“College is a scam—Unless you hack it.”

Originally published June 4, 2014

James “Tricky Shotgun” Woods has never been one to whisper. After nearly three decades in education, including a long stretch as a college professor and department chair, Woods is done playing nice with a system he says is “rotting behind a very expensive smile.”

We sat down with him to talk about higher education, what it promises, what it actually delivers, and why students need to stop treating college like a sacred tradition—and start treating it like a hostile negotiation.

SFL: You’ve said before that college is “a scam—unless you hack it.” What do you mean by that?

James Woods: I mean college isn’t built for you. Not really. It’s built to sustain itself. It’s an industry. A brand. A machine that’s been pumping out degrees for decades and still selling the same story: Go to college, get a good job, live a good life.

And in 2014, that story is falling apart—but no one wants to admit it.

SFL: So you’re saying college doesn’t deliver?

Woods: It delivers debt. It delivers four or five years of general education requirements, outdated textbooks, crowded lectures, and tuition bills that look like mortgages.

It doesn’t deliver what students actually need: real-world prep, adaptability, problem-solving, experience with uncertainty. College isn’t preparing students for life—it’s preparing them for more school, more structure, and more dependency.

SFL: What’s changed? College used to be a safe bet.

Woods: The economy changed. The job market changed. Technology’s creeping into every field, and employers are asking for experience, skills, and creativity—not your transcript from “Western Civ II.”

But college didn’t evolve. It doubled down on tradition. Core classes. Lecture halls. Letter grades. Faculty still pretending it’s 1975. And the worst part? Students play along.

SFL: So what should students be doing differently?

Woods: Stop being passive. Stop being consumers. You don’t “go to college.” You use it. You mine it for resources, for mentorship, for space to build something real.

You figure out what you need—skills, tools, connections—and you make your professors part of that plan. If they’re not willing to help? Move on. They’re not gods. They’re service providers. You’re paying for this. Act like it.

SFL: Can you give an example?

Woods: I had a student who came to me and said, “I want to launch a clothing brand, but I’m stuck in this Business 101 class writing a fake marketing plan for a company that doesn’t exist.”

I said, “Then don’t write it. Launch the real one. Build the brand. Document it. Turn that into your class project. If your professor won’t accept it, show him your Shopify numbers and ask him what he’s really grading.”

This isn’t about being rebellious—it’s about being relevant. If you’re spending thousands of dollars, every assignment should move you closer to something real.

SFL: What about students who aren’t entrepreneurs? What if they just want a job?

Woods: Same principle applies. You want to be a journalist? Stop writing essays for grades—start pitching articles. Want to be a designer? Treat every assignment like a portfolio piece. Want to teach? Go volunteer in a school right now and start learning what they’ll never show you in a lecture.

The point is: don’t let college happen to you. Make it work for you.

SFL: What would you say to a high school senior who’s about to sign on to a big four-year school?

Woods: I’d say: take a breath. Step back. Ask hard questions. What are you actually paying for? Do you know who your professors are? What their backgrounds are? Can they actually help you in your field? Or are you paying $30,000 a year to be taught by a grad student reading off slides?

And if the answers suck? Then maybe don’t go. Or don’t go yet. There’s no shame in working, traveling, learning a trade, or building something first. You don’t owe anyone four years of blind trust.

SFL: Isn’t there still value in the degree?

Woods: Sure, there’s value. But it’s shrinking fast. Employers aren’t impressed by your GPA—they want to know if you can do something. And colleges are doing a piss-poor job of teaching that.

So yes, get the degree if you want it. But don’t worship it. Don’t confuse it for value. The degree is a receipt—it proves you were there. It doesn’t prove you’re ready.

SFL: What’s the future of college, in your opinion?

Woods: It’ll have to change or die. Schools that survive will be the ones that act more like incubators than archives. Students will build businesses, launch projects, solve problems—not just sit through 16 weeks of PowerPoint slides and Scantrons.

But it’s going to take a hell of a lot of disruption to get there. And it starts with students refusing to play along.

SFL: Final advice?

Woods: College is a game. It’s expensive, outdated, and rigged in a lot of places. But if you play it smart—if you stop following and start hacking—it can still be useful.

Just remember: it’s not designed to save you. It’s designed to process you.

So don’t walk in with dreams and walk out with debt.

Walk in with purpose—and walk out with power.