Since the epic battle between yelp and google on the internet has taken place you can now find schools, restaurants, and other businesses near you with a simple search. Simply go to your search engine and type the service you are looking for and add near me at the end, example “blank near me.” This works for everything and has made it super convenient to find what you need quick and efficiently.
Unfortunately there is a dark side to this new convenience sweeping the world. Most survival experts are not the greatest at technology, specifically adding a business listing to google, creating a company website, adwords, SEO, social media and other forms of internet marketing. So, with this being said a majority of the worlds best instructors don’t show up when you search for survival courses near me. Take David Holladay for example who is arguably the most experienced and loved survival instructor of all time. He is completely off the internet, has no website, no social media, and no courses advertised online. So if you were looking to train with the worlds most experienced instructor the internet would not help you connect with him or his classes.
Most of the worlds most experienced and knowledgable instructors can be found at primitive skills gatherings like Rabbitstick, Wintercount, and other similar events. This is not to say that you cannot find good instructors near you by using a google search. You can! Our point we are trying to make in this blog is self-research of the school and the instructors you will learn from. Also remember that anyone can write anything about themselves on their own personal website. Look for outside sources that are unbiased when researching a school or instructor. Ask yourself questions to research: How did they learn these skills? How have they practiced these skills in real life scenarios? How are they connected to the industry and can you source any positive references outside their personal website?
In the world of stolen valor and fake black belts emerges the youtube learned and self-proclaimed survival instructor. BEWARE! Anyone can proclaim to be a survival instructor and start a school which would show up on a simple google search, “survival schools near me.” The unaware student sees a professional website and classes offered and happily forks over large sums of money with no research or clarity on who they would learn from, or how their knowledge was obtained. Remember that 60% of the world’s top professionals are offline, living primitive lifestyles. You can connect and train with these professionals but you need to be connected with the industry first and the best way to start is to attend Rabbitstick or Wintercount events.
If anything, do research on the school and its instructors before signing up for classes. What have they accomplished? Where have they trained and with who? Have they been tested? Do they have an established business? All these things matter when learning how to stay alive in the wilderness. Taking the time to identify real professionals will get you professional training and results. We hope this article helps you find and locate quality instruction and allows you to grow in your skills and knowledge. Stay outside and have fun!
