Today’s “Hey Mike!” come from yesterdays post. Dallas Pierce writes…
“Hey Mike – The problem is that people like me would love to take you up on your offer and learn a viable trade, but we aren’t qualified for your scholarship.”
I hear you, Dallas. That is a problem. Also – many who are eligible are simply not geographically suitable for the schools that participate. Also a bummer. Happily, we have several other programs, including one that isn’t tied to a specific school.
In the interest of full-disclosure though, I should tell you that all mikeroweWORKS scholarships are essentially “Work Ethic” scholarships. Our intent is to help people who are struggling financially, but only if they’re serious about learning a useful skill. Toward that end, every applicant needs to make a case for themselves. That means writing an essay, submitting references, and sending a video that explains why you feel the money would be best invested on you. The videos are posted and discussed in public. We also require recipients to sign a copy of the SWEAT Pledge (Skills and Work Ethic Aren’t Taboo.)
Some have described these requirements as “unfair,” and “a giant pain in the ass.” When it comes to scholarships, a lot of people genuinely believe the only necessary prerequisite for financial aid should be financial need. Others find the SWEAT Pledge to be inconsistent with their own worldview, and resent being asked to sign it. To those people, I have suggested – with great respect – that this particular pile of free money is probably not for them.
Because really, these particular scholarships are about more than helping a few individuals learn a useful skill – it’s to publicly reward the kind of work ethic I believe we should be encouraging.
Also – all the money used for these scholarships was donated in some form or fashion by the people on this page. C.R.A.P. auctions and book sales account for most of it, along with traditional contributions. So I feel strongly about including everyone here in the process.
Anyway, if you can live with all that, check out the rules and regs here. We only have room for three-hundred applicants, so…chop-chop.
Mike
PS. As I was typing, this popped up on my Google alert. http://www.dddnews.com/story/2080298.html
Pretty damn cool.