Choosing whether college is an option for you can be tough; the same way you must determine what decisions can make or break a business. You either choose to go to college and use it to structure the plans for your future, or maybe you already have a plan that doesn’t include college.
The debate
There are a number of entrepreneurs and small business owners who have made it big without attending college, and we have seen some of those companies become the world’s most popular. Take Apple, for example. Steve Jobs attended college for only one semester, took one calligraphy class and became one of the richest and most widely known CEOs around the world. Jobs started Apple in his garage and turned it into the multi-billion dollar company it is today.
As a matter of fact, we’ve seen this “Turn on, tune in, and drop out” 60’s counter-culture work out for a number of business owners, including Bill Gates who co-founded Microsoft in 1975. Not every successful person who opted out of a college education would agree that it is the right thing to do. So, while some might agree that skipping college worked for them, others feel that it is a necessary step.
Sean Parker, a former president of Facebook and founder of file-sharing service Napster believes that a new type of entrepreneur has emerged and that with the internet, “formal education becomes less and less important” Parker goes on to note that “We should expect to see the emergence of a new kind of entrepreneur who has acquired most of their knowledge through self- exploration.” Parker’s outlook is interesting, especially when considering that he did not attend college and that most of the companies ruling the world today are tech and internet based companies. A lot of entrepreneurs today are learning the preliminary information required to start up their businesses and keep them running.
Despite the fact that successful entrepreneurs such as Sean Parker believe that self-exploration can replace college in some ways, other entrepreneurs such as Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz believe that college is a necessary step for any individual, especially those that work at their companies. This year, Starbucks teamed up with Arizona State University to offer free college courses to any employee within the company. Schultz believes that the new college degree program will “…lower attrition, it’ll increase performance, it’ll attract and retain better people.”
What’s right for you?
College has become more of a stepping-stone to open doors and achieve higher paid positions and promotions. AS competition in the market increases, degrees are becoming factors in that race. However, in the tech world, many are exchanging the college experience with online courses to master their skills. Others focus their energies to get a head start at opening that shop they’ve always wanted. Some will even go back to college years later once they’ve established their business.
Today we are faced with far more opportunities than ever before. People have freedom to choose the path they want. So, the biggest dilemma is figuring out what is right for you.
What path best suits you? Let us know in the comments below.
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