The Preparation: How To Become Competent, Confident, and Dangerous

by Doug Casey, Matt Smith, Maxim Smith

“My jaw was on the floor reading it. You can’t possibly regret picking up this book—it changes the whole game completely.” “This isn’t just another critique of college. It goes far beyond that—showing you how to become not just competent, but fascinating, the kind of man people want to emulate.”
- Tom Woods

“Your son has already done more in two years than most people do in a lifetime. I’m envious of his opportunities—this is the hero’s journey every young man should have.” and “This is such a great concept and such a well-done book. I’m excited to send it to my kids, and honestly, I want to follow The Preparation myself.”
- James Altucher

Skip the debt. Build the man. What if you could trade four stagnant years in lecture halls for four years of adventure—emerging as a debt‑free EMT, pilot, welder, web/app builder, rancher, and entrepreneur all in one? The Preparation is the field manual for young men (and the parents who love them) who know the old college formula is broken and want a roadmap that actually forges competence, confidence, and real‑world value.

Written by three generations—legendary investor and bestselling author Doug Casey, entrepreneur Matt Smith, and twenty‑year‑old “beta tester” Maxim Smith—this book distills their hard‑won wisdom into a four‑year, 16‑cycle program you can start tomorrow.16 themed cycles—Medic, Cowboy, Pilot, Fighter, Hacker, Maker, and more—each built around a hands‑on “Anchor Course” that forces you to learn by doing, not by cramming.Earn‑while‑you‑learn design shows you exactly how to pay your way through each cycle and graduate debt‑free. roughly one year of tuition – yet delivers four years of marketable skills, global travel, and a network of do‑ers, not talkers.Foundational philosophy rooted in Stoicism and Renaissance thinking so you don’t just master tasks—you master yourself.Bullet‑proof curriculum: step‑by‑step schedules, book lists, online courses, and locations for every skill so you’re never guessing what to do next.Battle‑tested results—Maxim used the program to rack up EMT shifts on Oregon wildfires, fly solo over the Rockies, ranch in Uruguay, and sail the Strait of Magellan before he turned twenty.The College now averages $140,000+ and often delivers little more than ideology, debt, and obsolete credentials. The compresses that money and time into a crucible that turns raw potential into a modern‑day Renaissance Man—one who can protect, build, heal, sell, and lead in a world being up‑ended by AI and economic turmoil.

If you—or a young man you care about—refuse to become road‑kill on the conventional path, open this book and start Cycle One today. The world won’t wait, and neither should you.

Scroll up and click “Buy Now” to begin your Preparation.

Genres: Self Help, Education, Personal Development

408 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 16, 2025

Reviews

[Alek Zayas-Dorchak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Young men today need a book like this. I just don't think they need THIS book.

For all the authors rant and rave about liberals "indoctrinating" young minds in college, they do a pretty hefty amount of indoctrinating themselves, just with right wing ideology. I'm a pretty middle of the road moderate, maybe even right-leaning, and I was taken aback.

The authors spend half the time talking about what it means to be a good, well-rounded man as they do lambasting liberals and their politics and economics. They spout these personal opinions that have no place in a book like this. Warning young men that there are homosexuals and desperate people in the acting professions? Going on and on about polo being the reason you want to get rich? Fawning over JD Vance and Peter Thiel? Give me a break.

I'm not even saying I disagree with everything they say, but this isn't the place for it. Doug Casey in particular sounds less like the wise mentor and more like the drunk uncle. You're supposed to be giving guidelines for a good life outside of college to young men--not just the conservative ones.

Having said that, the basic concept behind this book is sound. College is truly not for everyone. Decide what YOU want out of life. Spend more time DOING things to see what you truly like and don't like. Become the man you want to be. Learn to be an EMT or start a small business, if you want. Learn to sail a ship or fly a plane or ride a horse, 1000%. Absolutely do learn how to defend yourself and manage your money.

I just would not give these guys any money.

[Daniel Stokes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Incredible idea, poor delivery

My God, dude. This is such a good idea that I was so excited to check out, but over half the book is the authors shitting on college in the wildest repetitive ways, over and over and over again. College isn't nearly as cool as it used to be, it's ridiculously expensive, student loans are predatory, etc. But we need it, society needs educated people, in the same way it needs the trades. And honestly I think it needs a program similar to the one outlined in this book. What an amazing concept butchered by the author's insistence on blending Fox News into everything. Immigrants and the poor are parasites? Also they weirdly hate hiphop/rap?

But with that being said, I would love for my kids to do this program, with a more balanced rhetoric guiding it. You're basically speed running getting working knowledge and skills in many different areas that would prove incredibly useful over a lifetime.

