studying versus being an entrepenour

[dogsbody70]

We are told that we need to study an dwork hard, get to University and your prospects will be better.

what about those who have succeeded without having been to University.

This morning I was listening to a man who left Beirut when there was war there. He managed to make it to UK and with only £90 in his pocket and often being homeless he knew what he wanted to do-- He worked seriously hard and he ended up owning his own airline.
here is alittle about him

Jack Romero | BBC My Story, Success, Airline

I really admire these people who make it through life despite many difficulties.
the sort of person who aspires to succeed in certain ways and on the way make plenty of money.
Is there anyone you admire who has done well in life. it must take a lot of determination and sacrifice
Does having a University degree really help through life. are there really better opportunities, especially nowadays with the costs that the govt. are charging for students.

Are students getting a raw deal from this (UK)government? I see that many young people between 16-20? are to lose their £30 a week.


As young people are essential to the future-- why are our govt. treating them badly-- when many of those in government had free Uni- education

EMA : Directgov - Education and learning

anyone want to try to make it as an entrepeneur?

I do not know how Japan treats its students or if they encourage entrepreneurship? I wish every student well but our government certainly is Not helping them at all.

sorry about wrong spelling.

[RobinMask]

Was there a thread like this before? It seems very deja vu for some reason

Anyway, I think a degree is necessary in life for most people. These individuals mentions are extremely rare, there will always be one or two people to be a success without higher education, but they are generally the rare exception as opposed to the rule. I think - for the majority - who leave school they'll need a degree to succeed, because its just not possible for all of them to be rock-stars or entrepenours or executives, and to be sucessful without an education you need talent, smarts and/or sheer luck. I'm not saying a degree is necessary to succeed - there's plenty of proof it isn't - but if I was one of the millions of ordinary folk would I want to take a million to one chance? Probably not.

I would add degrees aren't the only option. I advocate getting any form of education, not just a degree . . . so a person can get an apprenticeship, NVQ, work-based training, etc. and I think that these are very good alternatives. I'm just against leaving college/school with nothing and going 'hey, I'll be sucessful somehow', because it's a very naive thought, and so few people do succeed . . .

As for the EMA! Ugh, I think that should probably be means-tested according to each individual, because - let me tell you - so many students who had it misused it, and so many who didn't have it very much needed it!

At college so many students were using that £30 and regular £100 bonuses to get CDs, clothes, have nights out, go to parties, clubs, pubs . . . Most of them could walk to college or have a parent give them a lift (not for transportation), and the college provided most materials or again the parents did (so not for materials either), and for those students who were broke the college was able to help with free field trips or discounted trips. There were students who needed it, who used it for the bus or train or to buy literature books or go on history field trips etc., but it wasn't many. So I can't blame the government for taking it away, but - as said - it isn't fair for the students who do need it, so I think something needs to be in place, and I think perhaps (rather than going on parents' income) they should examine each individual student instead and their individual needs, and give money according to that. The system wasn't fair, but taking away support altogether isn't fair either.

[dogsbody70]

I believe you are correct robin so I apologise but I am also interested in the way how some people take risks and get their way to the top of the tree in business.

List of Japanese entrepreneurs - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is a list here of some Japanese entrepeneurs.
There is some fascinating information on this website

[JohnBraden]

I feel those rags to riches stories are not very common, and for everyone out there, there are millions of stories of mere existence.... It's not impossible, just not very likely to happen....

A four-year degree doesn't guarantee a job in the economy these days, but you have more options available than if you didn't....

[RealJames]

starting a business feels like an obviously smarter choice than being an employee

but

I think having a degree will help someone in the business world a lot more than they might expect

[steel]

Pulling selective examples of successful entrepreneurs who have made it without the benefit of higher education can lead to misleading conclusions. Take a look at "Confirmation Bias". Try balancing it with examples of unsuccessful would-be entrepreneurs who tried having a go at it with and without a formal higher education.

And, that's my problem with 'success stories' in general. That is they often imply in the telling that there are certain key factors for success ... when there was also other factors like luck and/or timing. For example, while there is a good case for being persistent and never giving up, some success stories ignore the downside risks and costs. Also, if one is the recipient of good fortune due to a combination of circumstances (including luck), chances are that when asked 'about the keys to their success', they never really know themselves. They might guess and recall they were the only one in their dorm to regularly eat breakfast (...Fruit Loops - with low-fat milk) and so that becomes added to the list of advice to those who may wish to follow in their footsteps: "kids, make sure you eat breakfast every morning! I did and look where I am now". By way, on this subject -- another reading recommendation: Fooled by Randomness

A filmmaker or entrepreneur who indicates he was totally maxed-out on his credit cards (at 19% interest) but continued despite all the naysayers was at the brink of bankruptcy when he was saved at the last minute by a huge deal or lucky break. The moral is 'never give up' (and it is implied, you will eventually be rewarded).

