What Happens When College is a "Destination" Instead of a Step? And the Florida Man Challenge 😭...

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Welcome to d’Skills Dispatch, rebels, where every Friday we share how to build Impact Portfolios that will give you an unfair advantage in life. Starting in high school.

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This is an experimental, free newsletter for high schoolers, gap year students, and (epic) parents with a different mind.

(most people don't like it)

Sponsored by AstroChicken Inc. (actually not really, but we like fun names around here)

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Today you might have caught me on a rant day... because today, we're talking about the POV for this whole darn thing of why every single high schooler in the world should have d'Skills before they go to college (or if they go...)

The key problem today...

Why the heck do students think college is a DESTINATION instead of a stepping stone?

We have a monster, Einstein.

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Never Have I Ever Got it Right...

You prob watched the show... it was epic.

And college fair day was so (freakishly) on point.

In case you haven't seen the show, here's the scoop.

Devi is a senior in the most recent season... And ALL she's ever wanted to do is go to Princton.

She's taken EVERY AP, and every extracurricular she could get her hands on, and has even cozied up to every teacher possible who could give her a recommendation.

(Spoilers ahead... you've been warned)

But when the SINGLE most important day of her life arrives --- the college fair where she can pitch herself to the Princeton admissions officer -- she MASSIVELY screws up.

Her one shot, blown.

She spirals.

She's crushed.

Her ENTIRE life led up to this. A failure.

We laugh because it's just a show... or is it?

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One of my friends spent $10,000 on a college admissions counselor.

Let me say that again for you in the back.

Her parents spent $10,000 to give her a slightly better chance of getting into college.

She said it wasn't even that helpful.

She said most of her friend circle was paying the same.

According to a 2019 study by the National Center for Education Statistics, about 14% of high school students in the United States spent $2,000 or more on test prep for college admissions in 2017-18.

Not developing real skills. Not prepping for life.

TEST PREP.

COLLEGE PREP.

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That kinda makes me feel the way I felt when I did the Florida Man Challenge... Have you tried???

Here's the secret formula -- Just Google "Florida Man + (Your birthday)"

Here's mine on Jan 11 😝 (and yes now you know my birthday so all you stalkers can send me bday dms)

I just... nevermind.

Back to serious.

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If we aren't following the "college destination" path, we're told we're a failure.

Today, I had a long convo with a friend who told me that just a few years back, he was on the CTE track at his school because he was "never going to go to college."

Now this man is one of the most brilliant people I know. He's a statistics genius.

But his career counselor didn't see his potential.

He was told he'd flip burgers his whole life.

Now, I certainly hope his experience was an exception, but the underlying message is the same:

College is the "right" destination. If you aren't going, you aren't worth it.

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"If I go to college, I'm guaranteed a job... right?"

Yep, this was a convo I had this week with a student about getting real, marketable skills in high school.

He's an extremely smart student (like a lot of us) -- investing a lot into his future. But when it came down to building d'Skills and an Impact Portfolio in high school, his response was "but the tried and true method works... right??"

I asked him what he meant.

He responded "well, college guarantees me a job, right?"

Sadly, many of us still believe this. Because the system is good at lying.

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So... if getting accepted to college is our only dream...

Our identity.

We've poured tens of thousands of $$ in.

And believe, to our core, that we are failures if we are "those" kids who aren't going to college....

Friends, what happens if it doesn't work out?

What happens if we don't get accepted?

If we end up dropping out 1 year in...

If we decide we aren't learning much and want to start our own thing?

....Or God forbid, we think like a rebel and refuse to accept that this is the only way?

...Or worse yet, what happens when we graduate college with $100k in debt and haven't even discovered ourselves? And suddenly have to find a career that wants real skills, not just a piece of paper?

What happens when...

We discover for the first time... that we were really prepared for tests, but not for life?

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Guys, there's hope.

That's the whole reason we started this rebellion.

Schools need our help. They need our courage.

We have the power to shift native digitals from test prep to life prep.

College isn't a destination. If we think it is, we're screwed. It's a stepping stone. So for the love of God, at the bare minimum, get some d'Skills along with your degree.

-Hannah (your chief rebel)

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(throw a rebel a bone, k?)

And, if you're not enjoying this you might get a qweezy feeling in your belly if you joined our free community, TikTok, or checked out our bootcamp IMPACT10.

Florida man arrested after dispute over hedgehog.

Go preach about life prep.

Hug your hedgehog.

Text your grandma.

31 of the Most Outrageous Class Pranks Ever (i'm def trying some of these on my friends).

Are you still with me?...

...this is the part of d'Skills Dispatch, that's like the post-credits scene in a Marvel movie... where some fans stay because they're looking for clues, Easter eggs, or just more fun...

For some reason, you're still reading, and I'm still typing...

Never forget—

The most important skill is learning how to learn.

"They" have no idea.

If you're into disruptive thinking, you'll love this article.

Did you know Elon Musk created a school for his kids?

Jane Austen was brilliant.

Impact Portfolio.

Skills.

Life?

No one extraordinary ever followed the standard path.

Rebels create their own categories 🚀

Hey, thanks for sticking around for these random tidbits...

...let's keep ditching that script, rebels and hang out again soon, k?😎🚀🌍