Select Page

During the conference at Yes for Europe (European confederation for young entrepreneurs, http://www.yes.be/) one of the speakers mentioned that education should change in order to teach students how to become entrepreneurs. I partly agree with this statement. I believe that education should help students find out first if they want to be entrepreneurs and only if they do, should it offer them the tools and advice to become successful ones.

The common mistake that most entrepreneurs make is to think that everybody wants to be like them. Being an entrepreneur is a way of life. A way that you have to choose and believe in by all means. Especially in start-ups, which are a position that almost all entrepreneurs are in at least once in their life, you have to make many sacrifices in your life, work hard, and be always motivated and much focused on fulfilling your idea. You need to be able to accept failure and find out how you can benefit from it. I have failed so many times I can’t remember but each failure was just another experience which changed the way I am thinking. Moreover, an entrepreneur has to be able to adjust the way he thinks all the time. Nothing is to be taken for granted when you deal with business. What I have learned so far from talking to other entrepreneurs is that successful entrepreneurs think in a way that no other people can consider as logical thinking. However, not all people have all this motivation and courage to live this way. There is nothing wrong with that though. Not being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you won’t have success in your life. However, you can’t be pushed, not even educated to become one.

So here comes the education. Education should help all students that want to become entrepreneurs and supply them with all the tools and advice they will need. The most important tool for an entrepreneur is the “networking”. Education should allow successful entrepreneurs to become mentors for young ones. This shall not be restricted to conferences and meetings. It should be combined with real life situations, in the meaning of working together. When I started my first company, no one could advice me on how to develop it. I had to find the information myself along with my partner. I am sure we have lost both time and money because of this. There is nothing better for an entrepreneur than to be able to do some networking and meet others to exchange experiences and ideas. Even a 5 minute discussion can save an entrepreneur from making wrong decisions. This networking is even more important than raising money for your company. That is why it should start at young ages.

As a conclusion I believe that education should first make the students understand if they really want to become entrepreneurs. Then it should play a role of getting young entrepreneurs and successful ones together. The older and successful ones should help those young entrepreneurs who are full of energy. And they will be both rewarded for sure.

Share This