However, for everyone of those fortunate fellows, there are many many more who took the same advice, applied the same levels of hard work and dedication, but went bankrupt, lost their house and/or lost their family. For every one of these success stories, I'd like an equally cautionary story of failure that makes people think of alternatives and account for risk and the cost of failing - momentarily or otherwise.

"Start your own business or go to college?" Given the challenge an unsuccessful entrepreneur might have in today's (and tomorrow's) society without the benefits of a higher education certificate or degree, I would advise they pursue the latter. However, doing so would not exclude them from pursuing entrepreneurial ventures, loading up on courses that might benefit them in the future and/or meeting people and making friends with people they may work with and for in the future. Certainly, tell them to be pro-active and not piss away their four years with binge drinking and Mickey Mouse courses.

[bELyVIS]

A degree is better for a worker. But to be successful in your own business you need to devote your time 24/7 to your business and to picture in your head and never question that you will be successful. Rags to riches stories aren't plentiful because it is easy to say "I will be successful!" to actually doing it.
Remember that if you work for someone you will get paid what your boss thinks is the least amount you will take to do his job without quitting.

[pumpum]

There is no real structure or plan to go by - in the end all you want is the money and for that do whatever it takes.

[Sangetsu]

Originally Posted by pumpum

There is no real structure or plan to go by - in the end all you want is the money and for that do whatever it takes.

Success and money are not the same thing. Money is a byproduct or benefit of success, and nothing more.

Money is a fun and a wonderful thing to have, and spending money is always a pleasure. But the pleasure of spending money doesn't come close to the pleasure of success.

Success is defined as "the achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted". To be successful means to have accomplished something. Success comes in large and small scales, but regardless of how big or small, we all enjoy the moment when we succeed in something.

Education is not a prerequisite for success, nor is ignorance, but education and ignorance can both be fetters for would-be entrepreneurs. Universities do not teach success, they teach knowledge. There are plenty of highly educated doctors, lawyers, and professors who make what many think to be decent money, but they are generally up to their ears in debt, only a few steps from bankruptcy should they lose their positions. The ignorant and uneducated are not substantially different, they have less to lose. When Enron collapsed a few years ago, quite a few well-educated people were buying groceries with food stamps. Similar things happened to traders and bankers from Lehman Brothers, etc. during the recent financial collapse. At this very moment there are many highly-educated people working in part-time menial jobs. University may have provided them knowledge for whatever particular field they studied, but it certainly didn't teach them how to be successful.

An entrepreneur can be anybody from any background or educational level. It is not their knowledge which sets entrepreneurs apart from other people, it is their drive. There is an underlying energy which motivates self-made people. This energy keeps them going when others can't, and motivates them to look in places where others don't. It allows them to pursue distant goals without giving up halfway.

Were you to take half a dozen or so self-made people and take away all that they owned and gave it to half a dozen or so regular people, an interesting thing would probably happen. In a few years the regular people would spend or squander away all that had been given to them, while the self-made people would eventually recover all that they had lost.

How do you become a successful entrepreneur? It starts by thinking of yourself as one. Sell something, anything, for a profit, no matter how small. If you made even one penny, that is a measure of success. Take that penny, and whatever other dollars you have, buy something else, and try to sell it for another profit. If you learned anything at all from your first sale, your second sale will probably be a little bigger, and your third sale even bigger, and so on. Success breeds success, and the feeling can be addicting.

Hang out with other successful people. Listen to what they say, try to pick up on the energy they possess. Use what you learn, and add to it with your own experience.

Don't be afraid to start. You don't have to start big. I started one year ago with only 1000 yen, in the last 5 days I made (netted after expenses) nearly 200k yen. This year I will make 10 million yen. This is the goal I have set for myself, and so far I am on schedule to achieve it.

Don't be foolish, don't squander the money you make, use it to make more. Reward yourself from time to time, but never to excess. Use you time wisely, a human life is all too short, don't waste a moment of it.

[fluffy0000]

less Ayn Rand, dude
Before Enron collapsed or the US financial collapse of 2008'. Enron and Wall St. including Lehman Bros. were driving peoples energy bills, and retirement pensions, and millions of homeowners mortgages over the cliff.

The discomfort of using foodstamps while shopping for these well-educated or former entrepreneurs of Wall St. must have been traumatic. On the other hand the 'unwashed' masses who lost their pension funds, or homes due to the 'housing bubble' constructed by the same entrepreneurship skills that built Enron and Wall St. can be chalked up to misfortune.