If I could go back in time, I would choose a 100/100 times doing this over my degree. There's definitely value here.

[Matthew Accola · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited about this book after hearing the author describe it on The Art of Manliness podcast. I bought the book hoping it would be a great resource for my friends and family.

Unfortunately I found the book to be littered with put downs, political opinions presented as universal truths, and zero sum thinking. The book claims to be a guide for young people to build character but why teach them to look down on others? The truth is that there are many different paths and this book is just one of many.

I still think the core premises of the book are really interesting and 100% worth exploring. It's worth skimming through it and taking what you can. I don't think I would recommend it to any of my friends and family though.

[Gabriela Probst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the negative opinions others have expressed regarding the mindset and philosophy of the authors, this is an incredible blueprint of how NOT to lose your financial shirt at college and instead gain real world experience and skills. it's not for the faint of heart, nor an unmotivated, lazy teenager (which unfortunately so many are), but if you can convince your son to get off the couch, away from his phone, and out into reality, this is exactly what our sons need. I've been convinced for years that college as it exists today is a total waste. this book provides a great plan for an alternative education. the reading list alone will help create an educated person, but coupled with the experiences and classes.... pretty amazing.

[Andre · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a massive disappointment. I heard about it through the Art of Manliness podcast. The episode was quite good, and although I initially thought it would be an anti-higher education screed of an interview, Matt Smith came off as bright and thoughtful. Unfortunately I found little of either in the text.

The book itself is mostly complaining about higher education, or the hyper-conservative fever dream version of it. The usual complaints of the usual suspects appear. Although the book promises to be a thoughtful alternative to college to introduce the world to the reader, it wades into culture-war nonsense instead for 150 pages and fails to develop the only good parts in any meaningful way. Chunks of the text are unashamedly admitted to be written by ChatGPT and Grok. And although I try not to judge a book by its print errors (a lot of good Masonic works are littered with them,) there were numerous typographic and grammatic errors that suggested to me that the authors, editors, and folks putting it together didn't give a shit, and so I wondered if I should.

My deepest frustration is that hidden in the text there’s something decent. A discussion of virtue ethics appears as well as an exercise encouraging the reader to contemplate what kind of man he wants to become. One chapter has the reader make a personal mission statement centered around who they wish to be. It’s an exercise I learned from Covey well over a decade ago which, however corny, I’ve found to be quite valuable. Distinguishing between having, doing, and being is a great reframing of life that I parroted to my son over dinner one evening. I think encouraging young people to consider who they are and who they wish to be over the acquisition of material comforts or the indulgence of digital media is important. I just wish it wasn’t stuffed into propaganda.

I value higher education and the training that it provides people, both in and out of STEM (my undergraduate work was a STEM degree.) I also deeply value the trades and physical labor. My plumber, my electrician, my carpenter, my trucker, these are jobs that are necessary and far too often underappreciated. Our civilization is made up of many, many folks from many, many places doing many, many different things for all of us, and we give too little social and real capital to all of them in exchange for their labor. And a curriculum that gives young people a wide set of experiences can give them a deeper appreciation of themselves, their community, nation, and the world. More knowledge and more experience, when cultivated, makes better people. Unfortunately this book encourages none of that.

Instead of reading this one, try The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. It’s a homeschooling curriculum that gives a classical education to your kid over the course of K-12. Give Covey’s Seven Habits a try. It may be a basic bitch book, but it helped this basic bitch beat basic bullshit. Go read the books that the authors mention---Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle, Meditations by Aurelius, and Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour (that guy was awesome.) While you’re at it, go ahead and read virtually everything you can get your hands on like L’Amour did, but don’t waste your time or money with this one.

[Christian Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my book of the year. It's a book outlining an alternative to the traditional four years of college. It's an incredibly ambitious idea. The lessons taught in this book are really important ideas and ones I've tried to impart to my own kids. It's my opinion that every man ages 16 and up would greatly benefit from reading this book.

[Kyle Barnard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book to structure young adults learning and growth into a mature, dynamic, and cultured person with immense depth. All parents and young adults should read and consider pursuing this before pursuing college.
Adults beyond this should consider trying to implement as much as they can too.

[Janet Bajza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grandfather looking for help guide his 16 year old grandson

Excellent alternative path forward for young persons seeking a set of useful skills to employ on their journey through life.

[Paul Eberhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional...think piece...could work for the folks with enough gumption.
Blueprint for development without college/military/VOTECH-- add it to your must read.

[Darren Glazier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost a 5 star book which I rarely give.