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Do Warriors need a College degree?

by GoldPro
70 replies
Hey everyone,

I've been thinking - what is the relationship between a college degree and success when it comes to Internet marketing?

Do you have a college degree? How has it helped you with your Internet marketing? Would you suggest obtaining a college degree before taking on any serious ventures?
#college #degree #warriors
  • Profile picture of the author David Keith
    i walked out halfway through the first semester from a good texas college about 12 years ago to do IM full time. oh and i had a full academic scholarship.

    i am pleased with my decision.
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    • Profile picture of the author MatthewNeer
      HAH! I dropped outta college to pursue a career in Internet Marketing. Smartest decision I've ever man, haven't worked a JOB (just over broke) in over 4 years now and have been full time in IM for 3. YEEEHAW!

      Go watch this video, and you tell me...

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      • Profile picture of the author FTNHosting
        Originally Posted by MatthewNeer View Post

        HAH! I dropped outta college to pursue a career in Internet Marketing. Smartest decision I've ever man, haven't worked a JOB (just over broke) in over 4 years now and have been full time in IM for 3. YEEEHAW!

        Go watch this video, and you tell me...
        Ha - Was just going to link to that video until I saw your post. College is a waste of time and money. Experience is what matters, and it can get you far. No doubt about that
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  • Profile picture of the author sjtmdwns
    Hi Gold Pro,

    College degrees are something of a symbol these days. To employers, it represents that a person has perservered, committed time and money to a field which they interest in. It also proves to employers to a degree that they have certain "smarts" to get the job done.

    Another point you should consider, College is a place where you can meet like minded and extremely smart individuals and it's an experience like no other. Many couples have found each other in college ; ).

    It's also possible, in certain societies and cultures, without a college degree, people will look down on you.

    However, my qualm with college these days are it's costs. College is really an investment, and it should pay you your returns, however there are so many factors that can hinder this return - i.e the global recession. However, it really depends on what you truly value.

    In short:
    Do you need college to do IM? No - you can get all the knowledge from IM, but you should consider other factors of going college.

    Life is not always just about money, it's about experiences and achievements. I have a 4 year college degree. Do I need that knowledge to do my job? No. Am I glad I did it? Yes, it's definitely a plus to paper resume =)

    I also know, if this IM thing doesnt work out for any reason, I can at least get a job interview in my chosen field. I am also thinking about pursuing a PhD in my field, which is free from the government via scholarship.

    However, if you can afford it, don't do it. 100 grand is not petty cash.

    Good Luck Gold!
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by GoldPro View Post

    Hey everyone,

    I've been thinking - what is the relationship between a college degree and success when it comes to Internet marketing?

    Do you have a college degree? How has it helped you with your Internet marketing? Would you suggest obtaining a college degree before taking on any serious ventures?
    GoldPro, you have no idea what you're starting here. Get ready to hear anti-education rants from every active dropout on the board.

    To answer your questions, in order...

    There really isn't much relationship between a degree (as a piece of paper or a testament to completing a course of study) and success. It's not like needing the sheepskin before you can even apply for some jobs (and I'm not just talking about the usual doctor, lawyer, engineer list). It has a lot more to do with the individual and what they do with their time in college.

    I do have a degree in engineering.

    Mainly, it's helped me in the areas of discipline, research, setting up and tweaking systems, analyzing problems and coming up with solutions, etc. Could I have done all those things without the degree and what it took to get it? I'll never know for sure, but I'd like to think so.

    Should you get a degree before starting a serious venture? I don't know you well enough to answer that. A lot would depend on what you felt the need to study and how you saw that fitting into your future endeavors.

    I return you now to the regularly scheduled "school is for losers" parade...
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    • Profile picture of the author David Keith
      Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

      ... Get ready to hear anti-education rants from every active dropout on the board.
      i am very much for education. the OP asked about a college degree.

      a college degree is not required to be a success in IM or many others areas of life, but an education is an absolute necessity.
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    • Profile picture of the author creature
      Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

      I do have a degree in engineering.

      Mainly, it's helped me in the areas of discipline, research, setting up and tweaking systems, analyzing problems and coming up with solutions, etc. Could I have done all those things without the degree and what it took to get it? I'll never know for sure, but I'd like to think so.

      I return you now to the regularly scheduled "school is for losers" parade...

