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For the past few years, I\u2019ve been on a journey that started with a single, terrifying question\u2026<\/p>\n
My son, Maxim, was 18. He\u2019d just finished high school (home school), and he had no idea what to do next.<\/p>\n
And frankly, neither did I.<\/p>\n
The default path we\u2019ve all been sold\u2014go to college, get a degree, get a job\u2014felt broken. It felt like a trap.<\/p>\n
Rising costs, ideological indoctrination, and degrees that no longer guarantee competence or opportunity\u2026 it was clear that modern academia had failed.<\/p>\n
And now, with the exponential rise of AI, going to college has become the single worst financial decision a young person could make today.<\/p>\n
Think about it. By the time a freshman graduates in four years, AI will have completely disrupted the global workforce. They\u2019ll be spit out into an even more AI-dominant world in 2029, saddled with $150,000 in debt, maybe more.<\/p>\n
They\u2019d be completely screwed.<\/p>\n
So, what\u2019s the alternative?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the question that led my son and me, along with my mentor, the legendary Doug Casey, to create “The Preparation.”<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a 4-year process, a “right of passage,” that replaces classroom memorization with real-world experiences. It\u2019s designed to build virtue, values, skills, connections, and confidence in a young man or woman to navigate an increasingly unstable and unclear future.<\/p>\n
And as my friend Mike Dillard so eloquently put it, “It\u2019s fucking brilliant.”<\/p>\n
Instead of turning someone into a specialist with a singular career path, The Preparation is designed to turn them into a “generalist” with the knowledge, skills, real world experience and the contacts needed to adapt to a rapidly changing world.<\/p>\n
Over the past two years, Maxim has been pioneering this model. He\u2019s\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022Gotten his EMT or Emergency Medical Technician license\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022Worked as an apprentice to an Uruguayan gaucho\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022Worked with a geophysics crew for a gold exploration company\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022Learned how to sail in the Falkland Islands\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022Started an agricultural drone business\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022He as even learned to fly a plane\u2026<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s just scratching the surface.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s done all of this by the age of 20.<\/p>\n
This process is providing him with a lifetime of real-world experiences, contacts, and opportunities that most adults will never see. And the best part? He\u2019s getting paid along the way.<\/p>\n
But don\u2019t just take my word for it. The response from people I deeply respect has been overwhelming.<\/p>\n
James Altucher, the bestselling author of “Choose Yourself,” called it “mandatory listening (and reading)” and said, “This is exactly what young people should do now instead of college.”<\/p>\n
Tom Woods, the NY Times bestselling author, said, “When I read The Preparation, my jaw was on the floor. I thought: this is exactly what young men need today. It\u2019s practical, brilliant, and long overdue.”<\/p>\n
And Glenn Beck dedicated an entire episode of his podcast to it, titled “How to Make Men DANGEROUS Again.”<\/p>\n
Ultimately, your child\u2019s education isn\u2019t about what they learn. AI can teach them anything they want to know.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s about who they become.<\/p>\n
Will they become another beer-drinking frat-boy, saddled with debt and stepping into a world that doesn\u2019t need them?<\/p>\n
Or will they become a true renaissance man or woman, capable of adapting to a world that needs their adventurous, adaptable spirit, and real-world experience?<\/p>\n
If you have a child or grandchild, or know any young person trying to find their way, here are three things you can do right now:<\/p>\n
1. Buy a copy of “The Preparation” here on Amazon.\u00a0https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0FLRKZCKL<\/a><\/p>\n 2. Subscribe to Maxim\u2019s email newsletter to follow his journey as he documents this process.\u00a0https:\/\/www.maximsmith.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n