Should you go to college!? James Debates Jim Keyes

The James Altucher Show

A Note from James:

For 20 years, I've been writing about how much I think people should not go to college, and that college is not the only solution for a career. It could be the worst solution because tuition has risen faster than inflation every single year for the past 50 years.

And why is that? Because student loans are a big scam and the government backs them, college presidents always know they're getting their money. They keep raising tuition even faster than society is raising the prices of anything else.

James Keyes, former CEO of multibillion-dollar company 7-Eleven, has been CEO of many companies, including Blockbuster, and he wrote a book about the importance of education: Education is Freedom: The Future Is in Your Hands.

So guess what? We decided to debate. And I'll admit I'm the sort of person who tends to agree with whoever the last person I speak to is, but he presented some very good arguments and I have to, I have to give them all credit for that. But I'll let you hear the conversation and it's well worth listening to, particularly if you've been wondering about this issue.

So, here he is. Let's talk about college.

Episode Description:

James and corporate leader Jim Keyes debate the relevance of a college education for career success, attributing rising tuition costs and impractical skill sets to modern colleges' downsides. The importance of degrees as a differentiator in the job market is emphasized, with the debate also covering emerging alternatives such as Google certificates. The two later shift to discuss learning and education in the context of business evolution, specifically detailing challenges faced by 7-Eleven in maintaining "freshness" and the role of technology in overcoming these.

Episode Summary:

00:00 The Value of College Education: A Conversation with James Keyes

01:45 The Business of Convenience: The 7-Eleven Story

04:52 The Evolution of Blockbuster and the Future of Streaming

07:03 The Impact of Technology on Global Education

08:42 The Importance of Learning and the Role of College

08:50 The Debate: Is College Worth It?

09:46 The Role of College in Career Advancement

13:52 The Future of Education and the Global Economy

21:47 The Power of Self-Investment and the Value of a Degree

24:07 The Practical Reality of College Education

29:16 The Entrepreneurial Path vs. College Education

36:22 The Impact of Self-Doubt and the Confidence from Education

37:51 The Role of Society in Learning

38:18 The Importance of Discipline in Self-Learning

38:45 The Social Aspect of Education

39:02 The Value of Collaboration in Learning

39:32 The Impact of Real-World Experience on Learning

40:12 The Comparison Between Formal Education and Self-Learning

41:31 The Role of Professors in Learning

42:05 The Power of Self-Learning

42:52 The Debate on College Degree vs Google Certificate

46:11 The Importance of Broad Education

49:14 The Future of Education

01:02:25 The Impact of Fear on Learning

01:08:23 The Future of Economy

01:15:31 The Importance of Freshness in Business

01:17:15 The Power of Knowledge

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