How many of you went to college and how many did not?

[M1M2M3]

Originally Posted by mike10980 It sounds like you've got your business set to work as you sit back . However, to Kain, I think that you should definately go to school. Regardless, even if you make it big like the other posters in this thread, you just may find something that REALLY REALLY interests you. I wouldn't care if medicine paid nothing, because I love it. I could never ever be content with a life where I do nothing, work only a few hours, and then have fun; not only would my mind go numb, but I would just be flat-out bored. As you already know, life isn't always about making money . The whole point of going to school is to make money. What do they say go to school get a good job and be happy . I would assume 90% of people are in whatever career they chose for the money. This may sound funny bc most careers do not pay very well, but you have to understand the mindset. Most people think the only way to get rich is by winning the lotto. So for most 55k a year is good enough esp. if you have a husband or wife that does the same. I work few hours and love it I am not trapped to any constraints. When I ask some of my friends to go off on vacation with me (me taking care of flight and hotel) they all start checking how many vacation days they have left. That type of life would kill me. I do what I please when I please. Thank God for the internet because thats all I need to be in business. I often go to Tobago and whip out my laptop right on the beach check my outlook and light up a Fat One Life to me is about spending time with loved ones and having real control. Without financial freedom you have no control. NOTE: it is very difficult to detach yourself from the paycheck, it took me a long time before I let my old job go even when my businss was showing good signs. I would imagine this gets more and more difficult with age, and responsibility. Bottom line your're young, gamble now thats what was my thought process on it. fully develop your plan and go for it and don't look back.

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[M1M2M3]

A few other things for those considering starting a business:
1. Once you start the transition you will change and your views on things will change greatly. Keep check on how you respond to your loved ones.

2. Once you start, act like there is no other way for you to succeed. If you go into something like if this doesent work I'll fall back on this you will never win trust me. To me thats a losers mentality. My business didn't take off until I let it. I almost quite more than a few times then someone told me your in the middle of the road now it's just a far back as it is to go foward.

3. Ignore anyone that is a pessimist. actually cut them out completely they will never get it.

4. Always pay the costs. You are the boss! This means take responsibility for everything. The buck stops here.

5. The point of having you own business, which more than a few people miss is to be free. You don't start a business to give yourself a job. It's a foolish thought process.

6. Pay yourself last all the time. Remember the person that get paid last gets paid the most (over time)

7. Persistance beats resistance any day of the week.

8. Owning a business is like going pro. working for someone is minor league. no disrespect, but its true.

If you want more money than you can spend go pro. If you want time and money to be a constant issue stay in the minors. Good luck

P.S. those starting their own company prepare for the emotional rollercoaster. Everyday, until your company reaches a level of stability ups and downs every day.

[ElDiabloJoe]

Originally Posted by Energy34108

No diferent than you do excepting there services everywere, or do you tell the server while out to dinner, please let me see the cooks green card and if he is not legal I will not eat???
Please get a life, or open your eyes.

Ahhh ah ah, careful Energy, you're letting your lack of a college education show. 'excepting' is to carve one out of many, while 'accepting' is inclusive. Cooks, assuming you intended it as a plural possessive, is [cooks'] with the apostrophe after the 's', but before it if you intended it to refer to only a single cook's green card not a bunch of cooks' green cards.

I agree with everyone else here, college is the odds-on way to go. Those of you without who are stunning, or even marginal successes, are largely there by luck, drive, motivation, and personality. While someone with your exact skill set AND a college degree is running IBM or GE, you are content with your own ventures. That's fine, and good for you - you deserve your success. But you are the rare few in a world full of non-college educated, IME.

EDJ

[Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Jeanna230

I'm in college right now, my second year. Sometimes I hate being in school and imagine that I'll just drop out, seduce a rich guy, and become a trophy wife. Except that's very much the opposite of the kind of person I am. I value education and I definitel want to be here. If I don't get through college, I don't get to medical school, and I won't be able to realize my dream of being a doctor and volunteering all over the world. I think even if I was a heiress and didn't need to work, I'd still want to do this.

I wish you much luck w/ your dream! But if it doesn't work out, I could use a "trophy wife."

[M1M2M3]

To the people that suggest that money isn't important here are a few of my favorites:

"They say money cant make you happy, look at the smile on my face"

"They say money isn't everything, there're right its the only thing In God We Trust the only thing"

In any case I'd rather be unhappy and rich than unhappy and poor!

