4 ms·

Thoughts On Building Your Startup Whilst In College

8 points by LeonW 15y ago

danoc 15y ago
One of the main advantages is that you have three months off for Summer vacation. Even if you're working, that's a lot of free time!
- andypants 15y ago
  Yep, and university schedules can also be pretty relaxed.
- LeonW 15y ago
  Hi Danoc, Absolutely, I think this is the main reason, you are free and no one expects you to earn money. :) In my case, I am going to Silicon Valley for the summer, I think, just going away for 3 months would be much harder with a job.
bugsy 15y ago
It's becoming more of a risk nowadays than when I was in school. Many schools now set up policies where the school can seize ownership of the student's original work. This is outrageous of course and just one more reason to stay out of college. I've said this before; I'll bring it up once again since it's on topic here and may help someone exploring this thread. If I had my life to live again, the one thing I would change is start my business 4 years earlier and avoid the debt and wasted time and opportunity cost of going to college. That said, one good thing about it was that back in the old days schools didn't attempt to steal the original private work of their undergraduate students. With that situation having changed at some schools, there is even less reason to bother with the distraction and debt.
- LeonW 15y ago
  Hi Bugsy, Thanks for your thoughts on this. Yes, I think the debt is a lot of an issue and also the Intellectual Property thing. You are absolutely right, one really has to be careful here. Great to hear you would have started even earlier, much motivation for me! :)
  - bugsy 15y ago
    These are tricky discussions since many people have strong opinions. I'm going to assume you're a bit like me. Self motivated, been designing things since a young age. Reads a lot. Talks to people to find out what they are up to. I even did the thing you mention where I stopping going to all lectures one semester and just took the midterm and final and did the projects. That semester I got all As though, doing the bare minimum, which I suppose for myself was more than the maximum others were doing. Someone like yourself is naturally intellectually curious and likes to create things and explore. The structure of college is not really necessary especially with a technical degree. Engineering programs tend to have reduced general ed/humanities requirements anyway. For something like a classics background, perhaps college is really beneficial. For engineering, nearly everything was things I already knew about since I'd been making things and reading tech journals since adolescence. As to the professors, very few had any life experience designing working software used by other people. Most professors simply don't know very much about design, creating things, or running a business. Most have lived sheltered lives, straight to teaching from grad school. If I was studying Russian literature I would not be impressed by a professor who could not read Russian and had not read any Russian literature. Likewise, the situation where professors of computer science do not actually practice in the field is quite bizarre. You've designed a product, listened to customers, and brought your business from nothing to profitability. That is more than most attempted entrepreneurs have managed, and more than most of your professors. You've done this while managing passing grades, that is quite an accomplishment, it's more of one than getting a degree. I liked what you said about how when you hunkered down and focused on the business is when things did well. Don't be shy, just go for it. That was a good move. I also understand about the possible naysaying and negative influence of parents, this is the old saying "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family." It's not just prophets though, it's most things. New town, new start, new person. It's interesting that college allows you free time and space to succeed, completely aside from the classes. Would be nice if you could keep your apartment and just deregister and stop going to class but hang out in the area, much as the original vision Jefferson had for University of Virginia as a learning community, where there would be no classes and no hierarchy, just people working on their own projects.
    - 15y ago

8 points by LeonW 15y ago

danoc 15y ago

One of the main advantages is that you have three months off for Summer vacation. Even if you're working, that's a lot of free time!

andypants 15y ago
Yep, and university schedules can also be pretty relaxed.
LeonW 15y ago
Hi Danoc, Absolutely, I think this is the main reason, you are free and no one expects you to earn money. :) In my case, I am going to Silicon Valley for the summer, I think, just going away for 3 months would be much harder with a job.

bugsy 15y ago

It's becoming more of a risk nowadays than when I was in school. Many schools now set up policies where the school can seize ownership of the student's original work. This is outrageous of course and just one more reason to stay out of college. I've said this before; I'll bring it up once again since it's on topic here and may help someone exploring this thread. If I had my life to live again, the one thing I would change is start my business 4 years earlier and avoid the debt and wasted time and opportunity cost of going to college. That said, one good thing about it was that back in the old days schools didn't attempt to steal the original private work of their undergraduate students. With that situation having changed at some schools, there is even less reason to bother with the distraction and debt.

LeonW 15y ago
Hi Bugsy, Thanks for your thoughts on this. Yes, I think the debt is a lot of an issue and also the Intellectual Property thing. You are absolutely right, one really has to be careful here. Great to hear you would have started even earlier, much motivation for me! :)
- bugsy 15y ago
  These are tricky discussions since many people have strong opinions. I'm going to assume you're a bit like me. Self motivated, been designing things since a young age. Reads a lot. Talks to people to find out what they are up to. I even did the thing you mention where I stopping going to all lectures one semester and just took the midterm and final and did the projects. That semester I got all As though, doing the bare minimum, which I suppose for myself was more than the maximum others were doing. Someone like yourself is naturally intellectually curious and likes to create things and explore. The structure of college is not really necessary especially with a technical degree. Engineering programs tend to have reduced general ed/humanities requirements anyway. For something like a classics background, perhaps college is really beneficial. For engineering, nearly everything was things I already knew about since I'd been making things and reading tech journals since adolescence. As to the professors, very few had any life experience designing working software used by other people. Most professors simply don't know very much about design, creating things, or running a business. Most have lived sheltered lives, straight to teaching from grad school. If I was studying Russian literature I would not be impressed by a professor who could not read Russian and had not read any Russian literature. Likewise, the situation where professors of computer science do not actually practice in the field is quite bizarre. You've designed a product, listened to customers, and brought your business from nothing to profitability. That is more than most attempted entrepreneurs have managed, and more than most of your professors. You've done this while managing passing grades, that is quite an accomplishment, it's more of one than getting a degree. I liked what you said about how when you hunkered down and focused on the business is when things did well. Don't be shy, just go for it. That was a good move. I also understand about the possible naysaying and negative influence of parents, this is the old saying "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family." It's not just prophets though, it's most things. New town, new start, new person. It's interesting that college allows you free time and space to succeed, completely aside from the classes. Would be nice if you could keep your apartment and just deregister and stop going to class but hang out in the area, much as the original vision Jefferson had for University of Virginia as a learning community, where there would be no classes and no hierarchy, just people working on their own projects.
  - 15y ago