Can colleges and universities “teach” entrepreneurship?
Hello everyone, my name is Evan Carmichael and I’m looking forward to kick-starting the new YE blog. With regular updates that highlight issues facing young entrepreneurs we’re looking to make this blog an engaging, interactive resource for YE visitors and members.
The first post I wanted to put up was about colleges and universities “teaching” entrepreneurship. According to BusinessWeek, the number of entrepreneurs younger than 30 has increased by nearly 30 percent every year since 2004.
Many of the “experts” attribute the growth to the increase in programs that colleges and universities are putting together to teach students how to run their own businesses. In the 1980s there were only 270 courses available while there are over 5,000 available today. Purdue University, for example, offers a certificate of entrepreneurship and innovation. Since Purdue created the program in 2005 they have graduated over 600 students and there is currently a wait list to get in.
Others feel that the power of the Internet has opened up new opportunities for young entrepreneurs that did not exist before. We’re now able to do our market research, connect with potential clients, and sell our products or services to an international market at a fraction of the cost and from the convenience of our homes.
What do you think? Can colleges and universities “teach” us how to be entrepreneurs?
Evan Carmichael
Evan CarmichaelYoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager
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6 Comments so far
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I would say, it depends on the curriculum and the teachers. Some educational institutions have an excellent curriculum and many don’t.
That being said, I think the best teaching tool is TRUE LIFE EXPERIENCES. Getting in the trenches, hitting the pavement and going at it full force. Learn from the successes and the failures.
In the end, the true Entrepreneur will come out on top.
Some may disagree, but Robert Kiyosaki points out the problems with traditional educational institutions and what they teach us. I recommend any of his books. I just finished his recent release with Donal Trump. Great book!
Actually, I have the audio version. I’m too busy to sit down and read. This way, I can listen while I drive, which is where I spend so much time. Plus, no other distractions. Well, unless you count traffic.
Looking forward to some great posts.
I think the tools that are needed to be successful as a entrepreneur can be taught, but there are the intangibles that some people either have or they don’t. Entrepreneurs are visionaries who follow through with their vision. Most people just don’t follow through for one reason or another.
As a Purdue Alumni, I am familiar with the course you are referring to. I also go back and Interview upcoming graduates for IT related jobs and can say that I have been impressed with how entrepreneurial the curriculum as become, especially in CPT/CGT. Most of their class projects involve going out doing projects for local businesses and I interviewed several students who had started their own businesses already. From web development to developing innovative solar cells to selling hammocks from a supplier in El Salvador.
To conclude, I think academia can certainly play a part in educating and motivating students to pursue their ideas, but ultimately what makes a entrepreneur successful is their passion and drive, which can’t be taught.
I could not agree with you two more. I was an Enrepreneurship major myself, and I felt the only thing lacking was real-world experience. They required internships, but did not monitor them well to understand if they pertained to what we were being taught. (We could’ve worked at McDonald’s and it would have been sufficient). And while passion and drive are absolutely crucial- it takes more than that to really understand how to operate the business.
[…] Cory graduated from Quinnipiac University with a degree in entrepreneurship and small business management (Can colleges and universities “teach” entrepreneurship?). Instead of getting a corporate job he went into business for himself launching Wings Your Way and has not looked back. […]
I must say, you are very right. Young people must be taught Entrepreneuship no matter what field they want to major in. In fact Entrepreneuship should be made a core descipline and competency in all schools, colleges and universities. Days are long gone where people finish school and look for jobs, they should instead start their own business whether in Health, Engineering, Art, Law etc… all these careers need to know the key aspects of business.
Personally, I have been self-employed after two years of finishing school… and I have never regreted it.
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