Is it worth the cost?
Tuesday, January 9th, 2007 - 12:13 pm
I have a frustration to vent…is that okay?
After you read this I want your feedback - more on that in a minute.
It has to do with your Internet entrepreneurial success so hang with me here.
If you have kids you know that the cost of attending college is shooting up so fast that it’s scary.
It’s shocking to recall that fifteen years ago I attended a state college and paid a bundle of money to learn a lot of things I NEVER use today. For example, why exactly did I endure a semester of 8AM (Mon,Wed,Fri) “Economic Geography” while pursuing a technology related degree? Someone please answer that…
Of the many courses I took while obtaining my degree I can confidently say that I don’t use ANYTHING I learned in 90% of those classes (as if I can remember any of it anyway).
And yet my degree was 100% necessary to land my first job out of college. So in the end the $50 thousand and five years of my life that I spent on college helped me land a $29 thousand annual salary job - which I was laid off from one year later.
This article isn’t a debate about the usefulness of college though - let’s move on.
The bigger point I’d like to make is that it frustrates me to see so many people who think they can invest three or four hours and $19.99 on an ebook and expect a booming home biz to result. Contrary to most bizop “sales letters” success takes creativity, effort and commitment.
But it ISN’T complicated!
Success lies in understanding the basic tools of the Internet and applying them creatively to grow or start an online biz. I pride myself on being one of the most trusted educators in the “Internet Marketing” arena and I’ve seen some amazing success stories result from everyday people applying simple concepts to simple business ideas.
Let me give you a very recent example.
There is a local real estate agent (Andy) that I’m currently consulting with that has begun to use the simple power of Pay-Per-Click advertising and Email auto responder campaigns to completely DOMINATE his market. Andy is selling 10+ homes per month while most of his colleagues struggle to sell one per month. I’ve even helped him write an eBook about his process that he plans to sell to other real estate agents. The book is the simple steps behind his “amazing system”. NOTE: I’ll be posting his new eBook that we’ve just written to my RESOURCE PAGE* for you to pick up because there are some great lessons for you in it.
The title will be something like, “How I sold 83 homes in 8 months without using open houses, cold calls, or buying leads”.
I know that 99.9% of my readers DON’T sell real estate, but THE LESSONS IN THIS BOOK WILL APPLY TO EVERYONE with an entrepreneurial spirit.
My client Andy knew nothing about Internet marketing 18 months ago, but when he found out that Google.com was earning $8 million EVERY DAY selling Pay per Click advertising he decided to figure out how to use the Internet to sell houses. The rest is an amazing success story.
Conclusion: There is a great business idea inside of every entrepreneur and investing a little time and money in learning the basics of Internet marketing will pay off…even if college never did.
I’ve just posted this article to my blog as well because I want your feedback! How do you feel about an Internet marketing education versus a traditional education? Am I off base? Let’s hear your thoughts…
Make 2007 great!
Jim
JimCockrum.com
*To gain access to Jim’s ever expanding RESOURCE PAGE simply purchase ANY of his best selling ebooks, such as:
The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay
SilentSalesMachine.com
(The all time best selling eBay eBook in the world)
How to Turn Auction Traffic Into Cash
AuctionTrafficCash.com
(Use eBay and auto responders to grow a HUGE mailing list fast)
Jim,
It’s unfortunate that college is a requirement for so many jobs, but it is a fact that isn’t likely to change anytime soon. And of course college is required prior to, for instance, medical school - and we have to train doctors and other post-grad professionals, most of whom go into their professions with huge college loan debt.
Therefore, I believe all children should be given an entrepreneurial education (hooray for homeschooling!) so that they will be trained to set up businesses to fund their own educations. Along the way, we may lose a few doctor-wannabe’s and gain a few Bill Gateses - or Jim Cockrums - who find that being an online entrepreneur is their true calling after all!
Thanks for all you do!
Susan
Hi Jim,
Great Post…please add my B.A. in Criminal Justice to the pile of unused college degrees. Congratulations to Andy I sure hope he has an affiliate program for his book…there are a lot of Real Estate Sales Types singing the blues here in my town. I\\\’d love to sell it to them.