      Bravo. As a retired (actually semi-retired) college professor, you are one of the very few persons talking about college on this forum who actually understands that the core value of higher education is (or at least shoud be) about learning how to learn, analyze, and exercise critical thinking in problem solving and making decisions. It is not (or should not be) about learning a marketable set of job skills.

      I would say in a nutshell that online marketers do not necessarily need a college degree to make money, but I would bet that the probability of success increases with the quality of one's formal education.
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  • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
    A degree and an education are two different things. You can achieve an education from many different places, including school, military, OJT, and self study.

    I am not anti-education. Let me say that right off the bat. How could I be, I am married to a school teacher! I am, however, against those that discriminate against educated people that do not have degrees.

    I was a television producer in the military. Before that, I was a producer at a regional cable network. I had produced pieces for CNN, ABC News, and the President of the United States.

    When I left the service I went job hunting.

    A military head hunter gave me the heads up on a government contract that was in need of a lead producer. My demo tape was chosen from dozens of entries and I was offered the job. On hiring day, the company called to tell me that they did not realize I lacked a degree and withdrew the job offer. A week later, they hired a girl that was straight out of college and had zero experience.

    I was eventually hired by another government contractor that was able to recognize that education came in many forms.

    The best part of the story is that I ended up as the installation's lead producer and college girl, who got "my job", worked under me... and made about half of what I was making.

    Bottom line is that you DO need an education to be successful, but where and how you get it should not be mandated by a degree snob.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Don't let schooling interfere with your education.

      - Mark Twain
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      • Profile picture of the author sharoncm
        you don't need a degree but if you want to learn some new stuff go for marketing (offline and online) degree
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      • Profile picture of the author Centurian
        Originally Posted by myob View Post

        Don't let schooling interfere with your education.

        - Mark Twain
        Well said.
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  • Profile picture of the author Danny Gardner
    Hey GoldPro. That's a great question. While I'm also looking forward to hearing what others have to say about it, I'll give my two cents.

    I'm 17 years old and instead of going to college, I'm doing IM full time. So I can't really speak from personal experience, just from what I've observed from successful IMers I've had the chance to meet.

    Is having a college degree directly related to achieving success (however you define it) in internet marketing? I'd say no. Not at all. However, like some others have said there are things you learn while earning a degree that will help you in your marketing. Things such as discipline and scheduling your time well come to mind.

    If doing what you love involves you getting a degree, I'd say go for it. If you can afford it, of course. But don't feel like you need a degree to be successful in this business. You need a strong mindset, dedication, persistence, and discipline, but not a four year degree.

    What kind of ventures do you have in mind?
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    • Profile picture of the author VanessaB
      Having an education (institutional degree, or self education from reading formal textbooks) greatly reduces the 'learning curve' of experience.

      I was discussing this with a friend earlier and I wrote these exact words to her...

      "Education gives knowledge, experience gives wisdom, and the wisest of all will use education to lessen the learning curve of experience and so we can gain more wisdom in less time."

      -Dani
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      • Profile picture of the author cashtree
        I didn't graduate college, always been obessed with computers though, that's how I got into programming. Hopefully I can utilize that with IM to make it big. Remember bill gates dropped out of college too, idk about steve jobs.
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  • Profile picture of the author Danny Gardner
    Ever heard of Austin Walsh? He made $300,000 in his first year of internet marketing. He started at maybe 17 or 18, I forget which. Well, he studied for at least one year as an international business major in college. Not too long ago he was talking about changing his major to something totally unrelated.

    Why? He was already making sales in a couple dozen countries all around the world and had received a great education as a result of experience and the mentors he sought out and learned from.

    EBR made a great point. An education and a degree are two different things.

    I've never studied music in a formal setting, but even two years ago I would visit colleges and could quite comfortably carry on a technical conversation with any of the music professors. How as that possible? I got a great mentor and studied on my own every chance I possibly could.

    So college degrees have their place, but remember that there is more than one way to achieve an education. I'd take mentor and hands on experience over a formal classroom any day.

    Hope that helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jaysmyne
    There is no need for a college degree for internet marketing.

    I am currently pursuing mine because it does give me an edge over my competition when obtaining offline clients. Because people are amazed that I go to school and do this full time.

