How to #LifeHack College

                                           How to #LifeHack College

I dedicate this article to Tim Ferriss who inspired me to find ways around life and to never stop learning.


At 17, I failed out of high school. I had to go to continuation school to graduate, then failed out of the next two colleges I went to. I wasn't dumb, I was a kinesthetic learner that was hyper intelligent with a penchant for boredom with traditional instruction. All I wanted to do was skateboard. Couple that in with a family of drug addicts, no role models, and living in a logging town with little industry and I was rocketing to failure.

At 38, I am a six degreed PhD with seven books written, my own success company, and a life coaching practice to help others reach their dreams.

For Christmas break, I decided to write a powerful article with far reaching implications: How to beat the traditional four year college program, which I find archaic and stifling, not to mention economically oppressive.

What hope does a young person have when they never took their SATs, never got past Pre-Algebra, and had no idea what an Associate's Degree was? According to society, if you don't attend a state school or UC, you have no value and will toil in the trenches, parking cars for a living or being a career server.

Not on my watch.

I not only turned out ok by attending a non state school (University of Phoenix), I learned enough in my program to start writing my own books, start my own skateboarding company, got on the news, was featured in Transworld Business, and now am life coaching clients in the US and Europe and getting paid for it. My new book Utopia, is based on these programs and is now FREE on the Blue Dragon Website at http://www.bluedragonent.com/utopia--a-guide-to-success-in-san-diego.html,

Here are some things I have found:


Tuition Free Colleges
The following colleges have tuition free programs:

Cooper Union, Ny

College of the Ozarks, Ms

Berea College, KY

Curtis Institute of Music, Pa

Alice Loyd College, Ky

Webb Institute, NY

Deep Springs College, Ca

Coast Guard Academy, Ct

Naval Academy, Md

Air Force Academy, Co

Merchant Marine Academy, Ny

The full link is here:

http://www.thebestschools.org/blog/2012/12/10/20-colleges-providing-free-tuition/

Test for Credit
One way to get credit for courses without actually taking them, paying tuition or buying full priced textbooks is to take CLEP and DANTE exams. You literally can test for credit and they offer most freshman and sophomore level GE courses. These tests are free for active duty military and reservists. Here is an overview with a listing of the courses offered. TIP: Get a sample test, look up the textbook used to write it, and buy it used off Amazon. This will give you an edge for the real test.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_Level_Examination_Program

Military Advantage
For active duty military members, several colleges have "satellite" campuses that are covered by tuition assistance. You do not have to use your GI Bill or Post 9/11. I attended Embry Riddle and finished a Bachelor's, 2 Associate's and a minor in Aviation Safety in 2.5 years. Plus it was right by the dorms, so after work i would just walk over and go to class.


Paid Apprenticeships Leading to Free Associate's Degrees
This one surprised even me. Many junior colleges have work/class partnerships with local industries and companies. In San Diego, both City College and Southwestern College have apprenticeships for technical based degrees. You can literally sign up, get accepted, start collecting apprenticeship pay, AND GET A TUITION FREE ASSOCIATE'S that is transferable to a four year school. You can search in your town by doing a Google Search for your local junior college name, plus "apprenticeships." Imagine that, a free degree, PLUS pay. 


Fellowships/Scholarships
What better way to go through life, than the satisfaction of finding a free education. Here are fellowships and scholarships to help you:

https://www.profellow.com/announcements/top-10-summer-fellowships-of-2015/

http://www.collegechoice.net/50-top-college-scholarships/

http://www.switzernetwork.org/become-fellow

http://www.ed.gov/blog/2014/12/2015-2016-teaching-and-principal-ambassador-fellowship-program-applications-now-available/

Free Training For High Paying Jobs
Finally, how about the greatest college hack of all? The "golden ticket" to a well paying career WITHOUT a degree?

I have saved the best for last. Many larger cities have free training according to career. They fall into different categories.

Google "Adult ROP Free Classes" and your town's name and see what pops up. In San Diego alone, they offer free classes for Electronic Tech, Automotive Tech, Computer Networking, and Graphic Design. This now puts you in the $14-$35 an hour pay range upon completion. Best of all, these classes are accelerated and are under two years.

