It’s been over three years since we wrote our very first blog post on the Praxis blog.
Since then we’ve written over 500 blog articles and we’ve got no intentions of stopping. Looking back through the archives, it’s fun to see that although parts of the hard product have changed, the vision of the program as it was founded has remained the same.
When we started this blog, we wanted to create a place for the Praxis team to explore their ideas about education, career building, life, philosophy, and more. The plan went something like this: “we have a lot to say, so we’re going to say it.”
While many startup blogs have a set “content strategy” designed to deliver SEO value, we opted to create a sort of spontaneously ordered playground where anyone on the Praxis team could share their thoughts with the world.
The results have been pretty spectacular. Over the years since our launch, readers from all over the world have been inspired, educated, and motivated break the mold from the posts here on the blog. People have built careers, written books, launched businesses, and taken control of their education in ways we couldn’t have predicted.
I thought it would be fun to put together a list of some of our favorite posts. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but I hope you’ll find value in a few of the articles.
You’re Worth More Than College
Our very first post here on the blog. It’s still maybe my personal favorite post. It’s almost a manifesto for Praxis. If you want a look at where we came from, this is it.
Graduating high school isn’t an accomplishment
Most people don’t really choose to go to high school. It’s just sort of the default. Most people don’t really fight hard to graduate. It just sort of happens. In fact, it requires more conscious effort to not go, or not graduate. Schooling is, for the student, mostly a passive process.
If we taught bike riding like we teach careers
A great analogy for how we should teach young people. Rather than sitting in the classroom, you should get out, get experience, and learn by doing.
6 Tips When Deciding Whether to Finish College
A lot of bright young people are unhappy in college. They hate wasting money. They hate wasting time. They hate the fact that what they’re getting in return is of so little value in preparing them for career and life. This post offers them a framework for evaluating their next move.
Your Lack of Income Can be an Asset
This one outraged some and inspired others. In reality it shouldn’t be all that controversial. If I had made income my first priority when I was starting my career I would have missed out on some incredible opportunities (Praxis being one of them!)
5 Signs You Might be Too Good for College
The most ambitious young people gain little from such a signal as the degree. In fact, a degree that lumps them in with all other degree holders undersells them. They’re too good for college, and they have the power to send a much more valuable signal outside of the one-size-fits-all system. They can create a better credential than the off-the-shelf version that takes four years and six figures.
Advice to Ambitious Young People: Just Build Something!
The best thing that an ambitious young person can do at age 18, 19, or 20 is to be building something. They should be spending as much of their free time as possible actively contributing to a tangible, real project that is completely outside of the school setting.
Why I Started Praxis
This is another one of my favorite posts. I know Isaac wrote it up in a moment of tension and you can see him bringing the heat. If you want a look at the mission behind Praxis and some clarifications of common questions, this is it.
You Don’t Need a Resume, You Need a Value Proposition
This was one of the most popular posts ever on the Praxis blog at the time it was published. It’s represents a core part of our career building philosophy and is a good introduction for anyone who wants to get a job.
You Don’t Need a Second Degree — Here’s What to Do Instead
Young people today have been conditioned to think that the solution to their professional growth challenges is almost always more schooling. The truth as we’ve realized in building Praxis is that the solution almost never is in more schooling. You need real world experience, not classroom time and not degrees. Get out and do something!
The College Mindset vs the Entrepreneur Mindset
Looking back on this piece, I could have offered some clarification. It set off a bit of a storm on social media BUT, I do still think it’s right in fundamentals. There is a huge difference between the kind of mindset that is needed to succeed in college and the one that is needed in the real world.
Why Homeschoolers Should Stop Trying to Get into College
This is one of our most popular posts of all time and is regularly reshared in homeschool circles. It brings some heat but for the most part it sings praises for homeschoolers and what they’re doing.
The Student vs the Entrepreneur Approach to Professional Learning
Once you get out into the real world you realize that learning in the classroom is totally inefficient. This post presents an alternative.
Get Out of Your Preparation Mindset
This is a challenge to students to stop giving themselves the excuse that they’re “just students,” as a way of getting out of the responsibility of being creative, productive individuals. The best preparation happens through creation and the there’s no sense in waiting any longer to get started.
How to Overcome the Social and Parental Pressure to Go Back to College
In which it is argued that parents don’t always know best after all.
A Complete Guide to Building Your Career Using Free Work
This post has helped dozens of kids land great jobs without a degree. It’s one of our most actionable posts on the Praxis blog and it’s become a hit in college circles.
Praxis Doesn’t Make Magic
“Life isn’t a lotto. Success isn’t a raffle. And Praxis is not magic. We’re not here to place a crown on your head or stick a piece of paper in your hand that will supposedly make people want to hire you merely because you got good grades, paid your dues, followed the map, obeyed instructions, played by the rules, showed up to class, passed your tests, and received strong recommendations from experts.”
What is Praxis “for?”
“We aren’t against classroom learning. We’re for an a la carte approach to your education — learn what you need and want to learn. Some of that might include a college course, but it will also include resources outside of college. Praxis exists to create these resources and to help you create them for yourself.”
What’s Next for the Blog?
I hope you find these posts as valuable as I have when putting this list together. If you’ve been with us from the beginning, thank you. If you’re new, don’t worry — the best is yet to come. If there’s a topic you would like to see written about here on the blog, please feel free to send me an email at derek@discoverpraxis.com.