    Not to mention i'm 6 classes away from graduating so it'd be silly to stop now.
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  • Profile picture of the author vtotheyouknow
    In many ways, internet marketing is the perfect profession - you don't need a degree, you can work from home (or anywhere else) and you have unlimited income potential.

    IM is an unregulated industry in the sense that there're no official bodies - god forbid! - that require accreditation of IMers. As a result, tons of bright people from all over the world have made fortunes small and not so small online because they don't need a sanction from society or some national association to practice their profession. In fact, most people are so confused as to what the heck we do that they eagerly move on to a new subject.

    I studied classical singing in college and apart from being the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, it left me with a life-long appreciation for good music. I wouldn't trade that for the world.

    In the end, degree or no degree, it's your journey and I consider myself lucky for having found this amazing profession, if you can call it that, at a relatively young age.

    That's my word is bond.
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  • Profile picture of the author SocialMediaOwls
    Hmmm....let's see...

    Do you want to spend the 50-150K you would spend on a campaign or do you want to spend it listening to people that have been out of the loop for years and are making a limited income standing behind a podium?
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  • Profile picture of the author Bballer1
    I don't think a college degree is that important in IM. You can learn everything you need to know online and through experience.
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    • Profile picture of the author Don Luis
      Banned
      Education is sooooo overrated nowadays...

      Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs... The list goes on and on.

      I'm not saying that you shouldn't get a college degree because it's still important. If I have the chance to turn back time, I wouldn't have loafed my way through college and drop out after 6 years of shifting courses.

      To succeed in business, however, you don't need a degree. There are no job requirements to meet or resumes to submit in order to succeed in a business such as Internet marketing.

      But if you're looking towards a lifetime of slaving at a 9-to-5 job and looking up to a boss, then you certainly need a college education.
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  • Profile picture of the author Suthan M
    i dont think so i will ever take a college degree..

    but i have personally borrowed and read(and helped) the syllabus (and the coursebooks) that my friends who are taking degree in psychology, business admin, and food science.

    My cost was $0. And i got some great insight :-)

    Now, looking at going into learning NLP. As they say, learning should never stop, even if schooling does :-D
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  • Profile picture of the author satrap
    I dont mean to brag, but not only I dont have a degree, I didn't even know what internet marketing was when i started 2 years ago. Now, I am making enough money with my site to easily quite both of my day time jobs (though I haven't done it yet since I am a bit workaholic).

    So, no you do not need a degree to make it in internet marketing. You need time, real effort, patience and commitment to be a successful internet marketer.
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    • Profile picture of the author jace
      Originally Posted by satrap View Post

      So, no you do not need a degree to make it in internet marketing. You need time, real effort, patience and commitment to be a successful internet marketer.
      so true, I do not have a degree and you do not need one. I am not opposed to it but I am opposed to the thousands of dollars in student loans that you can rack up that take years to pay off
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      • Profile picture of the author ClaireFisher
        People who have degrees usually have them because the job they wanted requrired it. The ability to learn and be enthusiastic is not defined by a school.


        I'm wrapping up my BSN. Does that mean **** to internet marketing? Noooooo! I need to go to transactional leadership school because I talk to prospects, hoping to bank $2500-5000 bucks off a sale and they say they're broke or widowed and I feel all awful and want to go take care of them.....because, I am a nurse in my offline life. It's a pain in the ass!


        The education provided by an established school is biased and certainly not the Gospel! You don't need an alphabet behind your name to make you smart!
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        • Profile picture of the author derh
          I have an MBA and I promise you that a degree is NOT needed to succeed (IN IM)...

          Some might argue that it hurts your changes...

          Don't get me wrong....I worked hard for it and I'm proud that I completed it...but it does NOT mean I'm more suited for IM than anyone else here on this forum.

          or...
          ...that I'm more intelligent then those who don't have one...

          It just means that I have a really expensive piece of paper.
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        • Profile picture of the author countonuspr
          You do not need a college degree to be successful at Internet marketing! The stuff you will learn here on this forum and from ebooks, training videos, etc. that you come across in Internet marketing will far exceed anything on Internet marketing that you can learn from college.

          I was in college from the fall of 2004 to 2007 and their idea of online marketing is pathetic! If colleges actually taught things like autoresponders, real SEO strategies, etc. than the offline marketing boom wouldn't be so hot. Most of these offline business owners have college degrees and they don't teach this type of marketing there.

