Wary of university based entrepreneurship programs

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Strange that universities are seeing a rise in entrepreneurs and that they’ve even gone through the trouble of creating programs and degrees on how to be one. But in the midst of it all, and having lived and loved the life of one, I have to say that I can’t see the value in this type of education.

The problem here lies on the basis of entrepreneurs being an experience based passion versus what college administrators (or probably more likely business school administration) deem as something that can be educated. If this is offered by the business school, then I forewarn anyone that does take this education. First, the degree doesn’t tell you the hours you work. Many serial entrepreneurs often put in eighty to hundred hour work weeks just to live off mere table scraps. It’s the love of creating something and dreaming big that drives these people, not what someone tells you. The other is that you’ll be learning and committing to every profession in a business until you actually can afford more employees. Most think that it’s sitting back in a cushy office or getting funded by angels and VCs and that there’s not insane pressure. But in fact, bootstrapped entrepreneurs are dime a dozen and those that are funded are just cream of the crop. You will be doing the heavy lifting of everything from accounting to janitorial. Whatever you need to do to make the company fly.

With all that being said? Startup businesses that fail are still a whopping nine out of ten. That’s a pretty scary number for those that even want to pursue this dream. It’s the love of it that drives, not anything else.

So with all of that, I just don’t see what exactly collegiate programs could offer to actually show the true pains and wonders of being an entrepreneur. You can’t teach certain things and this happens to be one of them. Perhaps these programs are also business incubators? In that sense you would need professors as business advisors and council and that gives a sort of wing for the young college student to at least find some shelter from some of the risk.

As they say, with great reward comes great risk. Being in business for oneself is one of those types of passions.