Charlie Kirk's Advice for High School Students Who Want to Skip College and Enter Ministry or Politics
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Charlie Kirk's Advice for High School Students Who Want to Skip College and Enter Ministry or Politics
A high school student earning their associate's degree asks Charlie Kirk for guidance on entering the ministry or political fields without pursuing further higher education. Kirk shares his direct philosophy on success: find someone excelling in your desired field and offer to work for them for free. He emphasizes that grit, scrappiness, and work ethic 'qualities not taught in college' matter far more than degrees. Kirk explains how showing up early, staying late, and working harder than everyone else creates opportunities that would otherwise take a decade to achieve. He encourages young people to take advantage of the unique window between ages 18-22 when mentors and platforms are more accessible.
A high school student attending college courses simultaneously to earn their associate's degree posed a question to Charlie Kirk about career paths. The student expressed disinterest in pursuing additional higher education or entering trades, instead wanting to work in ministry or politics similar to Kirk's work with Turning Point USA. The question centered on how to succeed in these fields without a traditional four-year degree.
Find Excellence and Offer Your Time
Kirk's answer was straightforward: find someone who excels at what you want to do and ask to work for them for free. He emphasized this simple strategy as the foundation for career success. The approach involves seeking out accomplished individuals in your desired field and offering your services without expecting compensation.
Kirk explained that this method requires grit and scrappiness—two qualities that colleges don't teach. By positioning yourself in the right environment, opportunities emerge organically. When someone gets sick or goes on vacation, you receive chances that would otherwise take a decade to obtain through traditional career ladders.
The Power of Outworking Everyone
Kirk shared a fundamental principle he tells people consistently: commit to one year of arriving before everyone else and leaving after everyone else. He promised that following this simple rule will result in career blessings. Being the hardest working person in any room creates undeniable value that organizations recognize and reward.
At Turning Point USA, Kirk revealed that he doesn't particularly care whether job candidates have college degrees. He neither holds it against them nor gives them special consideration. For most people, he believes college represents a complete waste of time, though he acknowledges exceptions exist. What truly matters in hiring decisions is demonstrating scrappiness and grit.
The Discovery Process
Kirk highlighted an additional benefit of this approach: self-discovery. By immersing yourself in work with someone doing what you think you want to do, you quickly learn whether that path truly fits you. This hands-on experience provides clarity that classroom education cannot match.
Take Advantage of Your Youth
Kirk emphasized a critical window of opportunity that exists between ages 18 and 22. During these years, people will grant you platforms, advantages, and invitations that disappear once you reach your late twenties or thirties. Society makes allowances for the young college student with no money who's willing to show up early.
He encouraged young people to seek out mentors actively. According to Kirk, many successful individuals who have "made it" are waiting to be asked for help by young people. These potential mentors exist in abundance, ready to guide the next generation, but young people must take the initiative to find them and request assistance.
The Internship Mindset
Kirk playfully acknowledged that his advice often leads to people asking him for jobs on the spot, preempting such requests during his answer. He wants the rising generation to be scrappier in their approach rather than solely focusing on formal internship programs. While structured internships have value, directly approaching successful people and offering to help can be equally or more effective.
The core message centers on action over credentials, experience over education, and initiative over waiting for permission. Kirk's philosophy challenges conventional career wisdom that prioritizes degrees and formal programs, instead advocating for hustle, relationship-building, and proving your worth through dedication and hard work.
