My Dilemma: Is School Vital To Be Successful?

[nickhumph]

Is It?
Hmm.. we've all seen those millionaires and billionaire college dropouts become successful in business, leaders like Michael Dell and the Google founders.

I'm in 10th Grade, infact just today I got my report card which said I have a GPA of 2.3. Obviously not enough to get into some prestigious university.. but this only matters If I actually want to go.

Since this is a young entrepreneur forum, I know that there are alot of people still in high school, even middle school, even elementary! A question I want to ask is Will you go to Uni? If so, why? Do you think it's vital to be successful?

And for those who have already graduated, or perhaps dropped out.. was uni worth it?

I will clarify that i'm not a terrible student.. I could A's and B's if I really, really tried.. but i'd rather work on my businesses right now because it is a passion and I really love being involved with it (and football). I just think school is completely stupid, pointless and I know that over 70% of what you learn will be forgotten and never used again. Can you remember the answers on your last history test? (History is the most useless subject to learn btw).

I go to an international school here in budapest, hungary. The standards are pretty high. Obviously there are alot of diplomatic kids and rich kids. I ask randoms often.. why do you want to go to university? They reply saying that "it's the only way i'll be successful", "I want to have a good job". Is it the only path to success? I often get paid out (made fun of) about my D in a low-level 10th grade math course.. or my lack of attention in class.. school is a babysitting service to me.

Now I know that although my businesses are not successful, and that I only earn the equivalent of working after school everyday at a local supermarket. The fact is that i've managed to set these things up and run them like a real business owner would is alot of experience that of course not many 15 year olds like me would have.

And I read about a book every month or so relating to business, plus alot of news and blog posts. In today's world we are consumed by so much information we can learn for ourselves.. so is there any point of going to college/uni anymore? Is it better to learn in theory or practice?

The only fundamental reason I would attend uni is to have that "social experience" everyone talks about.. to have "the best years of your life" kind of thing. Yes, to go to pubs every night, try to pick up hot girls and have fun with friends.

Just a thought
wb
Nick.

[adum]

i don't think school is NEEDED, but you do need to have a plan if you're not going to school. i wouldn't just not plan to go to college just because other successful people didn't go, make sure you know what you're going to do instead. you can always work on entrepreneurial endeavors while you're in school (which is what I'm doing right now)

also, i am in my third year of college right now and have had small endeavors on the side, but it wasn't until this year that I realized that with my major (chemistry) i'm going to end up with a job I don't like, so I've been working towards starting a business this summer and then hopefully dropping out next year if all goes well.

i don't know if I'd say the past 3 years have been a waste because I really didn't know what I wanted to do until now, but it would have saved me a lot of money if i didn't go

[EBITDA]

I don't believe that you need formal education to be successful in business - there are plenty of examples of successful businessmen.

A habit I do believe you need to possess is one of doing whatever you do to the best of your ability. You have a GPA of 2.3, but you say you could be earning As and Bs. What that tells me is that you are grooming yourself a habit of mediocrity, not excellence. It doesn't matter that you think that school is a waste of time - there will be plenty of business activities that will seem to be a waste of time that if not executed well, will result in failure.

Nick
TransCapital Pro

[SophieM]

I am still 2 years away from going to uni, but only a year away from making my application.

I will be going to uni. I want to go to the CASS business school, and I know how hard I will have to work to get those grades.

For me, university is about more than being told how to run a business. It is about getting contacts with the leading professors and those involved in industry. It is about being friends and making contacts with the next generation of business leaders and those who will be influence the big businesses.

Also the social life is a plus.

[Moneymaka]

I think the EXACT same way about school.
School wastes my 8 valuable hours wich i could've used to work on my business.
+it's boring and pointless
I have really bad grades because my concentration in class is bad and i invest more time in my business than homework.
School is not necessary for me.
The day i turn 18 is the day i quit school.(im 16 now)

Just like you mentioned, there are also a lot of people that tell me that school is the only way to have a good job.
My mom, my friends, my teachers.

I wouldn't suggest you quit school too unless you're really really REALLY motivated.

[Mega B]

As long as i could read and write leaving school at 15 was the best move i ever made albeit it was a few years ago but i then started the real learning the learning of life through mistakes most of the time and using those building blocks to start a business.
My way of thinking is it is upto the individual to make that decision,which ever route you take good luck for the future.

