriculum, dissecting job descriptions from top startups to learn what you’d need in order to land a role there. Want to become a Video & Animation Producer at Spotify? ∞edu matches you with courses that may help you achieve that.
Alternatives to higher education may not be the right fit for everyone, but products like ∞edu are likely not going anywhere. We’ve seen other types of products in a similar space— from networking tools based on skills to indie hacker guides — the options grow with the desire for a tech career.
What do you think—is it easier to drop out of school and become dumb rich these days?
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