          To put it straight up I dropped out of college because it was holding me back and costing waaaaay too much money! If I had spent a fraction of what I spent on a few years of college on paid traffic for my business it would be crazy how much money could have been made.

          I am not against college at all. For most people it works great. To succeed at Internet marketing it is not anything you need.

          One other point about college degrees is that here in the USA a college degree doesn't guarantee a job. Many college graduates are forced to work at places earning $8 to $10 per hour. I am not knocking those things, but saying you don't go to school to work those jobs. I know several people with high level college degrees that spent months looking for work.

          So just take action on what you learn and focus.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Cho
    I'm so glad I didn't graduate from college. A lot of people won't agree with me but if I graduated from college I would think like a college kid, not an entrepreneur. I don't want a job and I dont want security.

    am i anti-college? no! everyone has a different path.

    would I recommend college to my kid? yes! I want them to learn how to be a leader and lead people in school.

    just my two cents. =)
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    • Profile picture of the author Brandon Bell
      I have a college degree in Graphic Design. My college education taught me how to create professional designs for print as well as the internet.

      This sparked my interests in marketing and product creation, which lead to my first website. After college I started flipping websites on Flippa for easy cash.

      Eventually, I took the time to learn PHP as well as some other programming languages. With my graphic design background, I'm able to produce high-quality products.

      Now I build my own websites, web applications, software and WordPress plugins. College isn't a requirement to do these things, but it certainly helped me.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Worner
    For me personally, the only reason to go to college to get a degree, assuming I went to Harvard, Stanford et al (Top tier uiversities) would be for the contacts I could potentially make, making the processs of finding suitable investors with money to burn a lot simpler. Many affluent families send their children to attend such schools.

    -Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by GoldPro View Post

    what is the relationship between a college degree and success
    There isn't one. A college degree is primarily of interest to employers. A college education, on the other hand...
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Newman
    No, you don't!

    I have a degree, and I attended a business school. I think there are a lot of things that I learned that can easily give me an edge in IM, but I don't believe you need a degree to be successful in IM. A degree has its uses, but, the truth is it's really overrated. If you can read and write. If you have self-discipline. If you're constantly learning...You'll make out like a bandit.
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    • Profile picture of the author IMWinner
      I can't see the relation between having a degree and being successful in the IM business. There's no need to have an anti-education rant here, since we all know the positive contribution of education to our individual lives. It taught us how to read, write and the basic arithmetic. Having a degree is an individual's achievement in their own field, as some develop their skills in research, calculating measurements, understanding human behaviour and anatomy, improving our understanding on technology and many more. But is doesn't guarantee a person that he/she will be successful in his/her chosen career. It always boils down to person's desire and enthusiast to what he/she really wants to do in his/her life.
      I would say that not all successful IMers have their degree and yet, they are earning more than those who had some degree. And likewise, people who earned their degree are also earning more than those who didn't have their degree in this IM world. What I am trying to say is, a person's success relies mostly on his/her own desire. I am not an anti-education or pro-education, since I believe that with or without some degree, a person can attain success if he/she wishes to be one. Perseverance and hard-work also plays an important role in attaining success.
      Personally, I just recently finished my Master's degree and it doesn't make me a successful IMers since my degree is into social sciences. But with that degree, it helped me in my IM business as an article writer conducting some research and doing some essay works.
      Just have something in you that motivate you to work on, because a man works for an object and that object is what motivates man to action.
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  • Profile picture of the author anthonyb
    It really depends very much on the underlining motive for the question. Use the Ben Franklin Decision method to help you make the right decision.
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    • Profile picture of the author m41210
      what is the relationship between a college degree and success ?
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  • Profile picture of the author seoglobalconsultants
    Nope. Look at Bill Gates. He is not a graduate person but He is very rich. College degree is not important actually.
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  • Profile picture of the author Oliver Williams
    We live in the information age, the education system is based on the industrial age and hence is basically preparing people for a world that no longer exists.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by owslaw123 View Post

      i am very much for education. the OP asked about a college degree.

      a college degree is not required to be a success in IM or many others areas of life, but an education is an absolute necessity.
      You weren't the target of my comment. You simply shared your personal experience. In fact, the comment I quoted here of yours pretty much sums up what I was trying to say.