Regards, Jim in Florida
[[reply from Jim]] : There will be an affiliate program on the book since I am his marketing coach!! But remember - you will get the book free if you have a copy of The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay since the new book will be posted on the resource page for TSSMHOE.
Hey Jim,
I guess I am one of the fortunate ones. Although I have some college hours under my belt I never did graduate with a degree. Growing up, my father taught me how to program on computers by having me type in code from computer magazines (and then figure out my typos - debugging). Apprenticeship does work! When the opportunity arose for a job in the Information Technology field I took it. That is one sector that (on the whole) does accept Experience over a worthless piece of paper. I understand some occupations may require a degree (like Susan stated above) but I really believe on-the-job training (apprenticeship) is the way to go.
Plus, I have five homeschooled children from ages 3 to 13 so this topic certainly touches a chord. Can you imagine the impact on our family tree if we DID teach our children the entrepreneural principals while young? That\’s my goal - Lord help me! :o)
Wayne Larimore
http://HomeBiz.Waynester.Net
[[reply from Jim]]: We have the opportunity to give an educational gift to our children that they can get NOWHERE ELSE. It is the gift of a financial education. This is something that NO CHILDREN EVER get in public school or even college, and yet our entire financial future depends on it. If you have an entreprenurial minded kid expose them to the tools of success on the Internet and watch the creative wheels start turning! TIP: \”Rich Dad Poor Dad for teens\” is a great book that will help give teens a correct perspecitive on money matters
I have to agree with you, Jim! I wound up with degrees, too. I’m now an Associate Broker in Real Estate after being in corporate America, and being laid off. I have realized, even with experience and education, as your other realtor friend did, too, we MUST embrace, learn continuously and gain experience in this “internet” age to not only survive, put to prosper!
Thanks, Jim, for helping us and showing us the way!
Lamar Jarvis
http://ljarvis.v-prealty.com
Hi Jim,
I agree with you for the most part. I think that internet marketing is so new that there are not very many colleges that want to touch it as a sole subject. I know some colleges include it in there basic marketing classes but no one that I know of has a complete course curriculum. Number one, they need instructors with years of experience and there are only a few of them around who are willing to teach.
I disagree about the course work you took to get your degree. To keep it short and to make my point, if all you ever learned in your life was to say “hello” in English, you would be missing out on so many more words that you could use to express yourself. I learned lots of things in college that I really do not need today to make me money, but if the topic ever comes up, I at least know what that person is talking about.
I guess in the mean time we novices have to depend on the people that have blazed the trail before us to give us enough information to keep us going in this new field.
Best regards,
Ken
This is a great topic, Jim… and very timely. I was just talking with a long time friend who is struggling financially. She is a teacher and her husband builds custom cabinets and is very good at it - he just rented a shop to get his own business going in the area they recently moved to. We were talking about the idea of taking a family vacation together - but, she commented that they couldn’t afford her husband taking the time away from his shop. Immediately I started thinking about all the ways he could use his expertise to build a passive income… the possibilities are endless if you ask me. But, they cannot get their mind around how that is even possible. And, unfortunately, they aren’t even really open to understanding how it could be (regardless of the fact that they have seen my own success building a passive income).
My point is that although there can be value to having a college degree… I have found that those that do tend to have difficulty thinking ‘outside’ the box. When I had a real ‘JOB’ I worked for a high-tech consulting firm and was mentored by this guy who graduated with his marketing degree the same year I was born… the more I learned - the more I challenged what he taught me. He was stuck with how things were suppose to be done in marketing - where I wasn’t bound by the rules he had learned in school. In my opinion, sky’s the limit - just get creative!
Jenni Hunt
Hi Jim
I’ve been taking your messages for over 2 years now - this is my first ever reply to you!
I think right now that a Uni degree in Intenet Selling would be perfect. But after a little while when everyone knows all the secrets (and I know almost none) then it will start to lose it’s value unless the concepts get continually re-invented.
I wasn’t smart enough to go to university in the ’60s. I wouldn’t have been able to afford it either as my parents had limited income but not low enough to qualify for a free place.
I’ve done various jobs over the years and ended up in IT support but never anything that pays more than a ‘Just Over Broke’ job.
