Making Learning FUN

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There are numerous costs when one obtains a degree. My experience has been about $22,000 a year to get through school, including room and boarding, food, school supplies, books, and tuition. This totals to around $88,000 for me to graduate and get my degree. Icould have bought a slick BMW M3 fully-loaded! On top of the cost, time spent to acquire the degree - 4 years that I have invested. If my parents gave me all this money instead of setting it aside for college, I would have be well-funded to begin my new business venture. Yet, I ask myself, would I have the right skill-sets to be successful?

I was told to do well in high school to get into a good college. The idea was hammered into me so many times that I had no reason to believe otherwise. My Dad always said, “Jake,

there’s no way around it; you’re going to college and get your degree.” I feel blessed and am thankful to my parents for providing me money for college, and I personally love my experience so far.

But what about the student who isn’t blessed with the financial luxuries of going to college? Should they take up government student loans? Is college is the only pathway to success? As a recent article in the Orange County Register pointed out, ‘degree’ as we know it is becoming lower in value and work experience is becoming more prominent in the hiring process. If someone wants to study in a specific niche, why can’t they seek out books, online classes, simulations, and other useful tools to learn the subject, instead of sifting through 4 years of education that won’t necessarily apply to their specific area of interest. This would save a great amount of money and lighten the burden of student loan debt.

In 3 years of college I have gained a vast amount of experience surrounding myself with new people, new city, new house, all the while acquiring education. Living with diverese roommates who are inspired to learn, I have come across viewpoints and ideas that I had never heard of before. These have sparked further discussion and learning opportunities that I would not experience otherwise. A business idea was sparked from one of these discussions between my roommates and I.

It started out as a problem that I thought needed to be solved for my own health, but then I wondered if others were thinking about it too. (I am not going into detail of this business idea due to personal reasons and lack of patent.) My drive now is to change the way things are done, whether it is improving the process, or solving a problematic conditions in the marketplace.

What if I had invested the money spent on college in this business idea instead? Firstly, I wouldn’t have had the idea because it was actuated during college. Secondly, I wasn’t nearly as passionate about entrepreneurship as I am now. I did not have a sense of direction after coming out of high school. Say if I did have this idea before college and the same passion as I have now, I would still have to overcome the hurdles of accounting and finances, inventory, marketing, and the selling my product. Becoming an entrepreneur, I would learn a great deal about myself (with the psychological aspects of failing and overcoming) and running of the business for it to be successful. College has better prepared me for this; working through case studies different business problems. But after 3 years of college, I still have many uncertainties of how to actually run a business, and most of these uncertainties can only be squared off by actually starting my business and learning from my mistakes.

Hypothetically, I had passion and direction coming out of high school. I would be successful with my business due to my tenacious attitude and people skills. With four years to work on a business instead of burying it into schooling, vast amounts of headway would be accomplished. I believe opting out of college for business and entrepreneurship is a potential option with available alternative learning tools like simulations and online courses. But if you are studying to become a doctor or scientist, the knowledge gained from professors and the strict schooling regiments are extremely necessary. It intrigues me to think what life would have been like if I hadn’t opted for college and instead sought after an entrepreneurial idea straight away.