      On the other hand...

      Originally Posted by SocialMediaOwls View Post

      Hmmm....let's see...

      Do you want to spend the 50-150K you would spend on a campaign or do you want to spend it listening to people that have been out of the loop for years and are making a limited income standing behind a podium?
      This is the type of ignorant platitude that keeps popping up, the unthinking assumption that every teacher in every college or university is someone "who has been out of the loop for years and making a limited income standing behind a podium."

      Are some like this? Of course. Every school has dead weight who, once they achieve tenure, ride it into retirement years before they file the paperwork.

      That does not mean that all of them are like that. Someone has to teach the basic courses, the principles of which mostly never change. One of my engineering profs was working on biofuel technology long before it became a fashionable buzzword, and some of the patents he earned are worth millions. Hardly "out of the loop for years." He and his associates created the effing loop.
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  • Profile picture of the author jvjoe
    To make online with a College degree no way!, it's amazing how internet marketing have change my life, even though am still running my degree program.
    Bottom line you don't need any degree.
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  • Profile picture of the author JoeUK
    In some instances it can be a help but in others it can be a hinderance. I think there's definitely a relationship between 'self made' people and a lack of higher, or formal education though.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike Tyler
    Know what you want in life and take school for that. I often skip math because I simply just know that I don't need colleague-grade math to success at making money. And just for skipping math I can use the spare hours of school to do some more IM. I've always been a "self-help" guy anyways, so I learn better doing things at my own than learning from someone else.

    Mike Tyler.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ryan David
    You only need one if you want a job that requires one. And most of the "professional" jobs require one. So i guess that's your choice.

    I'll encourage my kids to go to school, but depending on your area of study, some are important and others aren't.
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  • Profile picture of the author johFF
    College degree is really overrated these day.

    MatthewNeer great video, thank you
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  • Profile picture of the author xxxJamesxxx
    The dumber the better. We don't need no stinking degrees.
    This I like!

    I've found a lot people who are successful in IM little to no college degrees... Makes you think doesn't it.

    James Scholes
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    • Profile picture of the author Azarna
      You don't need a degree, or any particular qualification. Many famous millionaires got there without. Qualifications are required by employers, if you work for yourself then I am sure you will not mind the lack of pretty certificates, hehe

      However, if you want to write quality eBooks, articles etc then I would say that a decent command of the language is something of a must. So someone who has had a rather sub-standard education may find it much harder to offer competitively quality products.

      I would also say that IM is quite a complex subject. There is quite a lot to learn to get up to speed on current techniques etc. If you can manage to understand the various required steps (research, copywriting, setting up website, affiliates etc etc) then you have all the education you need right there :-)
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      • Profile picture of the author whatihave
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        Originally Posted by Azarna View Post

        You don't need a degree, or any particular qualification. Many famous millionaires got there without. Qualifications are required by employers, if you work for yourself then I am sure you will not mind the lack of pretty certificates, hehe
        Great point.

        If you work for yourself, there is no need for a degree. Personally though, I'm less than a year away from earning mine so I'm definitely going to stay the course.
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  • Profile picture of the author Riggs
    In my opinion, those with less academic qualifications will find marketing via the Internet easier than those with more. Logically I see higher education and the Internet as two sides to the same coin. Both offer a career development learning process, except one is typically directed towards a tangible career path, whereas the other isn't. I expect those that get to spend more time reading on the Internet to be more familiar with navigating search engines than those busy with reading books familiar with navigating the literature limitations of their local library.

    In my experience, the better you understand the Internet the better you will be at using it to market.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    I've talked about this a lot across the internet. But most people do not need a degree. In fact almost everyone would be better off with 4 years of experience in the field of their choice vs. the 4 year degree. And unless you can go for free why take on the debt?

    The problem is our school sell kids and their parents on how college is needed. How the average college grad makes more than the average high school grad. But averages can be deceiving. Remember that among those people without a college degree are a lot of lazy slobs who at best cook our food and at worst live off welfare(I grew up on welfare so trust me you can work the system). If someone invest 4 years and 10's of thousands of dollars are they not more likely to be motivated? Of course. Now take that same motivated person and give them 4 extra years of experence and 10's of thousands of dollars. Do you think they would be as successful? Maybe even more successful? Of course they would be.

