University to many people is the next step after high school. Some want to do it because their parents tell them to, others want to because their parents didn’t go, and most go because the job they want requires it. Regardless of your reasoning for college, it may be a waste of hard-earned money and precious time.

We all hear that college wasn’t as important back then and that you could get a career without it, that in today’s society it is imperative you spend 4 to 12 years of your life learning a major only to find out some guy with a camera and Youtube account made 200 times more money than you ever will without any higher education whatsoever. Well, there are a ton of ways to earn the same paycheck as college graduates that require the same amount of effort college requires.

1. Buy property.

Buy property for cheap and flip it once it is worth something, or just rent it out to others. This is not being a realtor and selling other people’s houses for them, this is buying your own house and selling that house to make a profit. When dealing with real estate there is a lot to learn, but it will pay off in the long run.

2. Invest your money.

Become the wolf of wall street or a Bitcoin billionaire as long as you are trading money around to make even more. A plethora of people exist who made millions by investing, like Daymond John who only graduated high school and is now worth $250 million. Investing requires patience and can be risky at times, as long as you learn and gain experience you’re one step closer to financial freedom.

3. Start a business.

Create a business plan and get going. The hardest part of starting a business is taking the plunge to actually commit. As long as you do careful research and are willing to put in long hours creating and growing the business, nothing will be able to stop you.

4. Learn how to program.

The way the world is going programmers are highly valued. Technology is used by every business, which means there are coding and programming to be done. The best part about coding is that all you need is a laptop and time and you’re good to go. Not to mention, books on coding are extremely cheaper than the textbooks college requires and you can code from anywhere with a wifi connection. You may need to take a few certification classes, but those are still way less expensive than college.

5. Become an online celebrity.

Like, subscribe, and share. Those three actions can make you a famous and wealthy online celebrity. YouTubers' income mainly correlates with the amount of views and subscribers on their videos and channel. I am by no means a YouTube success, but I subscribe to a lot of channels and the ones I subscribe to are always original and entertaining.

You don’t need thousand dollar equipment, just the right content and keep at it until you make a name for yourself. YouTube success requires patience and creativity, but YouTube itself is a free-to-use site that can open so many doors for you. Why not post some videos on there weekly and see where it takes you? Social media fame can equally open doors for you. A highly visited social media page invites advertisement and endorsement deals that pay very well.

6 Become an entrepreneur.

Invent and sell things. If you have a great idea for something or are just a great salesperson, this is for you. Entrepreneurship offers people the chance to sell their idea to the world or an investor for a lot of money. This path also enables people with great sales experience to sell goods for more than their worth making a nice profit.

Some people reading this might say if it’s that easy everyone should be doing it, well many people do in fact practice these, but it is by no means easy. All those money-earning adventures require all the time, effort, and stress that comes with college. These aren’t "drop out of college and get rich fast" secrets – these are alternatives to college that have the potential to make you more money than any college degree can get you without having to actually go to college. Take the risk and do the research on what appeals to you to become successful without college.