What Is Parchment College?

What does an entrepreneur have to gain from going to college?

• Let me first dispute the regular arguments: "College teaches you what you need to build a business" -- Does building a business not teach this better? Making some mistakes, and even going under on several startups would cost less than college. Real experience and real lessons matter more than theoretical ones. "It's a Plan B for when things don't turn out your way; you can always get a job when you have a degree." -- I have two issues with this. First, it prioritizes a backup plan over Plan A. It only defers your true goals, and distracts from them as well. Secondly, as a web designer myself I have had no trouble finding clients and work without even a high school diploma at this point. Clients, and most modern companies judge designers on their portfolios and not educational background. Also, as many unemployed but highly educated people today will attest, a degree does not guarantee anyone a job. "It's arrogant to assume there's nothing for you to learn in college." -- Yes, definitely. I actually agree that college would teach me a lot I need to know (but, also a lot I don't). The real question is whether this is worth a $100,000+ debt. Many lessons can be learned on the job. Others, through mentorship. Still more can be learned online, as full MBA course equivalents are finding their way to the web today. While there's a lot to learn in college, that time could be better spent. "College is more about connections and your social life than education." -- By spending time with others in my industry, as opposed to my class, would I not be socializing? Who's to say I can't live just off of campus, even drop in on certain classes, eat lunch with and party with the students? If socialization is the true benefit of college, then why the high fees? Socializing is something we get for free. "VCs are more likely to back college-educated individuals." -- First, this assumes VC money is crucial to a startup. Having made my own company, the one I previously planned to use to pay the high tuition fees of college, I know this to be untrue. And with proof of past successes, plus a prototype/MVP/early stage startup with potential, most VCs would overlook the lack of a formal education. Plus, those I know today who may become cofounders of my future startups are college educated. "You already played the system your whole life, have a 4.7GPA and great SAT scores. Why throw that away?" -- This is like being unable to fold a hand in poker, even when doing so would be better in the long run. It's nothing more than a time sink fallacy. So, considering the above, I would love to be persuaded to go to college (even if only for social validation). What can college do for a young entrepreneur in 4+ years that makes it a worthwhile endeavor? Thank you.

• Answer:

  In most colleges you are forced to learn about a whole range of things that you have no natural interest in and may not even enjoy learning. This is a good thing because it may just teach you to think from angles you don't find comfortable. College might just teach you about ethics and morals that you would not have been forced to learn in building a business (and yes, there are plenty of moral lessons in building a business too) Education, before students became customers, was also about creating better people. There are plenty of entrepreneurs out there creating products where the morals came second to the profits. The only problem with college education is that they don't go far enough by, for example, teaching some courses in basic psychology, ethics and empathy.