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Is college necessary to propser in life?

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Release

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LuciferChrist got me thinkin about careers (rather than jobs).

I just got a new job that is paying pretty well for an uneducated 23 year old but the keyword is a "JOB", not a career.

I myself have the entrepreneur spirit and I hope to start a business in the future. Would it be wise to goto college or is that something that can be done with self education?

Comments?

:edit: i forgot to put a question mark at the end of the title...perhaps I need some college english classes... :)

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I myself have the entrepreneur spirit and I hope to start a business in the future.  Would it be wise to goto college or is that something that can be done with self education?

My experience is that they don't teach you anything in college that you cannot learn by yourself. If you think you have good chances of running your own successful business, I would definitely recommend that you invest all your time and energy into doing it well instead of wasting your time on the rationalistic indulgences of the Ivory Tower professors.

:edit: i forgot to put a question mark at the end of the title...perhaps I need some college english classes... :)

No, you need to read a good book on grammar! ;) I corrected it for you.

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I myself have the entrepreneur spirit and I hope to start a business in the future.  Would it be wise to goto college or is that something that can be done with self education?

Do you plan to become an electrical engineer, a chemist, a lawyer or a doctor? If so, you need to go to college. If you plan to go into sales, then usually no. If you plan to go into auto mechanics, definitely not. Start by identifying more clearly what you want to do.

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My experience is that they don't teach you anything in college that you cannot learn by yourself. If you think you have good chances of running your own successful business, I would definitely recommend that you invest all your time and energy into doing it well instead of wasting your time on the rationalistic indulgences of the Ivory Tower professors.

I agree w/ this completely. I learned more in my internship over the summer (by myself) than I did over the last two years of college.

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I assume by "prosper in life" you mean "be happy."

Suggestions:

(1) If your central purpose in life is to start a business, then, regardless of its nature, you will probably still want to take specialized courses to help you. Examples are: basic civil law, basic accounting, basic tax law, and computer skills. Where you take them depends on what is available in your area: business college, trade school, junior college, university.

(2) Concentrate for now on polishing your statement of your central purpose in life. The basic requirements of such a statement are:

- it should be an action (for example, for Ayn Rand, it might have been: "My CPL is to portray the ideal man in fiction.");

- it should be ambitious but achievable;

- it should offer the probability of success given the person you are and the society in which you live (Objectivists are not martyrs);

- it should be broad enough to cover a lifetime, even in a variety of forms.

(An example of the latter is the case of someone who loves professional football but knows that he will be able to play only until maybe 40 or so -- but then he can coach, teach, write, or do something else still involved with football.)

Once you have that statement of your CPL, then you can draw up a plan for how to achieve your purpose. That plan will give you an idea whether you need to go to college full-time or only on an as-needed basis.

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You guys have been offering exellent advice, but perhaps I need to elaborate a bit more.

For the past 6 years I've been teaching myself Studio Engineering...the technical side of music. I have a fully functional studio in my house (and now I'm learning music theory and playing instruments). My studio skills are all the ones I would have to pay 37,000 dollars for at a technical college. I already know how to operate every bit of pertinant studio software with corresponding gear (32 bus mixing boards, micing, synthesizers, samplers, effects processors, etc etc). I'm afraid that I'm going to need that piece of paper to say that I know what I'm doing, the music industry is funny that way...you either do apprentince work for 2 years making 7 bucks an hour and move up or you just come up with your degree making 75grand a year.

The business I am most likely going to establish is a recording studio, but not just for budding 'rockstars' but for corporate reasons. Maybe a business needs a training video, I would do the music, mixdown, and mastering. Lets say a preacher wants his sermon on CD format for his congragation...I would provide that service. There are MANY MANY applications this can be applied to and there is a small amount of businesses doing this sort of thing (even in the projected future).

So I figure if I get my business classes under my belt then I would be more than capable.

Or I could go to Fullsail (in orlando) because they offer (on top of their technical degree) an MBA. That is all within a year, so it seems to be the best bang for my buck.

I've read up on several Business books (the dummy series) and I know all the basics of how to run a business (probably get a sole proprietorship) and then once I start to have an income of 75 grand or more I should get a corporation so that I protect my assets, etc etc...although I've been told to do an LLC off the top so I probably do need some business classes.

Also, how hard is it for a 23 year old white male who is as poor as can be to get into a specialized college (like fullsail) in Florida? Is it a task that may be out of my reach without a good amount of money in savings or is there grants and loans I can take advantage of (even with bad credit)?

Thanks in advance!

~Michael

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My father did not go to college, but earns a good living with his business. Luckily, he's great with his hands (something he didn't pass on to me), so college wasn't a necessity. Common sense, though, is a requirement in my opinion.

