Do You Need A Formal Education To Succeed As A Millennial Entrepreneur?

Do you feel that your college prepared you for a life of the daily grind? If you're one of the people that answered no, you're not alone.  

While traditional education is valuable, it can only teach us so much. A recent book I read entertains the idea of being a 10% entrepreneur. It covers topics about how millennials change jobs more often than not. It’s about how millennials value things that interest us rather committing to a lifelong marriage to one career.

This means that we crave diversity while still having a stable job that “pays the bills” to support us, fund our entrepreneurial ideas and test our intellectual capital in pursuit of our interests and passions that our nine to five simply doesn’t satisfy. The concept of the 10% entrepreneur is one example of alternative education outside the college classroom.

As a college graduate, I powered through and took required courses that the university system demanded of me. However many of the courses were not that interesting to me. Most of the classes were quite boring. There was low engagement. Taking notes from a power point lecture seemed pointless and demotivating. I was in over my head with studying out of a text book, completing assignments, preparing for major projects and figuring out how to manage stress. I believe education can be much more empowering when you have more control and choice of what you learn and when. I believe more real life training and learning is a much better teacher than the traditional lecture hall.

One of the best ways for millennials to learn and educate themselves is by doing, which is what entrepreneurship encompasses in full. There is a hard transition from student to skilled worker especially when it comes to soft skills and building a network that can further your career. So it comes to no surprise that millennials are throwing the rule book out the window once again and embracing mentorship as the new classroom.

Should College Determine Your Future?

The short answer? No. Your college degree is only a springboard into the workplace, but your ambition is the underlying factor that will determine your success. Having a fancy four year degree is just one part of your career journey, but it doesn't determine your success. In fact, some of the world's biggest entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Richard Branson don't have a college degree. I’m sure you’ve heard this before. The truth is there is a host of other factors that come into play, and the best part is, they don't require student loan debt.

E-learning Industry

Alternatives to the college classroom enable you to access lectures and needed materials are provided via online platforms.

Create a network

"It's not what you know; it's who you know." This famous saying still has a lot of weight in today's business world. Having the ability and willingness to network with people is a vital skill. It will open up doors to new opportunities and allow you to discover the intricacies of running a successful business. If you have a strong community base, it will also make building your network and connections much easier. With the support of others, you have the opportunities to pitch an idea, get feedback and possibly investment in you and what you are building. Connect with people who are in the position you want to be, get a mentor and learn from their careers and experiences, which in turn helps boost your own professional development.

Wavefront

Build a network of those who have intellectual capital that you wish to acquire.