Even though I have been in IT support since about 1980 and know lots of techie stuff I still haven’t discovered anything about making big bucks. I guess most readers are familiar with this scenario! Working for an employer really dulls the mind - seems you have to get out there by yourself to really learn.
It’s my 57th birthday today so I think it’s time I did a Uni course before I am to old to be able to use what I learn. When can I get started?
Keep up the good work Jim. You’ve been trying to help me for years now, is there any way we can help you?
Regards
Pete - in the UK
I agree that education is essential. What bothers me is the educational system today is not matching up to the times and lifestyle we are living. Why? because it is still set up so that after spending thousands of dollars to get an “education”, we still end up working for someone else, a case of modernized slavery. Most of our “learning” is catering to the establishment/system of things.
The most valuable gem that we have is the mind. The ablility to think for the purpose of expressing our creativity is wasted because of this old “educational” system.
There is really no real freedom because most of us are bound to the system and because of fear, we continue to survive in this tainted realm of the downpression state. To make a long story short, we are afraid of the untainted realm of mind, freedom to explore our thinking abilities that may take us to a better quality of life on this earth.
Hi Jim, I agree with you totally! I have a nursing degree (diploma) from the school I graduated from which was a very difficult one to achieve. Most of the nurses I worked with had an associates or bachelors degree. Alot of us at the hospital acquired a diploma from the “hospitals” school of nursing program - the doctors trusted us - they knew we were taught alot more clinical techniques than the other nurses with degrees. Why is it then that most places want you to obtain a higher degree - “not experience of quality nursing” simply a title before you may climb the ladder! It annoyes me and I refuse to spend more money to learn things I have already learned. I have always said “letters behind someones name mean nothing to me - what they are able to do, significantly does”. That goes for any profession in my book. I truly believe college funds are outrageous - no one can afford the expense and the child is creating a huge debt that will take them a number of years to acutally be able to pay off. I am very new to network marketing and wish someone would have told me this a long time ago - it would have been easier for me to understand
I am now trying to reteach my children - who are teenagers now- about how to make a living on the internet. I hope I can get thru - you know they brainwash kids now a days making them believe success lies in a college education 
Thank you Jim for sharing all of your knowledge with people like me. I am most grateful to you!
Jim,
I don’t know about the college stuff, but when are you going to post Andy’s real estate book? I can’t wait to get my hands on it. I think there’s a great opportunity here for folks that know how to use adwords and autoresponders to provide a consulting service to real estate agents in their area, and Andy’s book would be a huge help. Sure, he did it himself (presumably with some help from you) but it’s not every agent who’s going to buy the book and learn how to run adwords campaigns and autorepsonder sequences. I know that as soon as I can get my hands on that book I’m taking my real estate agent to lunch and making her an offer she can’t refuse.
Jim,
I got my B.S. (no pun intended) in Biology and can’t believe I SUFFERED through Organic Chemistry for a whole year and have nothing to show for it, but some bad memories!! I totally agree that college degrees are quickly becoming obsolete for so many people. Life is a much better teacher than an 8am lecture you’re too sleepy to stay awake for…not that I ever slept in class…not even psychology.:o) Oh, I am SO thankful for the grading curve Dr. Einstein had…yes, Dr. Einstein. He was related to Albert!
Keep up the great blogging!
Hi Jim,
To answer your question:
\”Why exactly did I endure a semester of 8AM (Mon,Wed,Fri) “Economic Geography” while pursuing a technology related degree?
Any education, whether you ever \”use\” it or not is still exercising your brain, making it stonger and sharper. You never know, but it may be that particular class gave you that little edge that has made you succesful today.
The best analogy would be the exercise that you give your body. Nobody will ever pay you to lift dumbells or to run on a treadmill but the benefits of doing so are vast.
Unfortunatly with many people, since the results of continious mental workouts aren\’t visible as they are with physical workouts, the mental gets neglected.
I\’m almost done with \”The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay\”. Perhaps “Economic Geography” was a waste of time, but I\’m glad you took it!
[[reply from Jim]]: I am not against a well rounded education…I see the value there and I plan to make sure my kids learn about many different subjects as they grow. The bigger point though is how odd it is to see a great majority of people in one of two camps. Some people are spending tens of thousands of dollars annually on traditional educations without hesitation knowing full well that it most likely will never be put to use and then there are others at the other extreme that think they can spend $19.99 on an ebook and have a prosperous Internet biz. Both extremes confound me.
