A college degree might not be necessary to be an entrepreneur, but the experience may help prepare you to start a successful business. It may be tempting to save the time and money a college education can cost and jump straight into entrepreneurship, but the skills you can gain from furthering your education may set you up for better long-term success.
College Isn’t Just About About Academics
You might not necessarily need to go to college to learn the ins and outs of business operations, marketing or the legal terms you’ll need to be familiar with as a business owner. Learning about these topics in an academic setting can certainly be helpful to a beginner, but business knowledge can be gained in other ways too.
What you may miss out on if you skip college are the often-overlooked soft skills that come with being a higher education student. Developing time management skills, emotional maturity and taking ownership of your work are all learning opportunities a college setting can provide. If you opt to forgo, it may be wise to gain insight and experience as an intern, apprentice or volunteer before starting a business.
The Power of Networking
As a college student, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from business and financial experts, attend presentations from business owners in your community and meet like-minded people with similar business goals. Every person you meet in school — from other students to professors and guest speakers — presents an opportunity for you to network with others in your field. You can certainly network beyond this setting, but forming these connections early in your career means you’ll have people to turn to for support and guidance as you get started.
Don’t Take This Decision Lightly
College isn’t for everyone, but it can help build a solid foundation of information and resources as you carve out your place in the business world. Before deciding whether to choose entrepreneurship, ask yourself if higher education will be useful in the industry you’d like to pursue. Do you have any real-world experience in your chosen industry? If not, you may want to focus on gaining experience before starting your business.
College is expensive, but so is a startup. Before choosing one path over the other, weigh the costs, risks and benefits of both. Ideas and drive can only take you so far; you also need a solid foundation if you want your business to succeed.
~Here’s to Your Success!
Copyright 2019, DegreeAuthorities.com
