How I saved $62,250 dollars a year

Back when I was graduating college, I knew that I’d be moving to the town I live in now but had no idea what would come next. Eventually I landed an office job and that was good, but I didn’t really have a path in mind. So, obviously, I started looking at graduate school.

I’m lucky enough to be a handful of miles away from UC Davis, a great school with a stellar business MBA, so, like a good student, I started downloading information and thinking about whether I should do the part-time program or go full time.

Then I saw the price. And while it was a bit cheaper 9 years ago, enrollees in the class of 2017 should expect to pay $62,250 per year to get this education.

While I’m sure it’s a first-class education and you meet great people, I didn’t ultimately end up applying or getting that degree.

Easy win, right?! I just saved over $100k on student loans and fees!

Here’s what I realized over the last 6 years of building a business…

You’re going to spend money or time on education either way. The important bit is knowing where that money is getting invested.

I choose to invest in a team that stands by my side to build this business. That includes a project manager, designer, book editor, video editor, and coaching support on occasion.

I choose to invest in assets that will bring income back to my business, such as websites, advertising, and high quality program development.

I choose to invest in programs and opportunities that do more than send me to pre-recorded content and expect me to figure it out on my own. Instead, I invest in advisors and coaches who will walk the path with me and support my journey instead of telling me to follow theirs.

I wanted to work with people who were in the muck, doing the work and learning from their successes and mistakes every day; not just a professor who had a good textbook.

To me, it’s the real life experience, and there’s a big difference between book learning and hands on experience. There’s nothing wrong with books and nothing wrong with college education, but when I had the choice to build my business, I chose the hands on approach, and it hasn’t let me down yet.