This is the first post of College Is For Dumb Kids, a newsletter by Logik. Our mission is to replace traditional business education with something that actually works — learning by doing.

Let’s cut to it. My goal is to overthrow the societal giant that is traditional higher education. These institutions have become fat, lazy, and are outright doing a disservice to our society. They are so deeply woven into our culture that few even dare to challenge or question their actual value.

To improve my odds of making a dent, I’m starting with what I believe is the worst segment of them all: business degrees.

Inefficiency.

If the goal of a business degree is to take a high school student and prepare them for employment, we’re doing it completely backwards. I’m tired of the “well-rounded” mumbo jumbo narrative force-fed to us by university admissions offices.

The standard four-year degree breaks down roughly like this:
Two years of general education.
One year of business “core” courses.
One year of business specialization.

So three-fourths of your degree has nothing to do with what you’ll actually do in the real world. There’s no reason a student needs to take Beer and Wine Studies or Mafia Movies (yes, those are real courses) to become an effective accountant or marketer.

At best, a business degree is a signal. A signal to employers that you can get out of bed, follow rules, cram for exams (or cheat on them), and sit through lectures for four years. That’s it.

To prove that business school is mostly a signaling mechanism, look at any big company that hire business graduates. Almost all of them run two-year rotational programs, meaning they take these “graduates” and spend another two years training them to actually be useful and productive.

So what are we paying for?
An expensive piece of paper that signals capability, not one that builds it.

Student loans are out of control. Graduates walk across the stage to receive a piece of paper, a pat on the head, and the shackles of lifelong debt.

But the bigger cost isn’t even financial. It’s time.

Four years spent not developing real skills. Four years of potential lost, where students could be working, building, learning through doing, and creating real value.

That’s four years of life traded for a credential.

1. Spread awareness.
Specifically to high school students and their families. This blind march into higher education needs to stop. Have the boldness to challenge the standard. The best way to do that is to talk to people who’ve already been through it. Ask recent graduates what they actually learned, and what they actually do now. You might be surprised by the honesty you hear.

2. Build community.
There’s an enormous amount of societal pressure on high school seniors to go to college, and most of them don’t even realize there’s another path. We’re building a community for the the ones brave enough to say “no thanks” to the system. A place to learn, collaborate, and grow outside the university bubble.

Join us on Skool, where we’re building this movement.

3. Create an alternative.
The solution to bloated universities isn’t reform. It’s competition.

That’s why I’m founding Logik, a company that will build a hands-on alternative for students who want to study business the right way, by doing.
Half the time. Half the cost. Twice the value.

This is a massive giant to topple. There’s no chance I can do it alone.

Will you join me?

Share this newsletter with any student or family considering a business degree. Let’s start the conversation and start building the future.

Michael Starkman
Founder, Logik
Join the movement