North Dakota Should Follow Praxis Founders Lead in Educating

March 6, 2017 T. Arthur Mason Education, North Dakota

When I was going to high school – and especially as I went to college – much of our education system just didn’t make sense to me. Even more baffling are some of the strict legal requirements we place on certain professions to obtain degrees or licensure. These requirements sometimes act as deterrents, cause horrible amounts of student debt, and really do more to stifle entrepreneurship than to spark it.

I’m sure we all know people who attended a college or university, only to come out steeped in debt and often working in a field that is not related at all to what they studied– if they even have a job at all. And what about those classes a person takes that really have no practical value to their field of study, but certainly take up a lot of time and tack on additional student debt? I know that I sure had some of those. In fact, I had a lot of them.

A few days ago, I caught an interview posted on Facebook that Fox News’ Tucker Carlson did with Praxis Founder and CEO, Isaac Morehouse. Morehouse is young and brilliant. Recognizing a need for a better way to train people without incurring massive amounts of student debt, and the need of many business owners to recruit "top notch" talent, Morehouse decided to address the problem. And that’s how Praxis was born.

Praxis utilizes apprenticeships to train "top notch" talent to enter the workforce. No high school diplomas or college degree is required. They offer a three month "pre-apprenticeship boot camp" and a six month "paid startup apprenticeship" for a total of a nine month program. Tuition is $12,000, but earnings from the apprenticeship are $14,400. So, individuals actually come out $2,400 ahead upon graduation. Their average graduate salary is $50,000 with a 98% graduation rate.

If North Dakota wants to encourage economic growth, entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, and a brighter future for our young people, then we need to follow Isaac Morehouse’s lead. I believe deregulation and changing or even eliminating degree/licensure requirements would go a long ways in accomplishing this.

Admittedly this would require an entirely new way of thinking at the state level. Our legislators would have to shun lobbyists, reject cronyism, end protectionism, and embrace a true free market system. They’d have to support a system that reduced student debt or, in some cases, even eliminated it. And given the current make-up of the State Capitol, it seems the likelihood of that is about zero.

You can watch the interview below.

Sources
1. https://discoverpraxis.com/
2. Watch the interview:

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About T. Arthur Mason 878 Articles
T. Arthur Mason is a native North Dakotan who has spent nearly all of his life in the Peace Garden State. As the third of four children in Western North Dakota, Mason grew to appreciate family and the outdoors. Some of his fondest memories are annual deer hunts with family and friends. In his early teenage years, faith became a central part of T. Arthur Mason's life. He and the majority of his family attend church together on a weekly basis and find this a fulfilling aspect of their lives. Through the influence of his father, T. Arthur Mason became intrigued with politics. As a boy, he attended political events with his father and enjoyed the friendships that resulted as a byproduct of those political associations. As Mason grew older, he became convinced that the quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson was true, "That government is best which governs least." Today, T. Arthur Mason enjoys time with his wife and children, an occasional hunt, and an increasingly active life on the political scene. This blog is the fulfillment of a dream to design a web site in the realm of politics and to advocate for the principles of Liberty and constitutionally limited government. On behalf of all those that contribute to The Minuteman, we hope you enjoy your time on the site and will share the message with others.

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