How to Help High School Graduates Become
Successful in the 21st Century Without a College Degree
by Doc Schwartz, M.Ed. | Sept 22, 2023 | Blog
Society tells us that "education is the key to success" and that if you don't go to college that it's going to be impossible for you to be successful. But if that were the whole story, then why does 75% of the US population not have a college degree?
In fact, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and half a dozen other highly successful entrepreneurs never earned a college degree. So then why does society keep telling us this lie?
The truth is there is only one thing you need to learn in order to be successful in the 21st century. And that one thing is the 6 principles of leadership.
But don't take my word for it, I am going to show you scientific proof that the 6 principles of leadership is the one thing that will determine if you succeed or fail in life?
Let's take Jaquan for example.
Jaquan was a young black kid who grew up in a very poor neighborhood, surrounded by gang violence, drugs and no positive role models. And because Jaquan was poor, he knew he was never going to be able to afford college. Maybe you're in the same situation as Jaquan, where you think you're supposed to go to college, but you can't afford it.
So what are you supposed to do?
After all, society keeps saying to you "if you don't go to college, then you're going to be a failure in life."
For Jaquan, the truth is he didn't need college. And the reason Jaquan didn't need college was because all he ever dreamed about when he was a kid was working on cars. Therefore, the only formal education Jaquan needed was a high quality high school diploma and an auto-mechanics certificate, which you can get at any reputable trade school in the country.
But what if you don't want to be an auto-mechanic or go into a trade? Do you still have to go to college?
And the answer is no.
But before we continue, there are two major problems with Jaquan's scenario.
The first problem is the high school diploma issue. In order for Jaquan to say he received a high quality education, his high school needed to teach him the 6 principles of leadership in school. Which means, if you didn't learn the 6 principles in high school then you didn't get a high quality education.
That's problem #1.
So what's problem #2?
The second problem is getting stuck in entry-level positions. The reason why high school and college degrees are no longer high quality is because they are not teaching kids the 6 principles. And when you don't learn the 6 principles of leadership, then how are you supposed to get promoted? How are you supposed to get raises? And how are you supposed to be put in positions of leadership where you have to lead other people?
The truth is when you don't learn the 6 principles of leadership in school, then you will be doomed to be stuck at the bottom of your career for the rest of your life. In other words, you're happy when you get your first job making $20 an hour, but when you're 40 and your earnings potential is capped at $25 an hour - its a whole different story.
And what our educational system doesn't want to tell you is - you're going to be stuck no matter what degree you earn.
Luckily this isn't what happened to Jaquan. And the only reason Jaquan was able to pursue his dreams was because he learned the 6 principles in school. So here's how that happened.
One day, while Jaquan was standing behind the cash register at the garage he worked at, an angry customer walked through the door yelling and screaming about how inconvenient it was to get an oil change every 3,000 miles.
If Jaquan was like every other 21 year old, he would have ignored the customer by being on his phone or he would have gone to get the manager. But Jaquan didn't do that, instead he followed the 6 principles of leadership.
And one of those principles says "leaders listen."
As a leader, you must listen to what other people are telling you because you can't be in two places at the same time. Therefore, you need to be open to feedback and suggestions, no matter where they come from.
In other words instead of tuning out, Jaquan tuned in.
Why was the customer so upset? Why were they yelling at him? And how could he solve their problem?
As a leader, it's your job to help people solve their problems. That's actually how businesses make money. And the bigger the problem you can help people solve, the more money you can make. The typical 21 year old would have said, "this is not my problem," but Jaquan learned the 6 principles in school.
According to a scientific study published by Georgetown University, one of the most important skills you can learn in the 21st century are leadership skills. And the reason they said this skill was so important for long term success was because leaders know how to listen for new opportunities and then know how to seize upon them.
Jaquan was listening to this angry customer and at the same time, thinking about ways to solve their problem. And that's when Jaquan came up with a brilliant idea that would not only help this customer, but also get him out of this dead-end entry level job.
So at the young age of 23, Jaquan was able to follow his dreams of starting his own business and becoming a successful entrepreneur because he had learned the 6 principles in school.
Now think about your own life and career. How could the 6 principles of leadership help you? What opportunities have you missed because you don't know how to listen to people very well? And how are you going to get out of the dead-end job that you're currently in?
The answer is the 6 principles of leadership.
Learn the 6 Principles of Leadership in This Book
Do you want to see what else you need to learn, in order to be successful in the 21st Century?
Then Join Our Mailing List
Written by D.Scott Schwartz, M.Ed.
A Preview of What You'll Learn?
Inside the Teacher Development Program guide you will receive in your inbox, you will learn about how we break down teacher development into 4 critical areas. You will also learn why providing 10-months of consistent PD is a much better idea than "swoop in and swoop out" PD workshops.
When you read about this groundbreaking teacher program, you will wonder why you stuck with the old method for so long.
