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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