From Graduation to Entrepreneurship
A few decades ago, the college and entrepreneurial tracks were regarded as fairly distinct. The prevailing conception of a college student on a professional path to the upper middle class didn’t quite overlap with the scrappy entrepreneur getting ahead on street smarts and hustle.
More recently, however, these personas have begun to merge. This HBR article (https://hbr.org/2022/12/what-you-need-to-know-about-launching-a-startup-right-out-of-college) cites research indicating large percentages of university students worldwide who have started businesses before graduation or who intend to soon after.
If you are in college or a recent graduate and are thinking of trying your hand at entrepreneurship, you may want to consider some possible disadvantages and advantages.
As disadvantages:
- You have less professional experience to base a venture on. This could be a hindrance, particularly if you’re thinking about a consultancy built on knowledge gained through years in the trenches.
- You probably have a lot less of your own capital to work with.
As advantages:
- You are probably not established in a well paying professional role and therefore don’t have to sacrifice a big regular paycheck (and benefits) to devote yourself fully to a #Startup.
- At a younger age, you probably also have fewer family obligations.
- You may be able to more easily take advantage of guest lectures and campus events designed to support innovation and entrepreneurship.
- You might also be able to more easily connect with individuals in an alumni network who could provide key insights as you research and vet potential startup paths.
Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? What is fairly certain is that lessons that you’ll learn as a pre- or post-graduate entrepreneur will be very valuable in any business or professional path that you ultimately pursue.