[TheBigIdea]

hey nickhumpf, here is what i go by ( and i think it might help you figure out what you want to do)

everytime someone tells u they want to go thru uni to get a good job at a top company, it's okayyyy to listen to them talk, but you have to form your own opinions.

and never take their word, because

1. they aren't experts. they're just like you, albeit with different backgrounds.
2. they're not successful yet. i mean, if they've been through it, then you could take a couple of pointers from them.
3. even if they've been thru it, say someone at McKinsey for 20 years, doesn't matter what the person tells you, because you're you, and you might not be happy working at McKinsey or some investment bank
4. and if ppl don't accept your ideas of eg, not going to college etc, don't listen to them, this is a free world, you can do whatever you want. I don't mean diving into a gorge, but your decisions must be based on your own reasoning (and being older really helps in decision making)

you continue to look for opportunities, by equipping yourself with knowledge, but keep in mind always be opportunistic, when the chance comes to start the own biz of yours that will turn a profit , do it by all means.

[paul2145r]

Lol, that's a perfect example Mega B. I'm hoping that the rest of the readers realize the irony in your very long run-on sentence!

Anyways, I will be the first person to stand up and encourage someone to strive to succeed. But how can Quitting be equated to success? High school is incredibly easy compared to life. Trust me, I've been out a few years, but if I was given the chance to go back to those years, I definitely would.

Your grades are a measure of your success. Yes, there are many millionaires that make it without college. I don't know all that many that make it quitting high school. Yes, some leave the traditional confines of the educational system, but they supplement other forms of education (home school, etc).

While you are in school, use it to your advantage. Make connections with the people around you that will last beyond school. You said that your school is full of diplomat brats and rich kids. Well, become friends with them, and keep their information. Trust me- it becomes handy down the road. If you decide to quit school, how likely is it that they will want to do anything with you or to help you in the future?

Your education is an investment you make into yourself. I don't think college is 100% necessary to succeed, but you have to work as hard as you can through high school to be allowed to skip that step up the social ladder. A 2.3 GPA just doesn't cut it. Most of my pothead friends that skipped school every other day could pull at least a 2.5 or 3.0. If you truly think that you are going to succeed on your own, then prove it to yourself and to others that you can succeed in school. Pull your grades up to (at least) a 3.5, and get off of your pity kick. Quitters never win, and quitting so early is a definite nail in your proverbial coffin.

As long as i could read and write leaving school at 15 was the best move i ever made albeit it was a few years ago but i then started the real learning the learning of life through mistakes most of the time and using those building blocks to start a business.
My way of thinking is it is upto the individual to make that decision,which ever route you take good luck for the future.

[Gene]

I agree that high school (at least most of it) does seem to be a waste of time. However, I think that if you make it all the way to 18, you should go ahead and graduate. Why go that far, and then just quit? You might as well finish at that point.

I think the EXACT same way about school.
School wastes my 8 valuable hours wich i could've used to work on my business.
+it's boring and pointless
I have really bad grades because my concentration in class is bad and i invest more time in my business than homework.
School is not necessary for me.
The day i turn 18 is the day i quit school.(im 16 now)

Just like you mentioned, there are also a lot of people that tell me that school is the only way to have a good job.
My mom, my friends, my teachers.

I wouldn't suggest you quit school too unless you're really really REALLY motivated.

[Moneymaka]

Gene, i can't.
In this country you need to be atleast 18 years old in order to quit school.

[RLorenzen]

Do you know how to use quantitative analysis? Do you have a solid understanding of organizational behavior? Do you know how to shape a capital structure policy? How about the capital asset pricing model? Business law? If not, stay in school.

[mthomas]

Do you know how to use quantitative analysis? Do you have a solid understanding of organizational behavior? Do you know how to shape a capital structure policy? How about the capital asset pricing model? Business law? If not, stay in school.

Excellent point. I graduated from college just about a month ago. Some classes were a waste of time, others were fascinating. I majored in two different business disciplines (management and finance) and I feel I learned a ton. On the other hand, academia frequently subscribes to one hypothesis or theory about a given subject, and teaches it like it is a religion (ie: the Efficient Market Hypothesis). The opportunity to learn more about what interests you is great, but beware that university agendas are to frequently to push you into employment, not entrepreneurship.

One final note. One thing that going to college does (as long as you make the most out of it) is stretch your brain. You not only expand your knowledge but learn more about yourself in terms of how you learn and perform. It exercises your brain and makes it easier for you to soak up more information, more quickly. For some, this reason alone is enough to go.

Pursue what you love, but don't forget that knowledge really is power and a good education will allow you to look at EVERYTHING (including your education) with a much more well informed way of thinking.

[milla]

"Formal education will make you a living, but self education will make you a fortune." - Jim Rohn

[Gene]

Well what I'm saying is that if you're going to get that far along, whats a few more months?

Gene, i can't.
In this country you need to be atleast 18 years old in order to quit school.

[Dmoore323]

I dropped out of high school, best thing i've ever done. You can't teach entrepreneurship. It derives from creativity and it seems school kills that these days.