I Interviewed 20 Successful Dropouts. Here’s What I Learned.
This is a guest post by Kylon Gienger, the host of the Successful Dropout Podcast. Kylon has interviews with Praxis Director of Marketing Derek Magill and CEO Isaac Morehouse. As the host of the Successful Dropout podcast and website, I have had the pleasure of interviewing an inspiring and successful dropout every week. Most have […]
How to Create a Useful Digital Paper Trail
Your presence online is either a liability or an asset. There is no middle ground. The trick is getting your digital paper trail to work for you. I don’t mean this in the way of your teachers in high school who cautioned you about putting pictures of parties online. I mean it in a way that’s […]
If You Can’t Leave It Better Than You Found It, Don’t Work There
“Leave it better than you found it” is something you’ve probably heard about a campsite or nature preserve. It’s a great rule of thumb for just about everything. Sticking to it will ensure that you treat every activity as meaningful. If you have to leave it better than you found it, you really have to […]
Developing the Proper Attitude Toward Feedback
Feedback is an almost universally praised tool for growth, yet it’s still incredibly hard to give and take. There’s a lot that goes in to making it easier, but that starts with developing the proper attitude towards feedback. When you understand what feedback is and exactly why it’s important, it becomes easier to give and take when […]
College is Obsolete. Why I Jumped Into Something Better
The following is a guest post by Praxis participant Nate Baker. When I moved off to college, I was 18 years old and ready to begin the next chapter of my life. I was looking forward to exploring big ideas, meeting ambitious people, and navigating the beginning of a fulfilling career. I was hungry, curious, and […]
Get Out of Your Preparation Mindset
I spoke with a college student the other day over lunch about her career goals. She told me she’s studying journalism. She plans to be a political journalist. “What have you written?” I asked? “Do you have a personal website?” “Umm,” she said nervously, “well I have this one essay I wrote in my English […]
Can I do Praxis as a gap year?
You don’t have to skip college to do Praxis. Some of our participants choose to do Praxis as a gap year after high school, during a four-year college stint, or right after graduation. Why should I do a Praxis gap year? If you like school but don’t know what you want to do with your life, […]
Four Lessons I Learned from Dropping Out of College
I sat at my desk reading the same page for the third time in a row. It was a Marxist interpretation of the French Revolution. No matter how hard I tried to be interested, I just couldn’t care. I had been a Dean’s list student my freshman year but by the second semester of my […]
Four Things Better Than a Mentor
There’s a lot of buzz about mentorship. Find the mentor who will give you the edge to succeed! The more powerful the mentor, the better! Chill out. Mentorship is overrated. I’ve written elsewhere about how mentors don’t have the answers: “You should always remember that no mentor has the answers to your questions. They have […]
Why Homeschoolers Should Stop Trying to Get Into College
I am constantly impressed by the homeschool families that I meet. Whether it is at speech and debate competitions where they blow the socks off of my own experience doing the same in high school or it is reviewing applications for Praxis of people who were homeschooled, they go above and beyond. By and large, […]
Kill Your Resume: Why Professional Side Projects Are the New Resume
Two young professionals are applying for the same job at a startup. Person one, a graduate from a respected university, has a resume he got professionally edited through a service online. The resume lists his education, competencies, and relevant work experience during some summer internships while he was in school. By all accounts, it’s a […]
Why a Professional Apprenticeship is Better than More School
Assumptions about college are being turned on their head. Real world experience is providing a better context for learning and a more direct path to life and career opportunities. College has value, but not the universal value most assume. The worst thing you can do is go as a catch-all or backup plan or default. […]
3 Reasons to Work for a Company Before Starting Your Own
“Work for a company? But I want to be an entrepreneur!” You don’t need to wait for permission or credentials or tons of experience before you try launching your own venture. But neither do you need to quit everything and start one now if you’re not ready. Many aspiring young entrepreneurs feel like working for someone else […]
Career Common Sense that’s Actually Nonsense (How to Avoid the Conveyor Belt)
If you’re exiting high school you’re probably being given a lot of advice. You’re bombarded with stats about average earnings, degrees, majors, resumes, seizing this time in your life, etc. It’s all pretty standard, conventional fare: Go to the best college you can get into, get good grades, major in something with lots of job […]
You Can’t Rush a Great Career but You Can Rush Away from Boredom
Relax. No, seriously. Relax. You’re not behind the curve. You’re not missing out. You don’t need to discover your calling or passion or pick your career or industry right now or next month or next year or in ten years. You’re not late. You’re not going to be screwed if you don’t specialize soon. You […]