Tldr: should an entrepreneur have business degree or not when he already has skills capable of running a biz but just needs hands-on experience?
I really want to become an entrepreneur, I have a big passion for leadership and business.
I have made a lot of mistakes in the past:
-In secondary education I chose a business profile with biology, at that time I had a big interest in science etc. but things changed after my grades in biology slipped to less than average and business grades skyrocketed in the final year of school.
-I went to Finland with the idea of studying abroad in business.
I reevaluated my goals and plans, and everything I have been through taught me a lot, I learned a lot from my mistakes, a lot that changes my life path.
Now I am business minded, I know I have the skills necessary to start businesses and I know I have the determination, drive and passion to make whatever business successful.
I would be willing to work so hard that I only have 3 hours of sleep every night for a year if it meant for my business to succeed.
It is not that I am against a degree, not that I don't like learning or that I am socially incapable.
I have had a lot of theoretical practise on starting businesses in high school and got first place of 120 others that enrolled in the same course as me. I had the most creative business, most clear business, most original business etc (victory prize was mediocre and we worked in groups of 4)
However, I know that back then I could feel the leadership inside me, I carried a lot on the project and I also delegated what I was less capable off in a good way.
My girlfriend says she trusts me if I were to drop out which is great, it motivates me. My dad says I should do whatever I want to do, he will always be there for me he says. However my girlfriends parents are fiercely against me, they think without a degree I can't make it with my personal skills. But I read everywhere the same thoughts when becoming an entrepreneur.
Cont
I am able to speak 3 languages of which 2 are Chinese and English.
I like to study in my free time about business related things that interest me such as human resource management, leadership, accounting etc.
I am good with money, I am like a Jew when it comes to money.
I believe in the laws of leadership, it's like a religion to me.
I know I should be patient and develop the skills I am passionate about more.
How do I deal with my girlfriends mom being so against me?
>>1000402
Being an entreperneur has almost nothing to do with a degree and 90% to do with having guts.
You have an idea, you create the product or service, then you start selling it. Once you have sales, the rest works itself out.
>>1000457
Thanks for the response.
I have guts, but my girlfriends mom is really holding a grudge against me and I feel a lot of pressure since I am living in her house at the moment. Im not in the study yet btw as I am taking this year off since I wasnt sure yet.
>>1000525
You're right, I am going to think of business ideas for my startup. I have finances around 3k right now should be enough to start right?
>>1000402
>>1000407
are you by any chance Chinese or other sorts of asian?
If that's the case options are limited in the western world. Asians cannot think creative and outside the box.
Here is an example. Them are very good at learning math. but as soon as a mathematical problem in the real world is slighty different than what is learned in the book and its not conform the standard rules they are completely clueless.... and have no idea how to solve it.
I noticed Idians have that as well, but till a less extent.
Also 3K is going to buy you a nice suit and a pair of decent shoes, but 3K is nothing when you want to start.. I would say 15/20K minimum. Depends on what you want to do of course.
also it appears to me you really try to convince yourself you have certain qualities. There is nothing wrong with that.
However you only know what you are capable of when doing things in real life. And I'm not talking about school, but real life, the raw deal.
In my own personal case. I went to east Africa by myself long time in the past for example (partly because my now ex gf was born there and her family still lived there) and tried to set up a business there.
It failed miserable, no going to lie about that, but it showed me what I was capable of doing..Picture related.
also you have to be realistic. and life is not a rat race.
3 hour sleep will destroy you very quickly.. mentally and physically.
I've had days when I up and running 16 hours a day for other reasons. You can only keep up with that pace for a few weeks. maybe 2/3 months max... Even on cocaine..
one last thing :
>However my girlfriends parents are fiercely against me, they think without a degree I can't make it with my personal skills.
Just dump her. there are millions of others and it's your life your choice, not those of your girlfriends parents (who in the world do they think they are by telling you what to or not, are they mad ?)
>>1000402
The hardest part about starting a business isn't the business idea or administration of the company: it's getting the capital to start the damn thing. Unless you have a few hundred thousand just laying around or that you can easily get off of something, I'm afraid you're out of luck pal. Venture capitalists won't even consider startups without at least $100k of prior angel investment. Either you have access to that sort of money to cover business expenses or you're fucked, and anyone who tells you differently hasn't worked with startups before.
>>1000649
>her parents
>dump her
woah ease of the angst pedal there young man
Does the networking you will do for your business require "credentials?" Will people only work with you in your field or business idea if you offer proof of graduation and school affiliation?
