College & Workforce Readiness News in Brief

Mogul Pays Bright Minds Not to Go to College

By The Associated Press — June 07, 2011 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The two dozen winners of technology tycoon Peter Thiel’s $100,000, “20 under 20” scholarships won’t be using that money at Princeton University or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Mr. Thiel is paying them to not go to college and instead chase their entrepreneurial dreams for the next two years.

One of the winners, Nick Cammarata, an 18-year-old from Newburyport, Mass., plans to work with 17-year-old David Merfield of Princeton, N.J., on software to upend the standard approach to teaching in high school classrooms. Another winner wants to create a mobile banking system for the developing world. Another is working to create cheaper biofuels.

Mr. Thiel, a law school graduate who co-founded the online payment service PayPal and was an early investor in Facebook, said he believes that innovation has stagnated in the United States and that the best young minds can contribute more to society by skipping college and bringing their ideas straight to the world.

A version of this article appeared in the June 08, 2011 edition of Education Week as Mogul Pays Bright Minds Not to Go to College

Events

Student Well-Being Webinar After-School Learning Top Priority: Academics or Fun?
Join our expert panel to discuss how after-school programs and schools can work together to help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss.
Budget & Finance Webinar Leverage New Funding Sources with Data-Informed Practices
Address the whole child using data-informed practices, gain valuable insights, and learn strategies that can benefit your district.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
ChatGPT & Education: 8 Ways AI Improves Student Outcomes
Revolutionize student success! Don't miss our expert-led webinar demonstrating practical ways AI tools will elevate learning experiences.
Content provided by Inzata

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

College & Workforce Readiness Opinion The Nation Is Still at Risk: The Urgency of Workforce Preparation
The labor market needs education to evolve. Career and technical education has an important role to play, writes Anthony P. Carnevale.
Anthony P. Carnevale
5 min read
Illustration of a figure walking through a landscape of vocational iconography.
Liana Nagieva/iStock + Vanessa Solis/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness What the Research Says Students Pay a Growing Price for Landing a Job Outside Their College Major
Researchers think better guidance in high school could lessen the cost to young people in long-term income.
3 min read
Young girl working on an electrical panel in a classroom setting.
iStock/Getty
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Quiz
Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Skills Verification?
Answer 7 questions about skills verification.
Content provided by iCEV
College & Workforce Readiness 3 Big Advantages of Virtual Work-Based Learning Experiences for Students
Virtual work-based learning opportunities are especially helpful for students attending rural schools.
3 min read
High angle shot of a man assisting his students at computers
iStock/Getty