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> you probably don't have the technical side fulfilled as an undergrad I completely disagree. To used an incredibly cliched example - Zuck and Facebook. Let's

> you probably don't have the technical side fulfilled as an undergrad I completely disagree. To used an incredibly cliched example - Zuck and Facebook. Let's just theoretically say that Georgia Tech has a Zuck, who has this great idea and the capability to build it. if people are saying "At [an undergrad] level it kind of isn't [an option]", you just killed what could have been an amazing product. Undergrads have the technical skills required, there is absolutely no denying that. And if they don't, they'll go off and learn them. It's 2013, MOOCs are everywhere. You can learn whatever the hell you want with enough dedication. > This means your first startup was wasted because you weren't even thinking about the most basic aspects. You didn't learn anything other than that you started off clueless, which a mentor would have saved you from. I never mentioned not having a mentor. I think it's incredibly important to have a mentor, and we're pushing that as hard as we can with Startup Semester > You'll learn a lot from a failed startup, but I don't think that you'll learn as much as if you worked for a startup instead. Learning by direct experiment is less efficient than learning from someone else's mistakes, which is the whole reason you're at a university to begin with. Completely agree with this. We're building ties with local ATL startups and hooking up students who want an internship with these startups. Realistically, it's a terrible idea to have everyone start a startup, and I think that's what you think our goal is. It absolutely isn't. We just want to raise awareness around the fact that working for/starting a startup is a valid option for an undergrad.

ynniv 13y ago
To used an incredibly cliched example - Zuck and Facebook. A poor example. Zuckerberg was very lucky that he stumbled onto something that his modest PHP and design skills didn't kill, and eight years and 5,000 employees later Facebook still doesn't make enough money (it's trading at 10 times the normal P/E). Every couple days someone wins the lottery, but it's foolish to make a profession out of playing. Undergrads have the technical skills required, there is absolutely no denying that. Respectfully, they don't. They can build things, but they aren't at the level that the public currently expects from our industry. Joining a startup with seasoned engineers gives you more realistic and productive feedback than the average user is able to provide. We just want to raise awareness around the fact that working for/starting a startup is a valid option for an undergrad. This is excellent, and why people are paying attention.

ynniv 13y ago

To used an incredibly cliched example - Zuck and Facebook. A poor example. Zuckerberg was very lucky that he stumbled onto something that his modest PHP and design skills didn't kill, and eight years and 5,000 employees later Facebook still doesn't make enough money (it's trading at 10 times the normal P/E). Every couple days someone wins the lottery, but it's foolish to make a profession out of playing. Undergrads have the technical skills required, there is absolutely no denying that. Respectfully, they don't. They can build things, but they aren't at the level that the public currently expects from our industry. Joining a startup with seasoned engineers gives you more realistic and productive feedback than the average user is able to provide. We just want to raise awareness around the fact that working for/starting a startup is a valid option for an undergrad. This is excellent, and why people are paying attention.