Different World

A Radical Alternative to College

Jun 02, 2025

Writing to you from Gabbs, Nevada

3 weeks ago I was given an opportunity out of left field (as what happens every once in a while in The Preparation) that has led me here…to a hot and dry desert town in the middle of nowhere.

Population is probably less than 25. One bar and one motel - which we are staying in.

The reason I’m here is a job/apprenticeship with a group of just a couple men who know induced polarization geophysics. One of them - the oldest and most knowledgeable - has been doing this for 47 years.

I’ll tell you more about all of this and give you the details have more time…and have learned a bit more.

For now, here are some small, daily journal entries from this past week:

Monday, May 26th

Got to Reno, NV and met one of the nicest men I’ve ever come across, Rodolfo (a geologist who picked me up from the airport). A man from Mexico City. We spoke for hours in the car until I met the rest of the geologists here in Gabbs, Nevada. The IP crew isn’t here yet, so until they get here I'll be working with the geologists.

Tuesday, May 27th

First day of work with the geologists. We spent 4 1/2 hours in the field collecting rock samples (a total of 6) from various areas of the claim. Unfortunately, we found that one of the areas that seemed promising due to the magnetization (potentially meaning magnetization from underground ores (from my understanding of this…)) turned out to be coming from an outcrop of highly-magnetic rock formation.

Wednesday, May 28th

Delivered the rock samples to Reno today. Lots of driving - 5 1/2 hours in total, I think. On top of that, I began some serious studying on geology to try to get a grasp on things. Starting from scratch here - lots to learn.

Thursday, May 29th

Today we collected samples on a site called “Pilot” - which is apparently famous for its turquoise. I picked up a few good pieces and so did the geologist I was with. The samples we took and the things we saw (lots of interesting rock alterations) made the site look more promising for potentially harboring a porphyry of valuable minerals. At least that’s what I heard from the geologists.

Friday, May 30th

Today, Rodolfo, Omar, and myself want back to Pilot to collect rock samples to be sent to a geochemical lab. By the end of it our packs were pretty darn heavy.

Saturday, May 31st

Went back to Pilot with Daniel, Rodolfo, and Omar today to collect a few more samples before heading back to Gabbs.

Sunday, June 1st

This was the first day of the geophysical work. I said goodbye to the geologists after meeting the geophysics crew and headed out to the field. We dug small trenches, placed copper pots, and set an electrical wire.

One of the guys got sick from a combination of heat and altitude. EMT skills came in - I took care of him until we headed back to town.

Also, the point of what we are doing is to measure the resistivity and chargeability of the rocks/minerals underground. This will be done by firing electrical charges into the ground.

…

It’s interesting stuff here, no doubt.

Like I said, as I learn and understand more I will give you all of the juicy details.

This year - although we are only half way through - has been wild. Started off learning to sail in the Falkland Islands, start learning to fly planes in Colorado, complete a 5-day wilderness first responder course, and then end up collecting rock samples with geologists in the middle of nowhere in Nevada.

More to come…

Are these updates informative? Are they useful? Entertaining?

Leave a comment below if you’ve got any suggestions or questions for me.

And don’t forget to send this to someone who might benefit.

I’ll see you next week.

-Maxim Benjamin Smith

I am acting as a guinea pig for a program which is meant to prepare young men for the future. This program is designed to be a replacement for the only three routes advertised to young men today - go to college, the military, or a dead-end job.

All of these typical routes of life are designed to shape us into cogs for a wheel that doesn’t serve us. Wasted time, debt, lack of skills, and a soul crushing job define many who follow the traditional route.

This program, which we can call “The Preparation”, is meant to guide young men on a path where they properly utilize their time to gain skills, build relationships, and reach a state of being truly educated. The Preparation is meant to set young men up for success.

What appeals to me about The Preparation is the idea of the type of man I could be. The path to becoming a skilled, dangerous, and competent man is much more clear now. I’ve always been impressed by characters like The Count of Monte Cristo, men who accumulated knowledge and skills over a long period of time and eventually became incredibly capable men.

Young men today do not have a guiding light. We have few mentors and no one to emulate. We have been told that there are only a few paths to success in this world. For intelligent and ambitious people - college is sold to us as the one true path. And yet that path seems completely uncertain today.

We desperately need something real to grab onto. I think this is it.

I’m putting the ideas into action. Will it work? I can’t be sure, but I’m doing my best. I’m more than 60 weeks into the program at this point. So far, so good.

You can follow me along as I follow the program. Each week, I summarize all that I did.

My objective in sharing this is three fold:

Documenting my progress holds me accountable.
I hope these updates will show other young men that there is another path we can take.
For the parents who stumble upon this log, I want to prove to you that telling your children that the conventional path - college, debt, and a job is not the foolproof path you think it is.

The Preparation