Next, you can do a search for "Job Corps" and your town name. Job Corps is a state funded program that gives you free training with several industries to choose from, plus a stipend and free housing, if needed.

Are you ready for the "jaw dropper"; the most powerful tool I have found for free training?

The Dept. of Labor has a searchable database for every apprenticeship in nearly every state. This means you can search and find free, and in most cases, paid, training while you learn a new career.

Here is the link for California:
http://www.dir.ca.gov/databases/das/aigstart.asp

Here is the link for nationwide:
http://www.doleta.gov/oa/


If you need any help finding programs, email me and I'll help free of charge. dragonsgold76@gmail.com.

Remember, college is a tough choice, make sure that you pick the path that is right for YOU, not for anyone else. I believe in you and hopefully, you found some items today that will better your life .

Success in 2015,

Dr. Rob

8 Ways to Supercharge Your Intelligence TODAY

8 Ways to Supercharge Your Intelligence TODAY by Dr. Robert Garcia

 

(Image courtesy of Stinta Technica)

 

 

We all dream of it. We wonder what it would be like to think faster, to recall information, to be able to effortlessly comprehend difficult concepts and processes. While I cannot promise you a four digit IQ like Eddie Moura from Limitless, I can share with you some of the techniques I have developed as an intelligence specialist and a six degreed author.

 

                Read these techniques carefully and more than once. Understand the concepts behind them and you will start to adapt them into your everyday life. They aren't just arbitrary concepts that I thought would make an interesting sounding article. They are the culmination of over 14 books I have read on higher intelligence, my everyday practices, and my analysis of geniuses throughout history.

 

1. Acceptance of Cognitive Ability

                The very first thing you will have to do is accept your higher intelligence. Tell yourself that you are going to be smarter, think faster, and take advantage of the fastest computer in recorded human history- your brain. Your belief systems will subconsciously cause you to behave in a more analytical way. The very act of telling yourself that you are a smart person will cause you to behave like a smart person.

 

                Wake up in the morning and say out loud, "I am going to have supercharged intelligence today" or "I am going to think like a genius today."

 

                Promise to adapt higher intelligence habits. Instead of watching TV, go to the library, or study some math that interests you. Read a Popular Science, or study a high IQ person. These are all great ways to start thinking at that next higher level.

 

2. Create Recognition and Familiarity

            As human beings, we tend to shy away from the unknown and the unfamiliar. This is a natural survival mechanism but does not always work in our favor. Many high school students become terrified of math as soon as they start to venture into material that they cannot grasp. The symbols, variables, and equations start to run together and the mind shuts down. This leads to a failure spiral that keeps many people from reaching their academic goals.

               

                The secret to overcoming these fears is repetition. Read hard to understand passages over and over, take notes on key points. Practice writing out problems or concepts until your muscle memory takes over. Once you start to recognize these concepts and problems, they are much less scary and not as intimidating. Doing daily reviews of challenging material can help to relax the brain and avoid negative reactions. I strongly recommend reading your information sources until "intellectual deja vu" appears.

 

3. Evolve From Surface Thinking

                Surface thinking is a concept that I invented a few years ago. If you have ten random people that are exposed to an event, what is the first impression that at least 8 of them have? That's surface thinking. The first reaction to something, the first thought process or statement. A truly intelligent person will learn to probe above just the surface and draw conclusions that are much more detailed and thought out.

 

                Here is an example. A high school student, a high school teacher, and a college professor with a PhD. all get a copy of Lord of the Flies and read it. The student, being a surface thinker, will describe it as a book with a weird kid on the cover with leaves on his face. It's about a bunch of kids on an island.

 

                The high school teacher will be able to describe it by chapters and be able to talk about main events and their place in the literary timeline of the book. They will be able to describe the tone and the characters.

 

                The college professor will understand the value of the book as a literary classic and be able to compare it to other literary classics that contain similar themes. They will be able to describe the significance of each character to the plotline of the story and even why they exist in the story. The professor can point out underlying messages to the reader and even to society as a whole. They will describe the author's intent and message with certain events and will be able to recognize major plot points and evolutions in the story.

