In a single week during late 2020, former high school teacher Joe Parys turned a $10,000 cryptocurrency investment into $200,000. This stunning return wasn’t a lucky break but the culmination of three years of calculated research since his 2017 entry into digital assets.
The Illinois native has since leveraged this success into an educational platform that reaches more than 1 million students across 190 countries.
Parys, 35, now commands a digital presence that includes 495,000 YouTube subscribers and 80,000 Twitter followers. His rapid transformation from classroom instructor to crypto millionaire represents a growing trend of educators entering the cryptocurrency space to demystify complex financial concepts for everyday investors.
Through his “Joe Parys Crypto” channel, he delivers market analyses and investment tutorials while maintaining his teaching roots.
Basketball Coach to Digital Education Pioneer
Born on July 9, 1989, in Crystal Lake, Illinois, Parys began his professional journey as a licensed psychology, history, and government teacher for grades 5-12. He complemented his classroom work by serving as a head basketball coach, having been a four-year varsity letter-winning athlete in men’s basketball at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“Five years ago, I was broke, my girlfriend dumped me, I was living at home with my parent, and I was living paycheck to paycheck,” Parys revealed in a video explaining his transition to digital entrepreneurship. His pivot began around age 22 after reading self-development classics like Think and Grow Rich and Rich Dad Poor Dad.”
In 2014, Parys discovered Udemy, an online learning marketplace, through a Facebook advertisement. Despite having no video production experience or business background, he invested $75 in basic recording equipment and began creating educational content from his bedroom. His persistence paid off – after initially giving away courses for free to build reviews, Parys made his first $1 sale, which grew to $39 in his first month of teaching online.
Eight months later, Parys was earning $11,000 monthly from his digital courses – four times his teaching salary – prompting him to leave the classroom permanently. This early success in online education established the foundation for the Joe Parys Academy, which now offers over 100 co-authored courses on subjects ranging from video editing to cryptocurrency investing.
Strategic Crypto Investments Fuel Educational Mission
Parys’s cryptocurrency journey began in 2017 on Steemit, a blockchain-based social media platform where content creators earn cryptocurrency. He quickly became a top author with 12,000-14,000 followers and accumulated approximately 150,000 Steem tokens, worth roughly $75,000 at $0.50 per token.
His initial Steemit experience taught him valuable lessons about market volatility when he held his position during a drop from $7 to $0.13 per token before selling near the bottom. This early mistake informed his later investment strategies, culminating in the October-November 2020 period when he transformed $10,000 into $500,000 through strategic altcoin investments.
“If you are persistent long enough and you push past the hard times, you’re going to find success in virtually anything and everything that you do,” Parys emphasizes in his educational content. This philosophy guided his approach to both cryptocurrency investing and course creation.
Unlike many crypto influencers who focus primarily on trading, Parys advocates for a more measured approach focused on understanding fundamentals and long-term holding strategies. His claimed achievement of making $200,000 in one week came not from day trading but from strategic positioning in alternative cryptocurrencies during favorable market conditions.
Building a Global Crypto Education Platform
The Joe Parys Crypto YouTube channel has grown to 495,000 subscribers by focusing on beginner-friendly content that breaks down complex blockchain concepts into accessible lessons. His success extends beyond YouTube to TikTok, where he has amassed over 1 million followers.
“Jim Rohn says that formal education will make you a living but self-education will make you a fortune,” Parys frequently quotes to his audience. This philosophy guides his comprehensive cryptocurrency courses, which cover essential topics, including buying, selling, and trading digital assets, blockchain technology fundamentals, and security measures to protect investments.
Beyond recorded content, Parys has developed VIP Telegram groups and offers one-on-one consulting services. His education model emphasizes practical application rather than passive consumption. “You can’t just read, you can’t just watch, you gotta apply and take action,” he instructs his students.
The educational approach appears to resonate with his audience. From his initial $39 in online course revenue, Parys has generated “millions” in sales, according to his public statements. The cryptocurrency education segment of his business has proved particularly lucrative as new investors continue entering the market seeking guidance.
Parys’s ongoing commitment to cryptocurrency education comes at a time when traditional financial institutions are increasingly embracing digital assets. His teaching background enables him to translate complex technological concepts into language accessible to beginners, while his personal investment success lends credibility to his instructional content.
As cryptocurrency adoption continues expanding globally, educators like Parys, who bridge the knowledge gap between traditional finance and blockchain technology,y occupy an increasingly influential position in shaping how new investors approach this emerging asset class.
