The education of millionaires : it's not what you think and it's not too late

Introduction: The Craigslist test of the value of a BA (or, Why practical intelligence almost always beats academic intelligence) -- How to make your work meaningful and your meaning work (or, How to make a difference in the world without going broke) -- How to find great mentors and teachers, connect with powerful and influential people, and build a world-class network -- What every successful person needs to know about marketing, and how to teach yourself -- What every successful person needs to know about sales, and how to teach yourself -- How to invest for success (The art of bootstrapping) -- Build the brand of you (or, To hell with resumes!) -- The entrepreneurial mind-set versus the employee mind-set: become the author of your own life -- Epilogue: The education bubble is about to pop: are you prepared for the aftermath?;Ellsberg draws on interviews with successful, wealthy individuals who never attended or finished college, identifying their winning principles to offer advice on networking with high-powered mentors and designing a lucrative career path. The myth: If you get into a good college, study hard, and graduate with excellent grades, you will be pretty much set for a successful career. The reality: The biggest thing you won't learn in college is how to succeed professionally. Some of the smartest, most successful people in the country didn't finish college. None of them learned their most critical skills at an institution of higher education. And like them, most of what you'll need to learn to be successful you'll have to learn on your own, outside of school. Michael Ellsberg set out to fill in the gaps by interviewing a wide range of millionaires and billionaires who don't have college degrees, including fashion magnate Russell Simmons, Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and founding president Sean Parker, WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg, and Pink Floyd songwriter and lead guitarist David Gilmour. Among the fascinating things he learned: How fashion designer Marc Ecko started earning $1000 a week in high school with his own clothing business, and later grew it into an empire. How billionaire Phillip Ruffin went from lowly department store employee with no college degree, to owner of Treasure Island on the Vegas Strip. How John Paul DeJoria went from homelessness to billionaire as founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems Hair Care Products. This book is your guide to developing practical success skills in the real world. Even if you've already gone through college, the most important skills weren't in the curriculum-how to find great mentors, build a world-class network, learn real-world marketing and sales, make your work meaningful (and your meaning work), build the brand of you, master the art of bootstrapping, and more. Learning the skills in this book well is a necessary addition to any education. This book shows you the way, whether you're a high school dropout or a graduate of Harvard Law School. Some of the smartest, most successful people in the country didn't finish college. None of them learned their most critical skills at an institution of higher education. And like them, most of what you'll need to learn to be successful you'll have to learn on your own, outside of school. Michael Ellsberg set out to fill in the missing pieces by interviewing a wide range of millionaires and billionaires who don't have college de­grees, including fashion magnate Russell Simmons and Facebook found­ing president Sean Parker. This book is your guide to developing practical success skills in the real world: how to find great mentors, build a world-class network, make your work meaningful (and your meaning work), build the brand of you, and more. Learning these skills is a necessary addition to any education, whether you're a high school dropout or graduate of Harvard Law School.