Your Degree Is Worthless in Israel. Here's Why That's the Best News You'll Hear All Day.

I made aliyah to Tel Aviv during Covid in 2020. For my first year in Israel, I made $9/hr at KPMG in Mergers & Acquisitions. I know, sounds crazy. But it’s true. I took a 33% hit on my salary to work in investment banking in Israel from my previous work a cashier at a cafe in America. True story. Even worse? Tel Aviv is not cheap. My rent was 64% of my pre-tax salary. And I didn’t have much savings. Talk about a lot of cooking at home…

Fast forward 5 years. Today I'm building ADJ Strategies to $1M in revenue, working with startup CEOs and later-stage execs who've raised millions of dollars, getting to give my unique gift to the world every single day.

Baruch Hashem. I am very lucky. But it wasn’t all luck. I also adjusted my mentality about ‘making it’ in Israel. And I want to share how.

The Post That Lit LinkedIn on Fire

NBG I kinda lit LinkedIn on fire this week. The comfortable lies we tell ourselves about why we're not succeeding in Israel? I torched them all.

Some loved it. Some hated it. Everyone had something to say.

And the responses? They revealed everything.

Here's what I wrote:

The Uncomfortable Reality Nobody Wants to Face

If you’re already familiar with my writing, you know I don’t run away from the truth. Believe it or not, my college newspaper column at Brandeis was even called “Reality Check” — to help my fellow students unbury their heads from the sand and confront reality as it is, not as they wanted it to be. That said, I’m not going to sanitize this truth bomb:

Israel might be one of the last true meritocracies on earth.

A place where results matter more than credentials. Where connections are earned, not inherited. Where your past matters less than your potential.

I’m not saying living in Israel is easy. I’m also not saying that having connections hurts. It does, obviously. Speaking perfect Hebrew helps too. And having money.

But you know what helps more? Being useful. And that’s someone anyone can learn.

The mindset shift that changed everything

What changed exactly?

I realized my degree was useless. This was terrifying at first. I had just paid (read: my parents had paid) north of a quarter million dollars for my BA in Philosophy (lol) from Brandeis. And now the degree was useless? 4 years of late nights in the library for nothing?

But then I saw the other side of the equation. If my degree was useless in business, if all degrees were essentially useless in business, then it meant I wouldn’t be judged based on the caliber of my university brand but rather my intelligence, work ethic and communication skills.

In other words, my degree being rather useless indicated a high level of social mobility. I could ascend the social/economic ladder with my mind. This was an astonishing finding for me, and quite liberating. So I stopped complaining and looking for excuses and instead started searching for opportunities to prove myself and make myself useful.

And that’s how I started writing for CTech...

2020. Covid. Masks. Vaccinations. I had just made aliyah. Started working at KPMG in investment banking. But as a more creative soul, I wasn’t happy. As a reader and writer at heart, I didn’t want to spend all day formatting powerpoint slides and excel spreadsheets. Instead, I had 2 goals: (1) to write more, and (2) meet more tech founders.

So I started thinking. I was good at writing. Could I use writing to meet people? Then, the ah-ha! moment - offer free publicity. I went on the website of Ctech, one of Israel’s leading English-language business publications. I scrolled to the bottom and found an email address. Emailed them cold. Crickets for a week. Nothing.

Then one day an email popped into my inbox (see the pic below) which soon led me to interview 15 founders and write 6 articles for CTech. And the connection to my next job (working with Michael Eisenberg) came through one of those people. 

The secret about how Israel really works…

That’s when I realized a very simple secret: Israel is run by people. Not companies, organizations or even the government. And if you make yourself useful to them - if you put yourself in their shoes, think ‘what do they want? and how can I help them get it? - you will make yourself invaluable and succeed. Simple. Not easy, but simple.

That’s why I always advise Olim: Don't just ask for a job. Give people value. An article, podcast, side hustle. Arriving with a passion project is way more effective. It's interesting. It builds a relationship. Asking, “hey, I need a job,” up-front? That can feel transactional.

Don’t think you have anything to give? BS. Think about your unique experiences. Knacks. Hobbies. Skillsets. I guarantee what you have is worth a lot. Seek out the people that need it. Know what you can do and tell people you’re willing to do it.

For me it was writing. But it can be anything. And when you do? People will treasure and remember you. Your time. Your talents. The world needs whatever it is that you have.

And remember: I didn’t impress them with my degree. Hell, they didn’t even know I went to collage. It was my work ethic and hustle that led to the opportunity.

Your success in Israel is directly proportional to your willingness to take ownership of your life.

No one's coming to save you. No one owes you anything. And that's the best news you'll hear all day. Because when you stop waiting for permission and start taking action, this country opens up in ways you never imagined.

In fact, Shula Mathless dropped a gem on my Linkedin post that most olim miss: "There is greater access to people and networking here in Israel than in other countries. High level employees and CEOs will very readily take a zoom call or cup of coffee from cold outreach."

Read that again. In America, try getting a CEO on the phone. Good luck. In Israel? Send a WhatsApp. Show up with value. Watch doors open. The hierarchy is flatter. The walls are lower. The opportunities are everywhere. But only if you're willing to reach out and grab them.

In Israel, if you can:

• Solve real problems

• Communicate well

• Move with urgency

• Build genuine relationships

You won’t just survive. You thrive.

The Choice

As an oleh/olah, you have two options:

1. Complain about why Israel sucks. Whine about how the country is going to implode. Stay bitter. Stay broke. Eventually leave with a bad taste in your mouth.

2. Accept the rules of the game. Play to win. Build something meaningful.

One path leads to Reddit rants about why Israel sucks. The other leads to a life you couldn't have imagined anywhere else.

My challenge to you? Stop complaining about what Israel lacks. Start building what it needs. Stop comparing salaries to America. Start comparing opportunities to create value. Stop waiting for the perfect moment. Start with what you have, where you are, right now.

Because here's what I know for sure: In a country built by people who turned desert into paradise, who created a tech powerhouse from nothing, who continue to innovate against all odds...

You can succeed. The only question is: are you ready to join us in building something extraordinary? Or will you keep making excuses while others make history?

The choice, as always, is yours.

What value can you give this week? Which CEO will you WhatsApp today? What excuse dies right now? Hit reply and let me know.

P.S. - Triggered?? Still think Israel isn't full of opportunity? Reply and tell me why I’m wrong. I'd love to hear your perspective. But fair warning: I might just turn your complaint into your next business idea. 😉

P.P.S. - I’m having a ton of fun with these articles, which allow for more analysis and reflection than short-form Linkedin posts. Are there topics you want me to write about? Things you’re curious about? Let me know - I respond to every email.