 

                Can you see the difference in the three thought processes? The professor is functioning at the highest level because they have had an education that requires significant research, widening of intellectual thought, and expansion of spatial knowledge. They have long since surpassed surface thinking.

 

4. Gather High Tier Sources

                In the book Limitless, by Alan Glynne, the main character takes a pill that gives him superhuman intelligence. He quickly becomes an expert in many subjects which leads to his rapid ascension to success. We can emulate his actions and habits for our own purposes. When he wants to learn about the stock market, he gets high end books on options trading. He reads Bloomberg and follows several financial newspapers and magazines. He listens to high yield investors in the field and creates his own sphere of intelligence.

 

                When he is asked to take part in a multi-billion dollar corporate merger, he reads graduate level textbooks on corporate finance, learns about complex pricing models like the Black-Scholes Model, and studies past financial mergers that were similar in nature.

 

                Remember, you are only as good as the material you absorb. Your brain will naturally synthesize these materials and create fresh concepts for you. It's up to you to gather high tier sources to supercharge it into action.

 

5. Learn the Language

                When trying to learn new concepts, one of the fastest ways to quickly comprehend it is to "learn the language." All complicated processes or subjects have acronyms, commonly used terms, buzzwords, and vocabulary that is specific to that field.

 

                The quickest way to memorize their meanings and usage is by using flash cards and quizzing yourself. Practice using these terms in sentences and understanding their meaning.        Repeat acronyms to yourself until you can recall them effortlessly. Once you understand these terms, your comprehension of the subject matter will increase rapidly.

 

6. Create a Related Product

                In my book, The Next Level, I used Creation as a method of gaining mastery of a skill. By making a tangible product that is usable to others, you are demonstrating your aptitude and level of comprehension. Studying graphic design? Make an online portfolio. Learning to code? Create a flash animation. Studying electronics? Build a simple calculator or a voice changer.

 

                By creating a product, you are demonstrating that you understand and can apply the principles you have learned. You are increasing your aptitude and you are showing others that you can perform in this particular field.

 

7. Find the Pros

                When trying to gain a supercharged intellectual goal. it is always a good idea to seek out mentors. Who are the innovators in that particular field? Who is widely regarded as the best? Who stands out as a respected member of that community? That is the person you should be studying.

 

                Mentors show us what we can be, how to do things better, and can be great guides in our goals. Plus they are usually willing to share their processes, habits, and learned skills. In many occasions, a mentor can "see" if you are making a mistake and correct you. Learning from the best is a great way to advance mentally.

 

8. Develop Spatial Knowledge

                Your mind is a virtual universe of understanding and advanced neural networks just begging to be tested. Your spatial knowledge is your mental ability to draw diagrams of processes, to imagine scenarios, and complicated relationships between working parts, variables, or even people.

 

                Architects use spatial knowledge to imagine the structure of buildings long before the first beams are put together. Surgeons use spatial knowledge to imagine a medical procedure. Pilots use spatial knowledge to plot out flight routes in their head.

               

                You can use spatial knowledge to aid in your desire to think faster and understand things better. Use dry erase boards to map out processes. Learn how to tie parts together and their relationships. Use multiple sources of information like books or magazines to "paint" the picture mentally of what you are trying to learn. Think of an object such as a Toyota truck and rotate it in your head. Imagine moving it so its facing you, turned away from you and over you. This is spatial knowledge in it's basic form- the ability to imagine an object or process, to manipulate and tweak it, and to forecast the results mentally.

 

                Practice expanding your spatial knowledge on your desired topic and ask yourself, can I conceptualize this and could I teach it?

 

                Once the answer is yes, you know that you have now become smarter and are in a higher intellectual state than you started out at. Congratulations.

Want the Secrets to Completing Your Doctoral Dissertation? (Academic Version)

I was stunned at the response from all of my fellow UOP students. In one day 20 people responded to my post and at least 7 personally emailed me. I sat at work and thought about how I could write a second article, even more powerful, and that had specific tips for accelerating their success. This is what I compiled. Please read the following two quotes slowly and really absorb the words. They are carefully chosen for your success.

