Why I Decided To Go To College

Nick Jacob:

I'm not writing this as an attack. In fact, I don't think everyone should go to college. It's an individual's choice, and I don't think it's 'necessary.'

But I want to address what I see as a growing belief among the startup community: the notion that, for a certain class of 18 year-olds, college is a waste of time, four years of debt and debauchery. College has been depicted as a limbo, a beaurocratic nightmare that a truly motivated individual could not only circumvent, but improve on. You could learn "everything you needed to know to do.. x" in 2 years, or 1 year, or 10 months. Because, ultimately, experience is the best education.

I agree. If you're going to college to learn how to start a company, you should drop out tomorrow. If you want to learn how to code so you can build the next X, drop out now.

If that's your objective, then yes, college is a waste of time. But that's not college. Before I continue my rant, I want to issue a disclaimer: I'm 20 years old, my perspective on this subject is stricly limited to my own experience. I've only ever attended one institution of higher education.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at March 28, 2012 1:56 AM
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