If so, then you need to finish school. If not, then you don't need to finish school. I'm an accountant. I wouldn't drop out without getting my CPA and expect the same level of respect, because I just won't get it. I might get lucky, but credentials are required in some situations. The only reason I'm saying you could drop out, though, is because you say:
>I like to study in my free time about business related things that interest me such as human resource management, leadership, accounting etc.
You like to learn. You have to retain that. Now, since you're going to move from academic to business, you have to open up a bit more. I know you're trying to sell yourself and your abilities in your OP and subsequent post, but you come across as a bit rigid. So I hope you're not. Because you're going to have to learn now without direction. Learn from the people around you, learn to delegate (that 3 hour sleep thing is more likely to kill your business than you think... surely you've read of diminishing returns, issues with sleep deprivation, and quality and safety issues). There was a thread awhile back about a consultant and there was good advice in there. A lot of successful businesses are run by people who are good about reading people, utilizing their skills in a way that's best for the business, and managing and understanding the nuances of the situation. You get little practice for this in an academic setting. Some, but not enough unless you're aware. So be aware, be wary of being to steadfast and rigid, but be confident in the direction you move. And whether or not you quit just depends on if you need credentials or not.
What have you actually done of actual value that would prevent them thinking you won't be in the 90% fail rate side?
Her parents are probably right.
>>1000614
I have also realised this, Indian & Chinese culture puts a high importance on being right, getting results & taking no risks. It doesn't matter if you are a creative genius if you dont get the right grade to go to the right school your life is fucked, you will be a failure, get a shitty job & your parents will disown you.
>>1000614
I am Chinese, but I grew up in the western world. My dad has always let me be creative and make my own choices.
And I was thinking of a more small start-up before really investing tons and tons of money in a business, I want to build it up.
>>1000629
>>1000727
I'm sorry, I should have been more humble perhaps.
I think that for a human, their whole life is learning. Ofcourse I will remain a student of life. I just don't like the formal education the government provides.
If I want to start a company on my own, why would I need a degree?
It just seems very illogical, my girlfriends mom keeps telling me that if I want a job I need a degree, then I tell her I don't want to apply for any jobs and I want to start on my own. Same over and over again.
Honestly, nowadays you can learn everything on the internet, university used to be a thing where you can learn because you pay their school business. But now you can learn theory on the internet, or buy a good textbook yourself on the topic interested in.
I looked into the content of the study and found that it is full of useless crap, things I won't need, also the study isn't even that great and the university is also not that great. I am pretty sure as an outsider and having a degree like that wouldn't get me anywhere except 4 years further in time. There is no creative freedom in school.
I even heard that there was this guy paying business school students 100K to drop out of school and start their own business.
Right now what is really wearing on me is wether I could trust anyone from this family or not, I really thought I could count on support but she is blackmailing me with kicking me out thus basically forcing me to go to school.
I had an idea though
The idea
My girlfriend is probably going to study in the city in 2 years, what if I just buy myself some time right now by attending the study and when she moves, I move with her and just drop out. School is free here so it wouldn't be an issue, just the useless books I bought which would have so many better alternatives.
I want me and my girlfriend to follow our passion in life but her mom wants the opposite, she wants us to get a business degree and for my girlfriend to become a doctor or lawyer despite her having no interest in those things at all. I am a heavy believer in that people should follow their own passions because by doing so you can excel in the field compared to others who don't.
I will just call my girlfriends parents mom and dad now for convenience.
She has been using this "dad also didn't get a degree, saying he didn't need it. But that was for arts, and that is completely different. Although he did start his own business but failed miserably because of so many reasons, I can just see why and how. I could see clear reasons why and mom and dad were still bitching and wondering why.
What I want to do honestly right now is not go to business school and just have an internship at a small business or a start-up company to learn with a hands-on experience.
Lastly, I think that being force feeded education I'm not interested in is not going to work in my favor. 4 years is quite a long time for something I don't really need in life.
>>1000735
I don't, if anything I would have convinced them that I am stupid. I left a really developed country, in the top ten of the world for a shithole of a country with no great opportunities at all, also where I live now people are super xenophobic. Netherlands to taxland.
IMPORTANT POST
Mom does not know anything about business or entrepreneurship, she has a shitty job herself 9-5 minimum wage and works for government. Also has not gotten any promotion for her whole career. I think if I recall right she has an arts degree just like dad.
Very close-minded as well, thought Netherlands didn't have any libraries and also thought Netherlands wasn't developed at all. Thought that Finland was the only one with a library system. HECK she did not even know what an ebook was. She talks about business as if you need that degree to enter the business world. I told her anyone can do business, even without a degree. Does not believe me. I want to fully commit and she tells me that degree could be plan B, I want my plan A to work or else I want the rest of the plan alphabet to resolve around entrepreneurship.