 

First I would like you to gain a solid understanding of what a Doctorate is.

"The objective of a doctoral degree is to create high quality research and verifiable findings that are relevant, thought provoking, and constitute a significant contribution to the existing body of research in your desired topic." - Dr. Robert Garcia

 

Next, I would like to offer my opinion as to what constitutes a doctoral student/candidate:

 

"A doctoral student/candidate synthesizes existing knowledge, draws conclusions and interjects their personal research and findings." -Dr. Robert Garcia

 

Now that I have shared what is expected of your work and yourself, I'd like to share several tips to aid your growth as a student/candidate.

 

Mentor/Committee- If you can't find faculty with the UOP resources, there is nothing wrong with politely writing as many faculty members as possible and asking them if they know anyone. I would also use Linkedin and use the search engine to see who pops up.

 

Residency- Take as many business cards as you can, and GET EVERYONE'S CONTACT INFO. These people are your comrades-in-arms and at times, will be your main source of strength after a challenge. The smartest thing I ever did was circulate a contact sheet and kept it close to my desk.

 

When you get to your dissertation, keep it at your level of confidence. This means if you are writing about healthcare, a dissertation involving hospital billing in 10 states will be a lot more complicated than writing about hospital billing in one city. I wrote about Project Based Learning and if I had gone with the original plan of using teen respondents, would have tripled the paperwork and complexity. The key word here is "manageable."

 

Creating powerful content is essential to your evolution as a student. About halfway through the journey, I started to realize that three sentences that were written at a high level could beat out three pages that were written "to get the job done." Think about the impact of statement. Write for content, not completion.

 

When you get to your dissertation, you will be tasked with writing at the highest level of comprehension. Don't let this intimidate you. You have 10 times as many resources as you think for drawing research from. Write with confidence and power. Here are several tactics I used to create a well received and comprehensive dissertation:

 

1. Don't get caught up in "Americanism." Foreign studies, journals, and research can benefit you GREATLY in your doctoral journey. Don't get caught in the trap of only using American resources and articles. Check foreign universities, trade journals, and studies. Has anyone from Oxford ever written a research paper on your topic or field? I used studies from Malaysia, India, and Australia for my work.

 

2. Are there similar organizations that have content or findings that can help? Don't just use Proquest, branch out. If you are writing about law, use articles from a law school, if you are writing about business, what does Wharton say about your topic? Are there trade journals or organizations that have content/research/findings that can strengthen your cause/paper?

 

3. Find relevant sub-topics that strengthen your writing and research. Remember to not create "fluff" but to build a cohesive foundation of knowledge. When I wrote about Project Based Learning, I researched the history of education, PBL practices in early education, the tie in with the ASVAB (military testing) and other schools that used PBL exclusively. This created a wider body of knowledge, and to be honest, made me a better subject matter expert on PBL.

 

4. Who are the pioneers in your topic? Are there people that can be written about? Anyone that has significantly affected the subject with research/achivement/findings?

 

5. Check for documentaries and public groups/organizations. It's perfectly acceptable to cite from media sources if they offer tangible and peer accepted information about your topic. PBS was cited for a documentary they created about early education.

 

6. Trade specific journals in your subject or degree grouping can offer a wealth of studies, articles, and knowledge. Here are a few tips for finding them:

 

Healthcare: Google "healthcare publications," "medical journals," "hospital trade journals"

 

Education: Google "educational journals," "school research magazines," and "education based publications"

 

7. Find real life examples. For my dissertation, I researched actual schools that have been written about that use PBL. Find out how people around the world are using your subject matter and creating results from it. Narrowing your Google search can provide educational gold.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I wanted it to be powerful and concise. If you have questions, don't hesitate to email me: dragonsgold76@gmail.com. My company website is found at www.bluedragonent.com. It has a listing of my books and services. I don't charge for helping students so feel free to write with questions.

 

Sincerely,

Dr. Rob