Starting your own business is incredibly exciting but also very risky, as you could either end up a major success or an unfortunate failure. Because of this risk, many entrepreneurs like to prepare themselves for starting their business as much as possible before they take the plunge. Often, they look to college as a tool which can help them learn all of the skills that they need to know in order to become a business success and not invest a bunch of money in a great idea only to have it flounder and not make any of their money back for them. Many aspiring entrepreneurs don’t really know which degree to get, though, and the answer isn’t really that simple.
What Type of Business do You Want to Start?
You could always go for an entrepreneurship or business degree, as this will give you the blanket knowledge needed to start a business. But is this the right decision? Really, the answer comes down to the type of business that you want to start. For the most part, an entrepreneurship or business degree is the best way to go, but if you want to start a restaurant or a hair salon, you might want to look at a more specialized degree. In fact, most culinary and beauty schools offer business courses that examine the specifics on how to run those specific businesses. After all, a business degree can teach you the basic concepts on how to run a fine dining establishment, but a culinary school will get way more into detail, giving you information on how to arrange your menu and where to find the best suppliers for your meat, etc.
Should You Get a Degree at All?
Some of the most successful business owners and high ranking executives out there actually don’t have any college degrees. Two famous examples are Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. Both became billionaires and corporate legends, and they did it all after dropping out of college to pursue their dreams. However, both made some pretty questionable decisions regarding their businesses, and while Jobs’ untimely death came before he had a chance to fall, many professionals agree that Zuckerberg’s Facebook is seeing the beginning of the end. Would he make better business decisions if he had gotten his degree? Or would things go the same way no matter what? Once again, this is a risk that the young entrepreneur made, and only time will tell if the decision pays off.
When in Doubt, go for Entrepreneurship
The fact of the matter is that getting a college degree will better prepare you for the long and difficult road ahead. Starting a business is no small task, and you are going to need all the help that you can get. If you don’t know the specific type of business that you would like to start, it would be best to go for a blanket entrepreneurship degree to learn all the ins and outs of running your own company. If you come up with a great idea along the way, you can always change your major or even drop out like Zuckerberg did. It’s important to keep in mind that he only dropped out once he knew that Facebook was going to be a success, though.
Resources
http://businessmajors.about.com/od/degreeoptions/a/Should-I-Earn-An-Entrepreneurship-Degree.htm