    I used to manage in retail and I can not tell you how many people with degrees I gave jobs to making less than $10 an hour. The same jobs they could have gotten with a high school education. These are the people filling up our colleges(especially our for profit ones like Kaplan University*).

    Unless your career choice requires a degree(teacher, lawyer, doctor, etc) don't get one. I make more than the average college grad. And honestly most of you who truly have drive can do it easily as well.

    *side note on Kaplan it is based where I live in a strip mall and employees people as teachers who are not experts or even good. My ex-sister in law teaches there.
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  • Profile picture of the author Fazal Mayar
    No we dont because our Internet marketing skills aren't revelant to our education. They can be but it can also not be. With my writing, I should go back to school haha.
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  • Profile picture of the author onegoodman
    First, i can see their are warriors who for some reasons attacking college. hmmm.

    I do have an M.S. degree. I would tell you a degree is needed not for IM or for a specific field. It is simply needed for your life.

    Going through university or college put you through a very unique life experiment that will certainly affect your life forever and I mean for a better life.

    Going through my B.S. taught me to look at life differently going through master taught me even more since i had it on another country.

    Yes, for universities, they want your money but you are getting something a chance out of that, chance to learn and change your life.

    By the way let us not forget that google started by two Phd students who where just trying to finish their thesis
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeanne Lovely
    Cannot seem to wrap my head around the idea that a degree will make you money in IM - unless it is in computer programming so you can develop widgets, apps and plugins allot faster because you know the code and do not have to learn it now!

    My degree has not even entered into my IM business, or for that matter, any business that I have been in since I got it.

    If you want 9-5 (or is it 7AM-8PM???) for someone else - Worry about the degree -
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  • Profile picture of the author Brandon Huang
    Well if the college degree is based on Web Design or something like that then yes it can help you or maybe you are a professor in English then it will help your articles definitely!

    Otherwise, you are still fine even if you don't have a degree. Degrees don't mean anything, only action does.
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  • Profile picture of the author stingrays06
    I wish I would have taken some programming classes other than visual basic. Other than that, my college education hasn't really applied to anything I've done with internet marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Miriam Higginbotham
    I do not think Warriors need a college degree to be successful. That being said I have one in accounting and I do feel that I have gained some benefit from my business courses such as marketing and statistics. What I feel makes someone successful in internet marketing as well as any endeavor is the burning desire to learn from someone who is already successful, the willingness to take action on what you have learned, not getting caught on the shiny object train and the ability to be patient.
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  • Profile picture of the author philm67
    Does anyone remember that old scene from the movie "The Secret of My Success" with Michael J. Fox? (Showing my age, I know.) He arrives freshly graduated from college to New York City and interviews at lots of companies but can't get a job. they all say he has no experience. So finally he complains to the guy interviewing him "Everyone says that they won't hire me without experience, but how do I get experience if no-one will hire me? WHY DID I BOTHER GOING TO COLLEGE?" To which the interviewer replied ... "Had fun didn't you?"

    So, if any young IM'er asks me "Should I stay in college?" I answer ... "Sure you should ... having fun aren't ya? ... and there's still plenty of hours in your week for IM."
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  • Profile picture of the author the lord
    LOL. laugh reading your writing. I think college is still important, but from you the better you hangout at the computer and do your internet marketing. So stay the way lectures and business fixed path. Good Job. Success For You.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Then
    I'll make money in IM to buy a degree.
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  • Profile picture of the author neo3006
    I would agree with the fellow warriors you don't need a degree unless you plan to work for the man the rest of your life. The older people(not trying to make anyone mad) will tell you work for yourself. I worked 2 jobs for 10 years in the grocery business and as a drafter. I can tell you I feel sorry for the next generation coming up. I have seen some hard workers but the majority of them I run across are lazy. I was making decent money for what I was doing and was in management. Your degree can prepare for you your job. I got my associate degree in drafting and it landed me at a job I been at for 16 years. The pay blows and your salary, get paid once a month. I chose that route and as for college its expensive, I am going for my Bachelor's right now and that is about 1200 for 2 classes online. Remeber it this way, and I tell my wife this and I told myself this long ago and alot of other people will too, hard work will reap its rewards. I went from making 5.65 to 8.00 an hour in 6 months by hustling. Just work hard at what you do and the rest will take care of self for you. That is the attitude I have on here work hard at learning and then apply it.
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    • Profile picture of the author JDArchitecture
      Not again!

