Kevin Mitnick: Jail as a College Alternative
College is not the fastest way to great income. Sometimes, the fastest way to a great paying job is through jail.
Kevin Mitnick knows this well. Since he was 12 years old, he has been working on hacking different systems. He gained access to the LA bus punch tool so he could ride the bus for free, and then moved on from there to hacking Pac Bell’s voicemail system. Eventually, he hacked secure computer networks and gained access to user information and passwords. Eventually, he was arrested in 1995 and served 5 years in jail. He wrote a book about his experiences called The Art of Deception
Today, he runs his own computer security consulting business, and probably makes lots of money from it.What is the significance of this? Kevin never attended college, yet Fortune 500 businesses all across the world pay his company high fees to consult them on their security. Obviously, a person who was able to break into so many networks will know how to prevent those break ins.
They don’t pay him because of his fancy degrees. They don’t pay him because he was certified by some ho hum organization. He is paid simply on the basis of his experience.
How much did his experience cost? Well, he did spend 5 years in jail. But while he was “training for his career”, he was having the time of his life.
And now he makes more money than most college trained security professionals.
Making money doesn’t need years of boring college. You can get to where you have to just learning from hands on experience. It can be done while having fun. And you can probably figure out a way to do so without having to pass through jail.
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Filed Under: Career Advice
I don’t like the tone of this post. You’re not saying it, but it can be inferred that one can make money any way one can, even if it may be unethical, but not illegal.
That’s really not my point, though. I’m kinda tired of seeing these “bash education b/c you don’t need it” posts. Have you ever thought about the fact that not everyone has the skill set and risk tolerance to go into business for themselves? Or that we can’t point to those who are successful in business as a shining example of why we don’t need higher education? For every successful businessman, there may very well be 10 very big failures.
Are you sure that you don’t have the skill set to be successful? Then don’t bother going to school either, because you won’t make too much money going that route either. Stand up and be a man! Don’t wimp out.
aaron, you completely either missed my point or ignored it.
You obviously didn’t read my comment carefully. I wrote that it’s very possible that not everyone has the RISK TOLERANCE and skill set to GO INTO BUSINESS FOR THEMSELVES, not necessarily to be successful. Many people become successful employees of firms and had the skills and desire necessary to do so.
As for your quote – “Stand up and be a man! Don’t wimp out.”, what exactly are you trying to say here? That if you don’t open your own business you’re not a man? That you’re wimping out? I have a BA from university, a master’s degree, and hold a successful job B”H with a good company. Am I “not a man” and “wimping out”??