© Copyright 2020 - 2026 Education Development Institute. All Rights Reserved
WATCH THE PODCAST!!
PRESS Here
Sign Up to Our Newsletter
All Your Information is Protected When You Sign Up
READ MORE BLOG ARTICLES
Written by D.Scott Schwartz, M.Ed. on February 10th 2020
Why Me Quitting Teaching, Means You Don't Have to...
If you Want to Fix Schools, Read this First...
The Dirty Little K12 Secret
What the Power Elite Don't Want You to Find Out
Article written by D. Scott Schwartz, M.Ed.
Why won't the media report the truth about our educational system? Why won't Washington mandate that every student learn the five most important skills for the 21st century?
Do you want to know the answers to these questions? Then read this entire blog article. First, we will outline for you how the world has changed in the 21st century from previous centuries. Next, we will show you that the academic elite, as well as the media know that 21st century skills are required. And lastly, we will show you what you can do, if you want to upgrade your 21st century skills and catch up to the elite.
What's So Different About the 21st Century?
You probably know this century is known as "The Digital Age," but what you might not know is why that changed the entire world. And why if you don't learn 21st century skills, you will be a century behind everyone else.
Here's a quick history lesson you NEED to know. In previous centuries, it was possible to become a billionaire if you built a company that could dominate an industry or hold a monopoly. That's correct, a monopoly. Monopolies only became illegal in the US after 1914, with the passage of the Clayton Act of 1914. But before then, if you could corner the market, it was a surefire way of becoming a billionaire.
It's illegal to operate a monopoly in the 21st century, which means, millionaires and billionaires must be doing something different today.
The Dirty Little Secret
How are these billionaires making all their money if monopolies are illegal? The answer is through their education. That's the dirty little secret. They have a better quality education than you do. But it's not from expensive private schools or boarding schools. It's not even from the most prestigious colleges and universities.
The dark little secret is billionaires are learning the 21st century skills they need in the most prestigious business schools in the world and sharing that knowledge with their friends at dinner parties, fundraisers and on the golf course.
Do You Want to Know What Those Skills Are?
No one knows the exact reason why the K12 or the American collegiate system refuses to upgrade and modernize their curriculums to include the five 21st century skills. In fact, there is no evidence to suggest a grand conspiracy.
The best speculation can place the blame on egotism, incompetence and a stubbornness against change that can only be described as "acting like a 4-year old."
Whatever the reason, the truth is that every high school and college in America should be teaching students the five skills they NEED to know in the 21st century and they are NOT!!
And there is clear evidence that suggests the academic elite and the media KNOW about the problem. The first piece of evidence can be found in a research report published by Georgetown University in 2020 that identified the five most valuable skills in the workplace. And the second piece of evidence is the fact the most prestigious business schools in the world, changed their curriculum around 2010 to include these same five skills.
How can the academic elite and the media expect the general public to believe they NEVER heard of Georgetown University? Or they don't have a clue what Harvard, Yale, Stanford and Wharton business schools are doing, when most of their executives are graduates of those programs? If they try to make that claim, it's both dishonest and disingenuous.
Want to Learn The Five Most Important Skills for Success?
At this point, you might be asking, "How can I learn these five important skills?"
This may be the most important question you can ask and it's the reason Leaf Academy was created for you. That's right, Leaf Academy was created for ordinary Millennials and Gen Z who don't have access to the most expensive business schools. You don't attend $10,000 a plate fundraisers and you don't belong to a Country Club.
Where else can you turn to learn these vital 21st century skills?
The only answer is Leaf Academy.
Take the First Step
If you want to learn all five 21st century skills, you need to take the first step. And the first step is learning the First 21st Century Skill - Leadership.
There's a lot you need to learn about leadership skills, which is why Leaf Academy founder, D.Scott Schwartz, M.Ed. created this FREE Webinar to help get you started. If you register for this 100% Free Webinar, you will learn three things. 1) "The 6 Objectives of Leadership" 2) Why Leadership Skills are So Important 3) How to Find Your Purpose in Life
Take the first step and register for this 100% FREE Webinar. Follow the button below to get started.
How to Fix the K12 System, So It Works for Teachers
Written by D.Scott Schwartz, M.Ed. on Oct.20th 2021
We have all had teachers in our lives, good or bad, some we listened to, some we followed, some we hated and some we loved. It’s the one universal experience we all share. That is why the new K12 redesign plan cannot work unless we address where teachers fit into that plan.
When I was a student in the K12 system, it was in the 20th Century. It’s important to make that known, as kids today are going through the system in the 21st Century.
Written by John Smith on Oct. 6th 2019
Quisque suscipit mauris vel augue rutrum lacinia. Ut malesuada est nec fringilla accumsan. Donec tristique, enim nec egestas interdum, arcu lorem pulvinar lorem, gravida convallis urna velit in enim...
Programs