Is joining a university worth it?

[Anam Basit]

Hi everyone, I recently joined this forum. I am 21 years old and my major has been business from the beginning. I just got into KU Leuven (program - bachelors in business administration) and since I have been reading a lot of self-help books and am currently reading 'the millionaire fastlane ' I am having second thoughts regarding joining the university. Can anyone share their experience or give some advice on this matter.

 

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[heavy_industry]

and since I have been reading a lot of self-help books

I am having second thoughts regarding joining the university.

Classic.

Here is how business and life works:

• Your ideas, hopes, dreams, and expectations are worthless.
• Your enthusiasm amounts to NOTHING.
• Your plans are a house of cards ready to crumble at the first reality check.

The only things that count are the deliverable results that you produce - the tangible value that you bring into the world.

Unless you're already a business owner and looking to scale from $10k/month to $100k/month...

GO TO SCHOOL and STAY IN SCHOOL until this becomes a reality, and school becomes an actual obstacle in your entrepreneurial path.

If you fail to understand this and you think you are smarter than your peers - because you've read a book - you are going to rob yourself of a unique life experience and development opportunity.

And you will suffer immensely as a consequence of this.

---

TL;DR

• Build a business.
• Drop out of school if and when it takes off.
• If you can't run a business while attending classes, you have bad time management skills and business is not for you.

 

[KiwiEC]

100% agreed with what @heavy_industry said.

Running a successful business which pays the bills (let's say at least 2k/month) can take some years (most of entrepreneurs previously ran failed businesses where they got experience and skills).

Going to uni in order to get a decent 9-5 will secure your finances in the meantime. You can work in a company while creating and growing your own business. Most of the people here are doing that.

In the worst case (= if you fail and decide to stop entrepreneurship), you will have a diploma which can grant you a corporate career.

 

[Jobless]

I dropped out of university twice, and during both times I was already making some money. Been making my own money since 14 yo. I also had enough savings so I did not really need an income.
Was it wise? Not really. Did I ask anyone else if I should drop out? No. Did it turn out well despite that? Yes, but luck and other factors also play in. Should you drop out with no track record, realistic plan, contacts or skills? No. The most likely outcome is that you will grind for years with little income, whilst your old buddies party, get degrees, and then a job. If you're okay with that and feel compelled to work 60hr/week on your own projects (you have a business already right?), then do it.

 

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[Anam Basit]

Classic.

Here is how business and life works:

• Your ideas, hopes, dreams, and expectations are worthless.
• Your enthusiasm amounts to NOTHING.
• Your plans are a house of cards ready to crumble at the first reality check.

The only things that count are the deliverable results that you produce - the tangible value that you bring into the world.

Unless you're already a business owner and looking to scale from $10k/month to $100k/month...

GO TO SCHOOL and STAY IN SCHOOL until this becomes a reality, and school becomes an actual obstacle in your entrepreneurial path.

If you fail to understand this and you think you are smarter than your peers - because you've read a book - you are going to rob yourself of a unique life experience and development opportunity.

And you will suffer immensely as a consequence of this.

---

TL;DR

• Build a business.
• Drop out of school if and when it takes off.
• If you can't run a business while attending classes, you have bad time management skills and business is not for you.

Are you saying school is a backup option that will serve if one is unable to build a business or create tangible value? Because from my experience, most business degrees focus mostly on theory and don't really help someone trying to build a business; they just train you to become a good employee.

Also, it is an issue to manage business and school at the same time and not really a time-management issue. Let's face it, if you have 6 hours of lectures and 3 to 4 hours of daily assignments and project work, and then on top of that, you have to get a job to bear your expenses as an international student, you are not going to be able to invest too much time or energy into building any business because you are constantly being drained.

My question is, if you are standing at point zero and have to build wealth from the start, and you know you want to follow a well-laid-out plan to achieve financial freedom, is going to a university to do a bachelor's degree in business administration going to add to the journey or take away from it?

 

[heavy_industry]

Are you saying school is a backup option that will serve if one is unable to build a business or create tangible value?

No.

There are no backup options and there is no plan B, as life does not come with a safety net.

I also don't believe in the false dichotomy of "success vs failure". Obstacles are nothing more than stepping stones for moving forward.

---

What I was saying is this:

Reading a few "self-help" books, making big plans, and getting hyped about a hypothetical future is NOT ENOUGH to turn this vision into reality.

Everybody has good ideas, everybody is overly confident and overly enthusiastic at 19.

The missing piece of the puzzle, the narrowest bottleneck in the system, and the only thing in this world that can turn your dreams into reality are EXECUTIVE SKILLS.

Running a business is nothing like what you see on YouTube.

Start a business NOW and prove to yourself that you have what it takes to play (and win) this game before turning down a unique learning opportunity and life experience that may never be available again in the future.

 

[Jon822]

I used to work at a college and would get asked all the time about whether or not college is worth it. There are a handful of degrees that are not only worth it even if you never make it out of the Slowlane but also can help accelerate your business growth. However, all the other degrees aren't even worth the paper they are printed on. So you better make sure the degree you pursue is in the minority of degrees with positive expected values.

