Should you go to college? CEO and CoFounder of Spiceworks gives his opinion..

[masaldana2]

SKIP TO HOUR 2:00 last 4 minutes

good insight

 

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[Schmidty]

"Starting sooner will let you screw up sooner. Starting sooner doesn't make you great sooner"

 

[Phones]

You don't need to know physics or know how to be a ultra-programmer to gain and achieve wealth. As long as there are people learning that stuff that you can hire, and you have the knowledge to team with them and use their skills in your favor, you'll be just fine.

I don't get it, the guy says colleges are failing yet he says Elon Musk wouldn't be as smart if he didn't went to college. I've been 1 year in Industrial Engineering and almost 1 year in Management, there's nothing I wouldn't have learned way quicker if I needed it than waking up at 7 am , 5 days in a row, and feeling like shit for the rest of the day.

I've been learning the past two weeks in Accounting what I've learned in 5 hours of googling when I needed to fill my tax papers after I registered my company.

I'm yet to take a class that explains to this soon to be Managers , what conversion rate, funnel or upsell is, or the power of paid traffic, I doubt there will be any. I wouldn't have learned that If I had the mindset "oh, I'll start when I'm 22, what's the difference?"

 

[jazb]

Go to college...you need to invest in yourself before you invest in a new business.

 

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[Schmidty]

When given the opportunity to to talk to any successful entrepreneur or business person, I make it an effort to ask them about their "formal education". Being in school myself, this topic has always been interesting to me. I personally feel that school in some senses is a waste of not only money, but of time. I hate how some people think that the only way to "make it" in life is to pay your dues, take these pointless classes, and get that sought after piece of paper. I feel I've made it my mission to prove all of these people wrong. When people give me that bewildered look of "You don't go to school?!?!", I want nothing more than to prove to them that I can, and WILL be make it in life without that damned piece of paper.

Recently, I interviewed a local successful entrepreneur for one of the classes I took and you know that I asked him about his schooling. I asked if he graduated (He did. Bachelors in business management) and if what he learned in school had helped him on his path to becoming a successful business owner (It didn't. He mentioned there is no better school than the school of hard knocks). But one thing that he said about school was, although in a sense it was a waste of time and money, it had developed him into the person that he was today. And that struck me a little bit. It made me really think about schooling as more than just a place to get an "education". Who knows if he would have started his business had he not gone college? The same applies to all successful entrepreneurs and business people. The people that he had met and the things he had done had shaped him into the person he was today: a man who works maybe 3hours a week and doesn't worry about a thing.

So maybe schooling in some ways is useful...but why so damned expensive?!

I'll leave you with a quote that I once heard.

"Saying college is the thirteenth grade is an insult to the thirteenth grade. College is actually more like re-taking ninth grade and paying attention." -Unknown

 

[Phones]

Who knows if he would have started his business had he not gone college? The same applies to all successful entrepreneurs and business people. The people that he had met and the things he had done had shaped him into the person he was today: a man who works maybe 3hours a week and doesn't worry about a thing.

Good insight, but you can also look the other way:

Who knows how many of the people that went to college would have started a successful business if they didn't? The boredom and routine of standardized education, shaped them into work-slaves and made them who they are today: employees.

I'm in one of the best Management universities in Europe, some weeks ago we had a Career forum, ubber crowded, everyone was eagger about the consulting companies and presentations.

Yesterday, Jamail Larkins was here to speak with us and talk about his story and venture, no more than 20 people in the room.

 

[Schmidty]

Good insight, but you can also look the other way:
Who knows how many of the people that went to college would have started a successful business if they didn't? The boredom and routine of standardized education, shaped them into work-slaves and made them who they are today: employees.

I agree with you 100%. It's crazy to me how the decision to go to college can be so life changing; both in good ways and in bad. School's not for everyone. I'd like to think that it's not for me. It's unfortunate that so many jobs require a 4yr degree to even be considered. But hey, we're entrepreneurs, not employees; why worry about it?

 

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[ExecutionisKing]

I liked the video (watched the last few minutes), and I think the guy made some valid points.
I thought it was interesting when he said that he thinks the easy accessibility of information and the many types of tools available are causing the "deep level" of understanding of computer systems to go down, not up.
He mentions this in reference to people taking shortcuts and making use of this easily accessible info, rather than getting an education in the field themselves.

"Starting sooner will let you screw up sooner. Starting sooner doesn't make you great sooner"

I know the CEO said this, but it stood out to me as well. This seems to be a bit off to me, especially here on the forum where failure is actually noted as being valuable, since it's a step in your process that you can learn from. If you screw up earlier in life, and learn from it, you can definitely be "great" or successful at a sooner age.
Though if someone thinks that starting young actually guarantees success, rather than viewing it as an opportunity to potentially come to a final result sooner, then that would be a problem.

I don't get it, the guy says colleges are failing yet he says Elon Musk wouldn't be as smart if he hadn't gone to college.

To be fair, he says partially failing, and that's only in regards to colleges "not preparing people for the workforce," not a lack of information being taught.
He's also refers mainly to the tech sector when he mentions how he thinks an education will be useful in the long run. He worries that people will take the short cut and probably be fine, start the business, maybe even do well, but will lack the "depth of education, even just in a discipline" that you would/could get from going to college.

Being in school myself

When people give me that bewildered look of "You don't go to school?!?!"

I'm confused...

"Saying college is the thirteenth grade is an insult to the thirteenth grade. College is actually more like re-taking ninth grade and paying attention." -Unknown

That's kind of an unfair statement, because the same could be said about high school, being perhaps a repeat of 5th-8th grade, in more detail. Every grade builds on the last in more detail. But that's a drastic oversimplification overall.

 

[Schmidty]

I'm confused...

Sorry. Let me clarify. I've been on and off of school for about a year and a half. Seeing that I've done all that I can at a city college and basically waiting to commit to a 4yr, the only classes I take at this point in my life are for more along the lines of having fun. None of my classes are going to follow me if I transfer to a 4yr, so when people ask me what 4yr I go to and I tell them I'm kind of on idle waiting to see what I want to do with my life, THAT is when they give me that bewildered look. Like I'm doing nothing but wasting my time... Sorry; I should have elaborated

That's kind of an unfair statement, because the same could be said about high school, being perhaps a repeat of 5th-8th grade, in more detail. Every grade builds on the last in more detail. But that's a drastic oversimplification overall.

You're right. I thought the quote was funny and somewhat relevant so I posted it.

 

[Sowexly]

I think the question that no one addresses is why people don't pay attention while in school in the first place. College has repercussions that are likely more understood where public education can be a sidetrack to younger generations who want more now.

When I was in highschool I saw it as a mandatory 8 hours of structure compared to the weekend where you woke up and did whatever you wanted (normally included eating only dessert and having maximum pleasure possible) maybe that was a small percentage of people but I think it isn't easy for adults who live in a slower lane to instill into their child the idea of education and what it's structure means.

 

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[Singh1]

My personal opinion is after 12th grade - college/universities are 2 things: 1. Huge Amount of Debt. 2. Time consuming (which are both against fastlane). Those colleges/universities are OFFERING services so they are the producers. It's time for everyone to start thinking like a producer.