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Can college prepare you for a career as an entrepreneur? Some will tell you that in order to have a successful startup, a future entrepreneur should forego college and forge their own path.
However, is that actually good advice? Well, yes and no. There is no right or wrong way to start your own business and be successful.
However, if you do decide to go your own way without a college degree, you could be more likely to fail. You might even lose a good deal of money before finding success. Not everybody gets it right on their first try. In fact, most don’t.
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This is why it makes a lot of sense for some future entrepreneurs to go to college. Those four years can help a a person to find their right path forward. Here are some more reasons your startup will have a better chance to succeed if you earn a college degree.
1. A College Degree Opens Doors
You might be thinking that you don’t really need anybody to open doors for you when you are starting your own business. After all, what you want is to be your own boss.
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Yet, with the right degree from the right university, a future entrepreneur will find that opportunities come more easily. In fact, if you really want to hedge your bets with a startup, you’ll need to rely on many different people and organizations.
For example, if a future entrepreneur is looking for funding and he or she has an Ivy League degree attached to their name, they can be sure their chances of securing funding are improved.
So if you are not yet in college, take some tips from Going Ivy on how to get into prestigious universities such as Harvard. Then you’ll give your future startup a better chance of succeeding.
2. Future Entrepreneurs Build Networks While at College
People often keep for life the friends they make while in college. In fact, you’ll find that the people you meet in college will most likely be with you through your startup journey.
Moreover, many of them will be starting their own businesses, too. Or they could be working in a field that intersects with your startup. This will make them ideal candidates for you to recruit for your business.
Businesses are often built on relationships. Therefore, going to college will build up a huge network of resources for you to draw from.
Even aside from the friends you make as a future entrepreneur, there are professors who can help put you in contact with the right people. On-campus events can also be a way to engage with other future entrepreneurs who are on the same page as you.
3. Future Entrepreneurs Acquire New Skills at College
As a future entrepreneur you already suspect that doing is the best way to learn. But to be really efficient, having a background in the right skills will help you perform much better. If you think going to a college will be time consuming, then maybe online college is better for you.
Nowadays, a diverse array of colleges offer a variety of programs, including options like Digital media studies, Environmental science and Online Christian counseling degrees.
The trial-and-error method is great, and learning from mistakes is important. But when you are in an educational environment, you learn a wide range of skills you might never have sought out on your own. Many of these skills you will apply in the future to running your business.
Additionally, soft skills are extremely important to your future success. These are skills such as social skills and communication skills. While you might never take a class in college that’s focused on soft skills, you will gain practice in using soft skills throughout the course of your career as a student.
Conclusion
If you think of yourself as a future entrepreneur, do yourself a favor and look into going to college first.
For more ideas and inspiration written especially for entrepreneurs, both future and present, be sure to browse our blog often.
