For a moment, think back about your higher education. Ask yourself what you’ve learned. Got it? Now think about what you have learned during your working life. Comparing the two, you’ll notice a distinct difference. Elon Musk observed correctly that most business schools are focused on subjects, while your work has probably been centered around problem solving. Those problems vary depending on your line of work but dealing with them cognitively stimulates you nonetheless, maybe even more so.
Stop school
As humans, we are naturally curious. Intrinsically motivated to learn and develop. Making us all very much different and diverse. At the same time, educational systems in most developed countries are standardized and based on grades. Teaching students by giving them answers to problems that they haven’t yet had a chance to explore (or even understand). It destroys creativity, narrows the mind, and ultimately leads to boredom.
While technological innovation is transforming businesses and industries every decade, our method of teaching hasn’t radically changed over the past century. It’s stuck, it’s dated, and it’s in need of radical transformation. Schools should be so interesting that students want to come every day. In the end, the most important thing to gain from any educational experience is to learn how to learn, not what to learn.
Start learning
If you’re seeking a more fulfilling way to learn, you’ve several options. Assuming that you’re entrepreneurial minded, you could apply for new types of business schools that have a more practical perspective and offer special programs to become ‘the entrepreneur of the future’. Draper University and Singularity University are such examples and although I won’t debate the quality of these schools here, they’re arguably expensive. Another option is to start working at a company that enables you to discover and develop new skills. My personal experience revealed that this low-risk choice gives you a head start but the learning curve flattens pretty fast. If you’re interested in becoming an actual entrepreneur your flexibility increases.
Starting a business will always have certain educational value. A college degree is not even required. Although your entrepreneurial path, and your life path, will likely be easier with it. You have to formulate clear goals on what you aim to learn. Knowledge you’d like to comprehend and skills you’d like to master. My university education certainly helped me doing so. Together with my business partner, I’ve been able to create a structure that helps us to continue learning and developing at a high pace.