      All I can say is that I would not have my current online business had it not been for my college education.

      Is it essential? There are few careers for which it truly is, but if you're measuring the value of the college experience against material success, you're missing the point.
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  • Profile picture of the author Blindbiz
    It depends on your view point. If you have a graphic or engineering degree it can't hurt your success. I'm teaching my teenage sons IM and encouraging them to go to college. I'm hoping they will be able to help pay for school!
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  • Profile picture of the author Saxydez
    I believe that personally you don't need any type of qualification or degrees. All that is personally needed is the will to want to do Online Marketing. The will and Focus to do it is what matters.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jonathan92
    Well I might be wrong, but it appears that most college programs don't even touch the practical money making strategies necessary for IM as we know it. I believe informal education is most beneficial when it comes to stuff.

    It's amazing that SEO is one of the most valuable skills, but it is also one for which there really isn't formal training. It's also not even that complicated, so maybe it's not suited for a college setting!
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  • Profile picture of the author Coby
    I left college becaue my IM business was doing great and I was spending my time working on it instead of school (even in class)...

    I was studying Entreprenuership and only need about 30 hours to finish - but doubt I'll go back anytime soon - I like to sleep in too much :p
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  • Profile picture of the author nicholasb
    I don't even have a high school diploma and I have been marketing successfully for 5 years.
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  • Profile picture of the author art72
    OK... I stopped reading after post #10 as I was throwing Thank-You's around like Free eBooks.

    I certifiably am not anti-education.

    With that said, I yield an 8th grade education, and held a 6 figure income offline building swimming pools for nearly 20 years.

    College has it's place to a degree, and that's about it. Unless you're dead set on having a job the rest of your life, or feel you are gaining an edge on the competition as the very nice looking lady above responded... it's all really just a matter of personal preference.

    In fact, threads like this are the equivalent of the God -vs- Atheist argument, there's no winning, until we all agree to disagree.

    I am no Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, or Mark Zuckerberg, but if you think about it, I'd bet 99% of what colleges are charging these days can be found online for free or much cheaper, if people were disciplined enough to structure themselves to pursue and research online.

    Understandably, I wouldn't want my 'brain transplant' being conducted by a home schooled self-professed doctor, but unless it's something really technical, I agree with Matthew Neer, colleges are the next thing to suffer in the US, as we advance our ability to acquire information online.

    Ironically, I still wonder "what if" I had gone to college?

    But that won't stop me from feeding my entrepreneurial hunger online or off!

    Art
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    • Profile picture of the author MatthewNeer
      Originally Posted by art72 View Post


      Ironically, I still wonder "what if" I had gone to college?

      But that won't stop me from feeding my entrepreneurial hunger online or off!

      Art
      I feel you on that man, I did go for a little bit, but as soon as I found out that I could learn anything about web design, video and marketing online, for free, the desire to pay $120,000 for film/web school kinda died out.

      Figured I would save my self some time, energy and money and learn how to build a business from the ground up, while learning and the same time.

      Been workin' out pretty well ever since I dropped out.

      However, one thing I do miss it the ladies

      College is a great place to meet some females and I do regret that. However, thats why I moved in with some college dudes!

      Keep hustlin' y'all,
      Matthew
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  • Profile picture of the author marcuslim
    There is a new book 'The Education of Millionaires' that addresses this very issue. It's a series of interviews with millionaires including Eben Pagan and Frank Kern, and it challenges the notion that most people have regarding the correlation between higher education and success. It makes the point quite convincingly that such correlation does not exist, and advocates self education for learning real world skills more than formal abstract education that is divorced from reality. Check it out!
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  • Profile picture of the author IamTJM
    I am making a full-time income online, but still pursuing a degree in exercise science because that is my passion. To me, IM pays my bills, but getting the career I want and helping people is what will ultimately make me happy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Justin Says
    I graduated high school with straight E's, one of the lowest GPA's, and never went on to college.

    So no I now own multiple business's, profit very well from niche websites, and I'm continuing to grow. But honestly.. it's best to kick college out of the equation when working online atleast in my opinion. It can be helpful, but sometimes you need to just relax and put common sense into the equation.
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