College... good Major choices for an entrepreneur?

**Mecka11** · 08-06-2009 12:16 AM

BTW I JUST found this site and I think it's amazing... just what I've been looking for. However, It's completely beyond me how college students find the funds and time to start ventures. I'm an A+ student and am working very hard to get through college with a good education. Before I started hearing about young entrepreneurs, I thought making a move could only be accomplished by saving up money after being well out of college, but apparently I had the wrong idea! I'm very happy to be part of the young entrepreneur community and hope to learn a lot more!

Anyways, I'm having a pretty difficult time searching for the right major combination. I'm planning on doing a dual major which will eventually include an MBA with a mixture of entrepreneurial type classes. However, I would also like to major in a subject pertaining to a particular market so that I can acquire sufficient background knowledge in the area that I'd like to pursue. I've been leaning towards electrical engineering and computer engineering, because they seem to be at the center of all markets out there, and something that would require schooling to really learn well (worth the money).

The bigger question is... how does one obtain what seems like a tremendous amount of capital required to start a small electronics company that caters to a public audience? I'm looking towards the entertainment industry including gaming, movies, home theater systems, pro-audio ect. Stuff pertaining to such a market... (I'm trying not to go into to much detail here.)

I'm 19 years old and I'm sure most of you will say I have a lot of time to consider all this, but everyday I'm not thinking about this stuff it seems like I'm falling behind compared to what others might be doing. Hearing all these stories about young entrepreneurs has really produced quite a yearning to get started with SOMETHING. (I don't mean the electronics company right away however) The problem is, I'm not exactly surrounded by people with the same mindset or knowledge to help me. It's really frustrating not having someone that you can approach to help get things sorted.

**Lambo** · 08-06-2009 04:36 AM

I just graduated University with a Finance degree. I think if you want to start your own company you will need to know some basic business principles. Also If you go into business you can easily find like minded people.

Engineers seem to only know how to work for others, but that's just my opinion.

**SeaSquirrel** · 08-06-2009 09:51 AM

Welcome to the site! I think your in the right direction so lets see if we can help you find the answers your looking for.

As far as your double major I agree computer science is in a lot of markets. I myself am working on a business/marketing with computer science degree but I feel you should get a degree your interested in and from their use a strategy to do what you want.

Let me explain better. I think you will be better off majoring in subjects you enjoy! No matter what you major in you still think like an entrepreneur so tailor those skills with the career you take.

Do you already have an idea and you just need capital? If not I think you may be jumping the gun talking about getting financed and having capital. There are a lot of threads here on how to raise capital.

Hope this helps!

**my_misyel** · 08-06-2009 05:40 PM

Learning the basics in business is also a must. There are some successful entrepreneurs who didn't took any business courses yet their business were running smoothly.Taking business courses is a must, but not compulsory.

**jonathanfigaro** · 08-06-2009 07:11 PM

I suggest taking business management or administration as a major and doing some entrepreneur internships!!

**EntrepreneurCoach** · 08-06-2009 07:43 PM

Get as much hands on experience as you can, now.
Get some sales jobs during college as well if you can. Sales skills that you learn will pay off in a big way when you start your own business. Your major might change many times, just as your business/career path will. Learn how to learn, work hard, and develop great discipline.

**pboychuk** · 08-06-2009 10:08 PM

For one thing, I wouldn't rely on college to teach you much about entrepreneurship, unless you have a specific degree program, that caters to small business, I don't mean a general type business degree that is a so called entrepreneurship major.

As far as start up funding, I am also in college, I can say I started with only 2k, and have built up from there, honestly, in this recession banks don't want to talk to you, and unless you have a brilliant idea, neither do investors. So start small, ask your relatives for some funding..

I am now starting my first senior year, I am not sure if I will ever graduate (I don't plan to), but I can tell you what college has taught me, I do not want to get a corporate job, and I could care less how corporations are run and managed.. So hopefully college will give you a shock effect, force you to get off your feet and be proactive about establishing your own success.

Also, I get that "falling behind feeling," you just need to take a step back into reality, making millions takes luck, or time and hard work, personally I have set my goals at attainable levels, and levels which I feel would satisfy my monetary needs, but not cause me to be consumed by greed. My end goal is not money, but free time, security and being able to run every aspect of my life.

**Mecka11** · 08-07-2009 06:19 PM

Thanks for all the great replies everyone, I really appreciate it. Being forced to choose a specific major has always been tough for me. I'm a curious person and there are certain characteristics that attract me to so many different professions. The thing is, the characteristics that I'm attracted to are always tied into entrepreneurship (owning my own business/ firm in that particular field). Growing up, I always wanted to become an architect, but as I researched into it it seemed more and more like an aging profession that I wanted nothing to do with. The thing I don't understand is how you get into a market as an entrepreneur, but not be an expert in making the product. For example, wanting to create/sell software, but you're not a software engineer. I love the business field, but I've always felt like if I studied only business, I wouldn't have enough knowledge to know the potential of the market or how to know whether Its possible to create an idea I have for a new product. I feel like you need to be able to make a prototype yourself before you can start a business around it. I realize that I'm probably wrong with this logic, but I just don't understand how it works. I have a few ideas, some take a lot more to get started than others. But one in particular is more than just an idea, its a concept that I would REALLY like to get understand fully and pursue. It's something that I have a deep passion for, and I would love to contribute to the advancement of the market.

I guess I'm just getting "inventor" and "entrepreneur" mixed up. Anyone familiar with this situation of confusion? I know that someone can be both, but I don't understand how you can be an entrepreneur without being an inventor. How far can you really get by just hiring talent? I just have no clue how someone starts a business in a market which they're not "trained" in as in a degree.

**Gaulkin** · 08-07-2009 08:22 PM

You cant go wrong with an accounting degree. Will teach you a lot about business and if business is not for you then there will always be a job waiting for you when you graduate.

**KaininConway** · 08-15-2009 06:30 PM

@Mecka11 I'm in almost the same boat as you. Everyday I am thinking of innovative website ideas. I even go into why consumers will benefit from it. Its crazy how many ideas one can come up with.

Now I am awesome as figuring out all the ideas and even figuring out the details. However I do not possess the talent to get my ideas off the ground. So after 4 years of starting sites and abandoning them I came here to find somebody that likes my ideas and has the talent to get it started.

Wow I went into why I am here. Oops.

I am going to college in a few weeks and will be taking business, computer science and some web designing classes. The CS, Business degree along with internships should give me enough experience to get some capital ans start my own black hat security firm.

I would definitely take some business classes and then concentrate on a certain sector of the market and take classes that tie into it.