If you do not go to college you must have some other attribute that you could lean on, IMO. But, it's been proven that those who do go to college and hold advanced degrees do earn more money, although that isn't the only indication of happiness.

TB

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For the past 6 years I've been teaching myself Studio Engineering...the technical side of music.

My son does that part-time: the piece of paper isn't necessary. A resume is what counts. You don't need business theory classes to do this (though you will need to learn some legal obscurities so you don't get arrested for tax evasion -- unless that's part of the grand plan). It sounds like you know enough about business for the moment, and need to get clients.

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I myself have the entrepreneur spirit and I hope to start a business in the future.  Would it be wise to goto college or is that something that can be done with self education?

That all depends on what you want to make or sell as an entrepreneur. If it requires technological expertise, you might want to study engineering, computers, etc. If it requires negotiating or involves dealing with government, you might want to study law.

Otherwise, I would consider on the job training, night school, and self-education.

Most of what is taught in college, including in the business schools (except for accounting, law, and finance) is a waste of time. Except for professional fields that require a degree as a "union ticket" you can do just fine without it.

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For the past 6 years I've been teaching myself Studio Engineering...the technical side of music.  I have a fully functional studio in my house (and now I'm learning music theory and playing instruments).  My studio skills are all the ones I would have to pay 37,000 dollars for at a technical college.  I already know how to operate every bit of pertinant studio software with corresponding gear (32 bus mixing boards, micing, synthesizers, samplers, effects processors, etc etc).  I'm afraid that I'm going to need that piece of paper to say that I know what I'm doing, the music industry is funny that way...you either do apprentince work for 2 years making 7 bucks an hour and move up or you just come up with your degree making 75grand a year.

Maybe there's another option.

Is there any kind of certification given in that line of work, perhaps by the manufacturers of studio equipment? If you can pass the exam, you can get a piece of paper that might be more valuable in the business than a degree.

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Maybe there's another option.

Is there any kind of certification given in that line of work, perhaps by the manufacturers of studio equipment?  If you can pass the exam, you can get a piece of paper that might be more valuable in the business than a degree.

Not that I know of to be honest. If one is sponsered by one of those companies then they go far and it's better than a degree but in ordered to get sponsered you have to make a VERY BIG impression on the industry first. So it's a catch 22.

I'm thinking about polishing up my technical expertise, reading some more manuals, taking some business night classes and then start a recording business in a city with a high need, but low provider ratio.

I would just love to tell people that I graduated from "Fullsail"....that and the environment there is just amazing!!! G5 Macs everywhere with beautiful new studio equipment set up in 20 different fully functional studios!!!!!!!!!!!

~Michael

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I would just love to tell people that I graduated from "Fullsail"....that and the environment there is just amazing!!! G5 Macs everywhere with beautiful new studio equipment set up in 20 different fully functional studios!!!!!!!!!!!

~Michael

IMO your academic credentials in your field are meanigless if your engineering isn't on point. My advice is to at least get pro tools certified. This will come in handy if you do freelance engineering, as many producers use pro tools. Being able to work on a pro tools TDM system would be quite helpful I would imagine.

In the music world the qaulity of your final product will be judged, not your credentials. Your work will get spread by word of mouth, and you will get costumers if you are able to excell in your field. My advice is to practice, practice, practice. An engineer who can write, and produce is very marketable. Learn the ins and outs of music. See how everything fits together to create sonic masterpieces that brings tears to eyes.

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...you either do apprentince work for 2 years making 7 bucks an hour and move up or you just come up with your degree making 75grand a year.

Check your premises.

Talk to people who've "come up with a degree" (especially in the last year or two) and see if they're making this kind of money - or if they're making 7 bucks an hour doing something totally unrelated.

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IMO your academic credentials in your field are meanigless if your engineering isn't on point. My advice is to at least get pro tools certified. This will come in handy if you do freelance engineering, as many producers use pro tools. Being able to work on a pro tools TDM system would be quite helpful I would imagine.

In the music world the qaulity of your final product will be judged, not your credentials. Your work will get spread by word of mouth, and you will get costumers if you are able to excell in your field. My advice is to practice, practice, practice. An engineer who can write, and produce is very marketable. Learn the ins and outs of music. See how everything fits together to create sonic masterpieces that brings tears to eyes.

I know that ProTools is the way to go in the professional field and the only reason I havn't gone that direction is because of the sheer cost of the protools rig and software. I'm looking into the certification process and they don't seem to have an online certifcation process....one would need to goto school and the school in Florida that they have is Fullsail. So it looks like I still would need to goto fullsail in order to get the certification. I'm trying to get in touch with administrations but Frances has knocked them out till friday.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo..............i'll find out sooner or later.

