Recently I read How to Create Your Own Real-World MBA by Tim Ferris. Tim’s personality rubs me the wrong way sometimes, but sometimes the ideas he presents are good – very & tactfully good. The essence of the article for me is if you’re going to spend your money to educate yourself why not spend your money on real-world experience, that can make you, while breaking you, while always teaching you something you didn’t know the day before. Or, you could sit in class learning the theory of stuff like all the other sad schmucks tied to the idea that a piece of paper is your only job salvation.*

The general idea is not new. It piggy-backs off the successes of degree-less entrepreneurs throughout history, and couples nicely with current modes of teaching in the workplace rather than the classroom. And, the idea resonates with me… if you’re going to spend a pile of money, spend it on something that is going to 1 – make you happy, 2 – allow you to learn exactly what you want to learn, 3 – afford you some unexpected surprises, 4 – isn’t a colossal waste of time, and most importantly 5 – allows you to make spectacular mistakes, and rewarding successes in the real-world.

So what?!

For the past several years I have been contemplating a return to school. Every time I download an application or investigate a potential school I get the same set of dreads. Why so much money? Why grades? Why this curricula? Why that theory? Do I really want to lock myself into a particular theme (e.g. computer art, animation, sculpture)? Do I have to sit in another boring classroom listening to the drone? Just plain WHY? And then the application gets filed away into the “Someday” folder and forgotten.

Here’s where the creating your own real-world MBA article fits in nicely. What if I budgeted out the money I would spend at school and use it to teach myself what I wanted to learn in the way I wanted to learn it? Hasn’t that been what i’ve been kind of doing all along? Sort of, but individual classes without an overarching structure don’t necessarily lead you to where you want to go. My post-grad study at the Canadian Film Centre was terrific – short, sweet, and real-world as you can get, but I went in and out of that program with a vague plan, and vague plans don’t get you very far.

So what happens when you add structure – a good solid plan (I actually prefer outline for flexbility)? The difference here is I would create a budget for learning/creating, create a yearly outline emulating a traditional MFA program where it fits, and then go man go for two solid years. I can fill the intervening time with classes, lectures, visits to art museums & studios, direct interaction with current artists, studio time, mentoring etc. Whatever I want, whenever I want – I’m not tied to school hours, modes of teaching, or following a particular set of footsteps. And I can do it in the real-world rather than the hallowed halls. And I can share my entire process with you online and open source starting today. Through planning, budget, on my art travels, trials and tribulations across various mediums – everything, all-of-it, tout, todos!

Yes, there are pitfalls, downsides, and the like, but… The unknown ever-elusive but is worth it, 100%.

I hope you’ll follow me on this adventurous experiment in self-direction. I officially start my two years on Oct. 1, 2010, but stay tuned til then for all the gory planning details.

Live, love, learn, create, travel, teach, explore, leave ripples, go man go!

* This is in no way saying that the hallowed halls don’t work. They do for a majority of students. But for some, I will definitely argue, and a history of degree-less persons suggest that other trajectories can be equally beneficial.