When I first heard YouTuber Jake Paul had launched what sounded like a total scam, I had to investigate.
Paul’s new online courses are called the Financial Freedom Movement. For $19.99 per month, you get access to a series of video classes on how to leverage social media and the internet to make money and start a career. On the one hand, Paul should know something about that. But on the other hand, surely it’s total crap, right?
Right.
I signed up and was totally underwhelmed, so I talked to Paul himself about the ~movement~. He sincerely seems to believe in what he’s doing, although I’m sure he also sincerely wants your 20 bucks.
Here’s what he had to say.
On traditional school:
“I’ve always been super upset with the American education system having gone through it, learned nothing, got nothing out of it, and finding my own success on my own, but through that success, making a ton of mistakes and having to learn a ton about how to make money and be successful.”
“If you want to become an entrepreneur and you want to become financially free, you don’t need school. But my message is not to drop out of school.”
(Once he started making money, Paul dropped out of high school in 11th grade and later finished his diploma online.)
He also described high school as “kids sitting in Geography to learn where Timbuktu is for no reason.”
On why parents should definitely buy this for their kids:
“Your kid is wanting more. If they’re the kid in class that is maybe not applying themself but are super smart, this will teach them skills they’re not learning in school and they’re learning from someone they look up to.”
“Think about learning from someone you look up to versus some Mrs. Smith who you don’t even know.”
On why he’s doing this:
“This is something I’m super passionate about, and before I die, I want to make a difference in the world.”
He also wants to “inspire the youth to chase their dreams and goals and how to do that.”
On why he’s the right person for the job:
“If they took away my YouTube channel, if they took away everything, I know I would still be a millionaire because of the things I’ve learned.”
“I think the biggest thing is there’s no one out there. A lot of the guys who do this shit are old and they’re like 30 and above, and there’s no one who has just recently garnished a ton of success and then is teaching those tips now because the world we live in changes so fast and I’ve done and I’m going through it now.”
As a 30-year-old, ouch.
Look, I’m sure Paul really does believe he has something to offer kids, but all this totally leaves out the luck, privilege, and access that it actually takes to make it big online. For every Jake Paul in the world, there are thousands of others trying to be him, and most of them will not make it.
I also seriously think his message about school is wrong and borderline dangerous. I know algebra doesn’t feel very useful to a lot of people, but school and post-secondary learning teach you critical thinking skills and how to be a better person in the world. Maybe Paul could have benefited from going.
My advice to you is to save your money, especially since I can’t seem to get the “cancel subscription” button to work.
—Lauren Strapagiel