I would say business degrees are worthless. What are you going to pay thousands of dollars to learn: more profit is better than less profit? Losing money is bad? Revenue - expenses = profit? My 5 year old could deduce this stuff if given a little time. One pass through any Fastlane book will provide more value than all of the business classes combined. What SKILLS does a degree force you to learn and improve on? That's what gives them value.

If you disagree, then by all means pursue it. But make the decision based on math, not on emotions or cultural dogma.

 

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[MRiabov]

Hi everyone, I recently joined this forum. I am 21 years old and my major has been business from the beginning. I just got into KU Leuven (program - bachelors in business administration) and since I have been reading a lot of self-help books and am currently reading 'the millionaire fastlane ' I am having second thoughts regarding joining the university. Can anyone share their experience or give some advice on this matter.

It's true. Honestly, me being in my 3rd year of undergraduate "business" degree, I regret ever being here. I hate economics, and I can't even bear the thought of being an accountant, or investment banker for someone else. Yeah, there is good - I have a European visa, and as a Ukrainian man, that means I'm not under bombshells. Buuut that also means I have wasted years of my life doing, well, nothing.

Think about how to make a billion dollars (which means providing F*ckloads of value), use First Principles in your calculations(rely in principles of nature, not in someone else's biases), and do just that.
I won't be surprised for forum dwellers to hate on me - those who will don't have the balls or brains to do what I'm doing, but whatever, you know what to do. Hint: There are plenty of billionaires in the world and 90% get there through tech companies with all kinds of intellectual property, and valuations, and ultimately innovations that change the world.

 

[Kevin88660]

Are you saying school is a backup option that will serve if one is unable to build a business or create tangible value? Because from my experience, most business degrees focus mostly on theory and don't really help someone trying to build a business; they just train you to become a good employee.

Also, it is an issue to manage business and school at the same time and not really a time-management issue. Let's face it, if you have 6 hours of lectures and 3 to 4 hours of daily assignments and project work, and then on top of that, you have to get a job to bear your expenses as an international student, you are not going to be able to invest too much time or energy into building any business because you are constantly being drained.

My question is, if you are standing at point zero and have to build wealth from the start, and you know you want to follow a well-laid-out plan to achieve financial freedom, is going to a university to do a bachelor's degree in business administration going to add to the journey or take away from it?

Building a successful business is 20x harder than fulfilling school obligations.

I don’t think business majors have ten hours workload everyday. Engineering is tougher due to lab work.

Problem solving is the foundational attribute in business.

You can finish most of the homework using AI these days.

There used to be entrepreneurship modules in my school where students can run a hustle and complete academic credits at the same time.

 

[P789]

University Student Here taking an in-demand course in Information Technology.

Controversial Opinion:

If you want to do business, you should study in University first, because University teaches you how to be organized in your daily routine in terms of doing academic work. If you want to challenge yourself, be an officer in your School Organization, implementing whatever the self-help books are teaching. Also, you can meet other students there who you may know, partners and/or clients with your business.

 

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[goldminer]

I thought you were asking
Is going to prison worth it?

For me - no

For you might depend on what you want from it

 

[Roli]

Hi everyone, I recently joined this forum. I am 21 years old and my major has been business from the beginning. I just got into KU Leuven (program - bachelors in business administration) and since I have been reading a lot of self-help books and am currently reading 'the millionaire fastlane ' I am having second thoughts regarding joining the university. Can anyone share their experience or give some advice on this matter.

It is as worth it as you make it. If you're serious about your studies you will get something out of it, if you are not, you won't. Being an entrepreneur is tough, so unless you are being bankrolled, you will need marketable skills. Which in turn will make you money to fund your future business.

 

[NervesOfSteel]

I started a small insignificant business for admission into an engineering college, ran it for another couple of years, flipped items, and fixed gadgets to pay the fee.

I often ask myself, was my college education worth it?

I guess it was because the engineering and problem-solving skills and the discipline that I acquired during college helped me excel in the manufacturing sector. I had the upper hand over most of my competition from the first day!

What you do with your time at college will define if it would be worth it ..

 

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[Cameraman]

Hi everyone, I recently joined this forum. I am 21 years old and my major has been business from the beginning. I just got into KU Leuven (program - bachelors in business administration) and since I have been reading a lot of self-help books and am currently reading 'the millionaire fastlane ' I am having second thoughts regarding joining the university. Can anyone share their experience or give some advice on this matter.

University is 100% worth it, but not for the sake of getting a certificate or job. It's all about the opportunities it offers and the contacts you make.

Many great startups came from people at university working with the contacts they made.

But there is a BUT. You need to be doing something worthwhile that will give you the opportunities. Some subjects are ideal for this, whereas others set you up for a life of working for someone else. Choose wisely.

I have an MBA, which was great for getting an interview if I wanted to work for someone else. I don't use any of it in my business other than it taught me to analyse situations and test out theories to see what works.