Students at Chicago State University in the United States drew attention by learning how to build wealth through a class on becoming rich instead of pursuing traditional jobs.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 12th (local time), the course, titled "Mastering Wealth," is taught by entrepreneur Pete Kadens, who built companies in the solar and cannabis industries and amassed about $250 million (about 350 billion won). He taught wealth-building strategies to Black and low-income students.
Kadens stressed that "wealth is not only for the privileged; it belongs to anyone willing to take risks and work relentlessly." In weekly lectures, he guided students to set clear goals and action plans, saying, "Students who have the courage to say they will make $50 million by 35 are the future rich."
Students in the class set concrete goals to reach a net worth of millions of dollars within 10 to 15 years. According to the WSJ, accounting major Jene Crockett, 34, set a plan to found a company and reach a net worth of $25 million by 2036. Crockett said, "Transfer I used to feel it was selfish to say I wanted to be a millionaire, but now I know it is for my family and community."
Raymond Turner, 29, who grew up in public housing, is envisioning a business that combines a vertically integrated cannabis company with a real estate rental venture and set a goal of accumulating $27 million in assets by age 45. Working as a warehouse manager, Turner is selling a patented rolling paper product developed personally and said, "Through this class, I first learned how concrete the path to becoming rich is."
Another student, Angelica Tapia, set a plan to franchise the cleaning company she runs and launch a tax agency business to accumulate $3 million in assets within 10 years. Tapia said, "I feel greater fulfillment when I take responsibility and work as a boss rather than working under someone."
Kadens' course was not mere motivation but structured as practical business training. Students analyzed consumer pain points and fleshed out Start - Up ideas into business plans. There, an "automatic tire air-inflation device" was selected as an outstanding idea, and the team completed a business plan valued at $4 million.
The course also included a risk tolerance test. Kadens advised, "If you want to be rich like Jay-Z (a famous rapper), you must abandon fear." He invited millionaires to class to share realistic wealth strategies. Segun Otulana, who sold a software company for $1.2 billion, emphasized that "the ability to read the flow of new technologies and social change is the core of wealth."
At the end of the semester, a cash prize was awarded to the student who submitted the "best wealth creation plan." The first-place student presented a plan to combine aromatherapy, counseling, real estate, and publishing and reach a net worth of $10 million by 2035. The student said, "Through this class, I completed the blueprint of the American dream that I draw myself."
Kadens said, "When a student from a marginalized neighborhood succeeds, the impact is explosive," adding, "Their success expands the possibilities of the entire community."