Dell did it. Gates did it. Branson too. Uber-successful entrepreneurs who left school (Dell and Gates, left college, Branson left high school) to pursuit their dreams. All three have become the subjects of folklore and fantasy - and the goals of the millions of budding entrepreneurs.
But are such success stories being misused by those who want to forsake planning, development and education (whether formal or informal) and instead ride the wave of overconfidence?
The difference between the above and many of us are truly few and far between, at the ground level. Michael Dell was building computers in and out of his bedroom and college dormroom, and selling them before realizing "hey, I wonder how many MORE people I can sell these to" and choosing to strike out on his own. Bill Gates, while a student, had successfully developed four software applications,and sold one (2 complete failures and one that was a GUI based operating system - you know the rest) before realizing "hey, I wonder how many MORE people I can sell my various software apps to" before giving his education the proverbial axe. At the same time, many look to Gates and Dell without realizing that both had one, amongst many, thing in common: the computer hardware and software industry. One of the few that even 20 years later continues to be an arena in which the rates and successes of self-education are in line, and in some cases, continually outpacing those who pursuit formal college educations. In plain english: computer hardware and software technology continues to be one of the few places where you can teach yourself, be successful, and sometimes faster than the guy with a Bachelor's degree (and $100K of debt).
Should these cases be carried over into the greater business realm and are these successes being overhyped and misunderstood? I don't know. I'd honestly wonder how Gates would feel knowing that some use HIS name as an example of why school is a complete waste of time (especially considering his philanthropic focus). A cruel twist of irony that the worlds richest man (a college dropout) has dedicated his life (outside of Microsoft) to impressing upon kids the necessity that education is.
...thats like Shaq teaching basketball campers that the key to NBA success is the free throw shot... :shrug:
To bring it closer to home: You've got the concept. You're ready to begin development, or maybe you're in the early stages of planning. You've got a full time job, or are a full time student, but you're quickly realizing you won't be able to do both (or maybe the cubicle farm is seriously starting to wear on you - oh wait, that'd be me).
I can't help but wonder...
:::Sex and the City moment:::
Is quitting your future to pursuit your future, an insane display of guts (and faith) or a gutsy display of complete insanity?
Now Playing: Sound Garden - Like Suicide (Acoustic Version) SuperUnknown
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2 comments:
Hi ladies,
Just found your forum - good stuff!
And I believe that EDUCATION is very important. There are so many things that you can learn from school besides the "major".
Interaction with people, self-discipline, meeting deadlines, learning to "learn" and the ability to show up consistently and on time are all life qualities one can gain from a formal education.
For many positions I hire for, I often will take the degreed individual for the above reasons, and not because of what they learned about the skillset my company needs.
Not to say that people with degrees are better than those who are not, but people with them, often get more opportunities to shine.
My 2 cents
Maurice Evans, Business Coach
Entrepreneur Forum
Thanks for check us out...and please continue to do.
There are so many forms of education that are valuable - people tend to overemphasize some (college) while de-emphasizing others (trade schools and certificate programs).
The point is: education is invaluable. And when you've got NO education and NO real-world experience, you've really got a whole lot of nothing.
Well - you've got arrogance... but how much is that worth?
...just ask Larry Ellison.
:::did I just type that:::
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