Thanks guys!

~Michael

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Talk to people who have gone to fullsail. I have heard more bad then good things about it. Go to www.futureproducers.com and search for fullsail in the forums. Several people there have actually gone to Fullsail and have said it was not worth any of the money, also I don't think the degree is considered a degree at any college - meaning if you want to go back to school you can't use your Fullsail degree for credits.

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I myself have the entrepreneur spirit and I hope to start a business in the future.  Would it be wise to goto college or is that something that can be done with self education?

Release,

Some years ago I was studying for a M.B.A. in Toronto and decided to take a couple of "Entrepreneurship" courses. The prof. was about sixty years old and had worked for many years in the oil industry.....sounded good so far.

After about two weeks of lectures he started to tell us about his career. It turned out he had been a beaurocrat in the oil industry.....his total exposure to what he called entrepreneurship was when he was 11 years old......he used to buy newspapers from the store, deliver them to his rural customers and charge a mark-up of 25 cents.

So, while you can learn a lot of useful stuff in school (rudimentary law, accounting, finance) note that unless you plan to become a lawyer, accountant, etc., these skills are very secondary to the idea and drive required to run your own business. And beware especially of anyone purporting to teach entrepreneurship......e's are by their nature doing it, not teaching it. :pimp:

Brent

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Release,

I have been in the music retailing business for about 10 years now and I do very well for myself with no college degree. Since I have been at it for awhile and talk to studios all the time I may be able to give some advice.

Full Sail - I too have heard bad things, its very expensive and most people can't afford the equipment they train you on. Unless you want to get a job interning at a large studio that has that equipment ( which pays very little ) and working your way up a very small corporate ladder, it doesn't seem like a good idea. You would be better off spending the money on the equipment, learning how to use it, and marketing yourself if you want to start a studio.

One of our guitar teachers started his own studio in his house. He started doing it part time while teaching and charging $20 an hour. Eventually he quit his main job and is now doing over $100 an hour sessions and is backed up for years. Oh yeah and he didn't go to college either.

So you can surely prosper without college. Good luck.

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I myself have the entrepreneur spirit and I hope to start a business in the future.  Would it be wise to goto college or is that something that can be done with self education?

The short answer to your question in the title would be: no. Basically, you don't need diplomas in order to be good at something, or to know you're good at something. You don't even need them to prove that you're good at something. They're just papers and they may or may not reflect the current status.

I've been writing a little about this in my blog. The broad topic I called "Time Organization" touched this topic only superficially in Part 2: Choosing Priorities. Although, I'd suggest you read Part 1: Prerequisites for Time Organization so that you know what I'm talking about in Part 2. The whole thing isn't done yet, but I'm working on it.

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The short answer to your question in the title would be: no. Basically, you don't need diplomas in order to be good at something, or to know you're good at something. You don't even need them to prove that you're good at something. They're just papers and they may or may not reflect the current status.

I've been writing a little about this in my blog. The broad topic I called "Time Organization" touched this topic only superficially in Part 2: Choosing Priorities. Although, I'd suggest you read Part 1: Prerequisites for Time Organization so that you know what I'm talking about in Part 2. The whole thing isn't done yet, but I'm working on it.

good stuff source :)

I found it quite helpfull, as I have so little time and so much to do all the time. :)

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well my mother never went to college....came real close to living on the streets when she had me....and now after pursuing her dream of designing furniture, she makes about 5000/month just picking up furniture out of the trash, painting it and sanding it and magically it becomes shabby chic.

As for my dad, he is an engineer for a railroad company and he only attended 2 years of college. He makes 100000+ per year.

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good stuff source  :lol:

I found it quite helpfull, as I have so little time and so much to do all the time.  :P

If you like it, leave a comment. If you don't like it, leave a comment as well.

Don't mind me, I'm just fishing for comments. :)

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The short answer to your question in the title would be: no. Basically, you don't need diplomas in order to be good at something, or to know you're good at something. You don't even need them to prove that you're good at something. They're just papers and they may or may not reflect the current status.

I've been writing a little about this in my blog. The broad topic I called "Time Organization" touched this topic only superficially in Part 2: Choosing Priorities. Although, I'd suggest you read Part 1: Prerequisites for Time Organization so that you know what I'm talking about in Part 2. The whole thing isn't done yet, but I'm working on it.

I have yet to read your articles but they are deffinately on my to do list for this weekend and there is no internet access at work :D.

On the note of my career, I've had my decision in perspective for quite a while, I just have been mulling over options while I got smaller goals taken care of. I'm looking more into what would be necessary to obtain my ProTools certification right now.

As for business classes, I'll probably take a couple just to make sure that I'm prepared properly.

Thanks for the support guys.

~Michael

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