P.S. Don\’t be too pleased about my \”Economic Geography\” class…you do not know what grade I got!! :0)
Hi Jim.
Hope I\’m not stepping out of line here, but I TOO have strong feelings about the amount of money it costs to \’BUY\’ a university degree these days which ends up \’useless\’ in the end.
I\’ve used a web address to my particular article on the subject when making this post, so if you\’d like my opinion, just click my name above and you\’ll have it.
But in a \’nutshell\’ I would rather they spend their money with YOU, than the ‘University system’, as that HAS to be the way forward in this fast-moving World of ours.
Keep up the good work Jim.
Pete.
[[reply from Jim]]: Thanks for the kind sentiments Pete. If I can encourage creativity and entreprenurial thinking I have done my job!
I have a friend with an honor student status that came along with his MBA. Today, he drives a lift truck in a lumber yard. My long deceased father, who never graduated from grade three, rose to become the executive Vice President of a top 100 US company and a board director.
A university education is good for some as the small piece of paper acquired is important to a lot of potential employers. It is good for others, such as myself, who require the degree in order to practice and be accepted in their chosen field of endeavor.
One thing a good education accomplishes, is that it teaches one to become self sufficient and how to work alone, no matter the subject studied. Some people don’t require this, some do.
My feeling, I too have used precious little of what I learned in University and do not remember 90% of it. Hopefully this is not true of my doctor!!
My brother in law never went to school and does not know how to read or write. He can certainly talk and has made millions buying and selling horses to the worlds jet set. Here is an example of a conversation with him.
I said,” Jacques, you already sold that horse you bought yesterday?” “Yup”, says Jacques, “ I got a little resistance at $250,000.00 so I said to the buyer,” Look Harry, I spent a couple of weeks with all my contacts to get you this horse and all I’m asking for is a lousy 5% profit, would you begrudge me that?” Harry said of course not and bought the horse. I said “but Jacques you only paid $50,000.00 for the horse, that’s not a 5% profit, that’s 500%.” Jacques reply “ Well that’s a simple, honest mistake, I never went to school and don’t know the difference!!” Jim, it would appear to me that certain people are better off not going to school at all!!!
Jim, I did the whole college scene many degrees over and I couldn’t agree more on not remembering what I took years ago. I have said for years, we need to teach the things we need to know, not the things nice to know. Money drives the world. I am a Realtor, so I am excited about the book you mentioned. I do a per click lead generation now, but I am always open to new ideas. You “can” teach old dogs new tricks.
Jim
I for one agree with you 100% with your last news letter. I have worked for and with a lot of educated ….s. Seems as though they have all the answers. Engineers if you will.
I have to admit, its because of me I’m have a rough time getting off the ground. I have studied your ways and am slowly getting there.
An e-book about fibromyalgia is finished and a web site will be going up soon. Looking at doing the e-books with planets out of England. So have a lot to do here.
Seems as though the simple ways are the best and the toughest for educated people to grasp. Common sense has been educated out of people going to college. How many of them would be doings as I have been doing? A lot of them think this is stupid, but it isn’t.
Let the bank accounts speak for themselves.
It seems as though those unnecessary things like the courses you speak of carry forth from the institutions to the rest of life. How ever many people are institutionalized. In short educated into shear… I want to say stupidity but also no common sense as well as to many other things to mention here.
I could go on and on. No time for that but just wanted to know your right in the way you feel.
Francis
I agree that investing in an Internet Marketing Education gives you more in use value than a traditional education. I graduated high school 6 months pregnant with my first child, so I didn’t go to college. I did do homeschooling to get my Bookkeeping diploma and then took a few courses for my Accounting degree. I then did bookkeeping for some small businesses and did income tax returns for those businesses and also for many friends and family members.
Then I went into the flea market business. I have learned alot more from that experience than my traditional education. My children grew up going to the flea market with us and have learned alot also. We now own our own flea market business. I have spent the last few years studying internet marketing. I have learned a great deal of information that can be applied to most businesses. I now teach my flea market vendors how to apply internet marketing techniques to their flea market businesses.
