Which Road to Take In Life?

Yes, it's worth getting a degree.

A degree won't make you rich, it won't guarantee you a job in your major, but what it will give you is options and connections, that you will never get otherwise.

I can understand wanting to work for yourself (I've owned a photography business for over 10 years), but it's not guaranteed happiness. Owning your own business that will support yourself and a family, is extremely hard work and a 24/7 job. And you still work for other people - your clients.

If you're an entrepreneur, why not get a degree in business? It will be useful no matter what direction you decide to take in life 5, 10 or even 20 years from now.

 

Eh, it's hard to say, im poor and have no social life, but i hate dealing with the majority of society, it's a hard thing to explain, i used to have some money, and i wasn't happy then, i was just born an angry son of a bitch.

But if your looking for a career buddy it seems you already have one just start
to expand your operation, fuck start saving profits and move onto propertys.

Just think, there is alot of opportunity out there if you want it.

 

If you're a true entrepreneur then a degree will just be a waste of time. If you want to be part of corporate America then you will need a masters to make way.

The older I get the more happiness is a priority.

 

This is not at all true.

A business degree would be extremely valuable for an entrepreneur. Not to mention the connections you get through going to a university.

50% of small businesses fail in the first year, and 95% fail in the first 5 years. Having something to fall back on is not a waste of time.

 

No, you're just stating your opinion and that doesn't negate my opinion

Do I need to define 'true entrepreneur'?

 

I've owned my own successful business- two, actually- since I was 18 (I'm 33 now). I have not worked for anyone else except for myself until a year ago.

I also dropped out of college.

I meet regularly with other entrepreneurs, some who went to college, some who didn't.

I'm not talking out of my ass.

It's hard to find "happiness" when you are 35 years old, have a failed business and no qualifications to do anything else. I've known plenty of people who have been in that situation, and have almost been there.

Whatever path you take, there is no guaranteed happiness. Go with the one that gives you the most options in life later on.

 

Do what makes you happy bro; there are good reasons to stick it out and finish your education and good reasons to take a leap of faith. My brother doesn't have a college degree but he makes more money than many college graduates, that's just the way it turned out for him. He's tenacious and a very hard worker so he usually lands on his feet and it has everything to do with his focus.

I have a college degree but it's meaningless to me because I've evolved as a person and no longer want to be in the field I trained for. I could go back to school or I could do whatever the fuck I want because life's short, and I'm not afraid to fail anymore. Whatever your plans end up being try to remember that life is ticking away for all of us and we have no idea when our time is up, so live thoughtfully and furiously.

~AK~


"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."

~Goethe~

 

Since when did I say a true entrepreneur was a dealer ffs? You have taken what I said way out of context. A true entrepreneur is someone like Trump, Koshogi, Bond (Ozzy) etc... People that have a natural leadership talent and can make some serious money because they are very very clever individuals that know how to negotiate deals. These people would be wasting their time with a college degree and imho might not be where they are today if they had pursued one. The art of doing business does not require a degree.

Now, when it comes to running a company, there are different approaches depending on a multitude of factors. For instance in my business it makes no sense for me to be a business guru. That's what other people are paid for. All I have to do is get the work in, bill it and actually do the work. The work doesn't require a degree to do, neither does the negotiation aspect.

Thwoing out failed business statistics is about a s meaningless as the statistics themselves. Whilst I agree that the stats are correct in terms of numbers (I didn't check), they don't reflect anything else. For instance, doing business requires a certain mindset that a lot of people just dont 'get'. Certain sectors fare better than others etc... the list goes on.

OP appears to have the mindset of a Trump, he is doing his wheeling and dealing and making money. I personally believe fom his post that he is looking for confirmation that he can make it without a degree. I believe if he portrayed his attitude correctly then yes, he would still survive and prosper just as much if he didn't have a degree. I also fail to see how a degree can make one happy now or later on in life. Happiness doesn't come from acheiving things, it comes from being at peace with the world.

Now, saying all that. If OP even vaguely thinks he will enter the corporate sector with the intention of doing 'business' (working for someone else) then he will either need some very good contacts (not required to go to college to make those), or a masters degree. Under grad degrees don't cut it anymore in the corp world.

And finally it's this posters opinion that a degree is mearely a stepping stone, one is still required to have all the qualities of an entrepreneur if one is going to go into the business world whether for thyself or for an employer.

I am absolutely positive that a degree would not necessarily help me in my business, at least not a business degree. I feel that the time it takes me to learn new aspects of the business are less than the time required to go to college to learn them. The idea of having to work in a cubicle for someone else is enough motivation to force me to keep learning, in fact I dare say this is the same for almost anyone else who tries to run their own company.

Penelope, you and I both know that it requires a very different mindset to run a company. You MUST have an entrepreneurial mindset to do it and I just don't believe it is something that is learned in college.

Saying all that, if I had children I would encourage them to go the college route. Yes I sound like a hypocrite but please, re-read everything I've written and try to take it in the context it was typed.

 

the high road.

 

Stick with the degree for a few different reason. First is that it shows you can see something all the way through and not leave it unfinished. Second look at unemployment rates for people who have high school diplomas (above %10), and for people with at least a bachelors degree or higher (around %4.5). Once you get your degree that is something you will always have and no one can ever take that from you. Besides college prepairs you for life long learning which is way too important to pass up