How to Plan a Gap Year
A gap year can be an incredible experience for any young person who wants to get experience outside traditional school. But without a roadmap, it can be easy to let an entire year slip past without gaining any real value from the time you take away from school. “Take advantage of the under-appreciated resource that […]
College Alternatives: 2020’s Top Examples
College alternatives are rapidly expanding. Praxis is not the only option for today’s opt-outs! The entire education landscape is changing. College is dead, information is advancing faster than ever, and many individuals are realizing that the traditional path is not always the best path. While society chooses to focus on education reform from within, the […]
College is Dead: Now, How to Convince Your Parents
We are living in a time where young people have a louder, more influential voice than they ever have before. There are teenagers running their own companies because they have the resources and because they have the guts. The internet has provided us with an opportunity. We have information at our fingertips, at any time […]
Dear Concerned Parents
It’s hard to be a teenager. Everyone believes they have the perfect plan for your life. They all have suggestions of which college you should attend, for how long, and what you should do after you finish. By the time many kids finish high school, the pressure is so strong that they feel they have […]
Following Your Dreams, Dropping Out of School, & Doing Creative Work
Here are some of the assertions I defend on my recent appearance on The Ground Up Show: College isn’t for everyone. You don’t need to become the next Steve Jobs in order to justify your decision to opt-out of school. College degrees have been useful in the past because they served the function of signaling […]
The Magic of Building Your Own
Trying to land your first web developer job, but feeling shaky on some of the fundamentals? Looking back on my career, I’ve come to realize that one of the most powerful tools for learning I’ve experienced is a deceptively simple idea: build your own. There’s no substitute for hands-on experience, and the beauty of programming […]
Top 10 Ways to Love Your Job (No Matter What You Do)
Sometimes when you’re in the early stages of your career, you have to do something less than glamorous. By sometimes I mean ‘most of the time.’ Very rarely do we get to start our careers by launching into our dream jobs. Even when we’re lucky enough to work at our dream companies, we have to […]
Our Favorite Homeschool Articles (And Why You Should Read Them)
At Praxis, we love homeschoolers. Their motivation to learn hasn’t been crushed. They’ve built things instead of simply studying for a test. These are some of our favorite articles supporting education at home. Why I Homeschool by Penelope Trunk Penelope Trunk started writing her blog to figure out whether she wanted to homeschool or not. […]
Top 10 Ways to Develop Personal Freedom as a Young Adult
1. Scrap the permission-based mindset. Waiting for permission is the fastest way to surrender your personal freedom and autonomy. You don’t need someone to say something is okay. If you know it’s right, based on examination and reflection, then go and do it. You don’t need someone’s accreditation to launch into the professional world. Build […]
What’s the difference between the Praxis application process and the college application process?
Praxis is untraditional, therefore so is our application process. The program is a challenge and an adventure. Getting accepted is highly competitive. Not everyone is up to it. Successful Praxis participants bring various skill sets and experiences to the table, but what they all have in common is a forward tilt, self-motivated attitude, intellectual curiosity, […]
4 Tips to Accelerate Your Apprenticeship Experience
An apprenticeship offers the perfect learning environment for any young adult who wants to accelerate his career. Unlike a typical internship or an entry-level job, the expectations during an apprenticeship provide an atmosphere for value creation and fast growth. Here’s an example of the difference in expectation for apprentices, taken from a guide we wrote […]
Stop Trying to Escape Your Day Job to Live Your Dream
An Office Hours listener recently asked this question, “How do I build my dreams when I’m working full time at a job that isn’t related to my dream? I want to be a professional speaker, trainer, and consultant, but it takes a lot of time, travel and networking to build my practice. I feel like […]
16 Books That Shaped How I Interact with the World
Yesterday my friend Derek Magill asked the Praxis community, “What books have had the most impact on your career/education?” I love this question. Notice the use of the word impact. He isn’t asking for your favorite books, the books you recommend on a specific subject, or the books you agree with the most. He is […]
Why you Should be an Anti-Reader
It’s tinkering, luck, and action that led to discoveries like penicillin, fire, and better recipes for hummus. Indeed, few of the great discoveries and inventions that have increased human flourishing were the product of a complex plan. Likewise, the best opportunities in life are often things we trip into, byproducts of chance or a fortuitous […]
Why Non-Tech People Should Work in Tech Startups
“Software is eating the world.” — Marc Andreessen There are several factors that make tech startups the most exciting companies on the planet right now. Dramatically reduced cost of starting one, due to cloud computing. Penetration of software into every corner of every industry. Borderlessness. Instant, global reach. Near-infinite scalability. Explosion of venture capital and […]