My children have started to sell items at our flea market and have learned a great deal about the sales process. They have now become interested in how to make money on the internet. They sell some stuff on ebay and are interested in setting up their own minisites to make more money. They have learned a great deal from my internet marketing experiences by being involved in our website as well as our ebay business. In my opinion, I am giving them a greater education by giving them hands on learning experiences that far outweigh what they could learn in college.
As a mom of four (my oldest is only 10), their education is important to me so I do save money for them to go to college (and encourage them to save thier money too) because if they do choose to enter the corporate world, they will need that piece of paper. However, they are all creative thinkers and I hope that they will get more enjoyment out of creating their own businesses by applying thier internet marketing skills to their own skill sets and business ideas. Because in my opinion that is where the greatest opportunities are.
I am also a stepmom of three. My youngest stepdaughter is now a mom of 2 and does not want to get a job outside of the home. I might have set a bad example for her by being a stay at home mom.
She now works with me on my websites and ebay selling so that she can be with her kids (and I get to spend more time spoiling them-isn’t being a grandparent great!). She is learning a little about IM and is brainstorming ideas to start her own newsletter, ebay business, and website. So given my experiences, I think an internet marketing education is better than a traditional education.
Melissa Oaks
Jim, great comments. I myself graduated college and like you, i was not happy with corporate america. Spending all that money for an education just to get employment with low pay, a white four door chevrolet etc.
We had 3 boys and they all graduated but boy the exspense of having 2 at a time learn how to drink beer and so on was memorable.
After a year since graduating, i knew that it was not the way and decide to employ myself so for 24 years i did exactly that.
I retired at 52 and got bored(you can only play so much golf)
Hi Jim,
I have tried a number of online ventures & agree that the secret to success is hard work & persistence. Anyone who said online marketing is easy & leads you to believe it is a walk in the park is kidding themselves! Well done on being one of the only online marketers worth listening to, & learning from. I can honestly say SSM is one of the very few tools I have bought that is well worth the investment. Yours are the only newsletters I consistently open & read as I know the content is always of a great quality! Please keep up the good work!
I totally agree with you. I have been to college & obtained 2 degrees & after 20 years in corporate life, know the secret to success is more about how you play the political game than it is about intelligence or for that matter, delivering results! Unfortunately that is not a game I wish to play, ,& am sure I am not the only one with that sentiment. I have achieved a lot in my career however this does mean I have reached the top of the corporate ladder, however who would be interested in that anyway?
Cheers
Bill
Amen.
Steve Jobs’ commencement address at Stanford in 2005 says much the same, another way. Read it here:
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html
I am an Asst. Vice President of a Bank, and make a very good income, with great benefits. I have never attended college - but learned everything on-the-job, moving up when I could. I’ve always felt that college is a waste of time, unless you’re going to be a Dr., Lawyer, Veterinarian, etc.
Education is great - but it should apply to what you need to do the job! When I was in high school, I wanted to be a veterinarian - But had to take 6 years of Speech. Since I don’t DO speeches, it scared me away. Why would a vet need 6 years of speech???
I am now pursuing an on-line business - and find the materials, including your book, to be the perfect way to obtain the information that I need to accomplish my goals on-line. I can do it on my schedule, while keeping up with the JOB, until everything starts falling together.
I’ve seen the bank attempt to hire people in the Accounting Department with degrees - but they only want to pay them $1,800/month…. Why would anyone spend all that money and time on college, knowing they are going to start at the bottom, anyway? I don’t get it! The bank ended up promoting a teller - and she is doing a wonderful job!
I agree totally with your concept. No disrespect to the institutions of higher learning, however, traditional education while important is not enough. We have been taught to go to school, go to college, get a good job to earn a living, buy a house and pay the bills. The educational system does not teach how to become successful entrepreneurs. With the ever evolving changes in technology in all facets of the workforce, we need to propel our energy into making our money work for us.
