Real estate mogul and entrepreneur Grant Cardone is doubling down on a message he’s been pushing for years: college isn't worth it for most people. In a recent post on X, Cardone laid out seven reasons why he believes a degree won't make you rich—and may even hold you back.
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“College degrees are not worth the cost,” Cardone said plainly. He pointed to skyrocketing tuition costs, low graduation rates, oversaturation of degree holders, and the rise of artificial intelligence as reasons why people should reconsider the traditional path.
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First, he said it's simply too expensive: “$60K for private colleges,” Cardone wrote, noting that the middle class is drowning in $1.7 trillion in student loan debt. Second, it takes too long. “46% have not graduated at the four year mark,” he said, highlighting the high dropout rate.
He also argued there’s a glut of degrees: 48% of Americans now hold an associate degree, but many remain unemployed. “Plenty of unemployed smart people,” he wrote. He believes the trades offer better opportunities, since they don't require degrees and suffer from major labor shortages. “The greatest shortage of jobs are the trades,” Cardone said.
Even for those who graduate, many are underemployed. “41% of grads work at job that do not require a college degree,” he added.
Then there's the threat from artificial intelligence. "AI is replacing long expensive education providing the elaborate research without a book, a classroom, or a teacher and do so in minutes," he warned.
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Lastly, he pointed to shifting employer requirements. Cardone said many tech firms and banks have stopped requiring college degrees.
"To get rich in America, I do not need a college degree," Cardone told “VladTV” last year. He added that while Ivy League degrees might be worth it due to the high-paying jobs they often result in, for most people, the debt just isn't worth it.
He compared student loan debt to modern-day slavery, saying it traps people financially. He also criticized the way the education system pushes college as the only path to success, especially in minority communities.
“AI is right around the corner. Would you go to college today? I wouldn't,” Cardone said in the interview.
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Although he finished college himself—graduating with an accounting degree from McNeese State University—Cardone insists he would skip it if he were starting out today.
His stance sparked a debate online. One reply to his X post defended the college experience: "It's the experience, Grant. Those are one's golden years." The commenter said they sent their daughter to college to be around people her age, instead of "old me that have a few drinks on the quiet patio."
Cardone fired back: "Why didn't you just pay for her to travel the world for a year?"
His message echoes other well-known voices. Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk once said college isn't about learning, and entrepreneur and author Gary Vaynerchuk argues that anyone can learn business for free online. Cardone's main point: skip the debt, learn real skills, and don't waste years chasing a piece of paper.
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Image: Imagn Images