What better way to go, than Internet Marketing. Internet Marketing serves as a source of acquiring income with the opportunity to work flexible hours, the freedom to be creative and continuous opportuntiy to expand into numeours markets. All for a cost below 1 year of college tuition. Can that be done once a person obtains their college degree and ventures out into corporate America? Internet Marketing “does not require you to be a genius and the average guy can get a piece of the “american pie.” Succes lies in the individual whether they have a degree or non degree. Your books are inpsiring. Keep writing so that I can pass your wisdom onto my children, grand children and great grand children.
It’s funny because I was thinking the other day of what I was going to tell my four year old son when he gets older. I think college is over rated but because at an early age we are hypnotized to think that we need a ” college education” to be successful. Tell that to all the high school educated millionaires across the country.”
Sure, there is a place for an education. You need it to become a doctor, lawyer, a vet, etc.
But if you’re going to get a “business degree” like most people do, get ready for the 9-5 political corporate hohum.
I hope to tell my son to save that 80,000.00 for a 4 year degree and start a business instead. It will payoff in the long run but that will be up to him.
I do believe there is a place for a college degree. Who else are we going to hire to run our businesses
G’day Jim and readers from Downunder,
Thank you very much for the opportunity to tell my story. I have been a keen student of change over the past twenty odd years and while not quite realizing it at the time, gaining a deep understanding of the concepts of relationship marketing, lifestyle brands etc has become a lifetime obsession. In the mid nineties I did a business course at nights mainly because there was a great relationship marketing module. It was a two year diploma course however luckily all the modules that I was interested in ie conflict resolution, information management, relationship marketing etc were in the first year whereas the bureaucratic type modules ie industrial relations were in the second year. I decided then and there that I would only do the first year as all I really wanted to do was to add to and clarify some of the work I had been doing on my own up to this point. I was also excited about the possibility of engaging in some lively discussion even exploring ideas with other students. Well the first night soon put paid to that when during the introduction session one student said my name is so and so and I’m doing this course because my department told me I had to and it didn’t get much better with some of the other students. So I hightailed it to the library and identified all the books that I needed to read and not only the ones on the course list. I new what I was looking for not the frothy motivational stuff but the more engaging work. I was going to make sure I got the education I wanted not the education that the institution was going to give me. Anyway the thing that I was searching for, the holy grail if you like was the idea that “a close personal one to one relationship” could be developed with a product brand”. Now I use those words very deliberately because we know that it is quite possible to develop a “relationship” with a product brand however “a close personal one to one relationship” is something we reserve for other human beings. Don Peppers and Martha Rogers in their book “One to One Future” spoke about developing a “close personal relationship” one at a time through accumulating information on purchasing habits, database mining that sort of thing which is what we are now experiencing on the web and while not predicting the demise of product brands, indicated that this would put brands under some considerable pressure. This was a disappointing revelation for me as I have a passionate belief in brands and of the opinion that in this information overloaded world brands would become increasingly more relevant simply because they are an extremely efficient form of communication; that is to say more information can be conveyed than exists within the immediate word, phrase or logo. However in his book “Building Brand Identity” after a very convincing discussion Lyn Upshaw observed that “while it would be difficult it could in fact be quite possible to develop a close personal relationship with a product brand”. This was an absolutely awesome moment I yelled out to Raelene we Whooped and Hollered and ultimately did find the answer we had been searching for. I suppose the moral to this story is that I am 57 years old and I will never stop learning, I don’t want to stop learning and I know that your influence will be a big part of the next phase of the journey. Thanks and keep the newsletters coming Jim.
Hi Jim
Been reading your stuff for a few weeks or so now. As far as the education versus internet marketing goes…I believe an education is necessary but I don’t think traditional school is necessary for every job. My Internet/Network Marketing requires my 3 D’s…Desire Drive and Discipline. Consistently going to classes, doing required homework, collaborating with teachers and peers, etc., I believe, helps those 3 areas for me. I’ll be honest, though. I did drop out of college (Computer Science Major) a semester before my degree. Crazy, huh? Not much need for programmers then. With hindsight being 20/20..I wish I had at least finished. If for nothing else but to say, “I did it!” Learning can be found everywhere. Perhaps traditional school is a personal preference. However, I will say this. If you are into Internet/Network Marketing then perhaps traditional school and it’s settings provide a great foundation to plant those Internet Marketing seeds.
Thanks again for taking the time.
Have A Great Day