[sdsilverm3]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

While someone with your exact skill set AND a college degree is running IBM or GE, you are content with your own ventures. That's fine, and good for you - you deserve your success. But you are the rare few in a world full of non-college educated, IME.

EDJ

The "someone" running IBM or GE is running somebody else's company probably working 70+ hours a week. The ones that are content with their OWN ventures are doing something for THEMSELVES and are not doing it on anyone else's terms. IBM or GE can decide to make that "someone" expendable at any time. Screw that noise.

Rare few in a world huh? Exactly how rare is it? As a specific example: You have the Asian community where some fled here to the US in the 1970's as refugees with no money in their pockets and the only thing they owned was the clothing they wore. There are more than a "rare few" who I would consider successful and are self-made millionaires a couple times over. Some of these people still can't understand much English but I would say they've done pretty well even by most American standards.

Heck, even the guy some of you guys love to hate dropped out of college. What operating system are you guys running? *cough cough*

Not that a college education would hurt by any means. It just shows that you don't need one to succeed. Sure it would help tremendously if one chooses to do the corporate thing the rest of your life but not everyone is about that.

[M1M2M3]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

Ahhh ah ah, careful Energy, you're letting your lack of a college education show. 'excepting' is to carve one out of many, while 'accepting' is inclusive. Cooks, assuming you intended it as a plural possessive, is [cooks'] with the apostrophe after the 's', but before it if you intended it to refer to only a single cook's green card not a bunch of cooks' green cards.

I agree with everyone else here, college is the odds-on way to go. Those of you without who are stunning, or even marginal successes, are largely there by luck, drive, motivation, and personality. While someone with your exact skill set AND a college degree is running IBM or GE, you are content with your own ventures. That's fine, and good for you - you deserve your success. But you are the rare few in a world full of non-college educated, IME.

EDJ

In this country I am sure there are more self made millionaires than those that took the corp route. As a matter of fact I read that RR marketing demographic and clientele is based around business owners and entertainers. Not corp dudes. Remember they start looking at you funny when you show up with a Lamb

[sdsilverm3]

It also seems that people who are well educated (PHD types; no offense to anyone here) are not very good at adapting to change. They are set in their ways and do not think outside the box. They are bounded by processes and procedures where anything that remotely represents venturing outside the box is considered unconventional, unorthodox, or weird.

There are a number of well educated people I have worked with in the past who were technically adept yet technically inept at the same time. Common sense and street smarts are an example of things the education system cannot teach. You either have it or you don't.

[mike10980]

Originally Posted by NY C32

Thanks

Off topic-You're a doc in Manhattan? What kind of medicine and where do you practice? You can PM me if you'd prefer but I'm in the device business and always looking for more contacts

Hey, I'll shoot you a PM this evening

[mike10980]

Originally Posted by M1M2M3

To the people that suggest that money isn't important here are a few of my favorites:

"They say money cant make you happy, look at the smile on my face"

"They say money isn't everything, there're right its the only thing In God We Trust the only thing"

In any case I'd rather be unhappy and rich than unhappy and poor!

Undoubtedly no one dislikes money. Your quotes are interesting, haha, I must admit that I can't disagree with your last quote. However, I guess the only settlement to this idea is that each person has a different outlook on life. For example, I once had a patient who had a terminal illness, and was destined to an upcoming death; he was very well-off, and and had enjoyed a very comfortable life. Despite all of this, his outlook was "Who says money is everything? What is money if you don't have life, your loved ones, and your health?" Maybe I am just one of those oddballs who would be happy by doing something I like, by being around my loved ones, and by helping others out. While I do not even know you in person, I can venture to say that money would be meaningless to you if god-forbid something happened to your loved ones.

Just my 2 cents...

-Mike

[Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by sdsilverm3

It also seems that people who are well educated (PHD types; no offense to anyone here) are not very good at adapting to change. They are set in their ways and do not think outside the box. They are bounded by processes and procedures where anything that remotely represents venturing outside the box is considered unconventional, unorthodox, or weird.

There are a number of well educated people I have worked with in the past who were technically adept yet technically inept at the same time. Common sense and street smarts are an example of things the education system cannot teach. You either have it or you don't.

To some extent, you are correct, but to some extent you are overgeneralizing based on limited experience. It is kind of like saying all Muslims are terrorists. To the extent you are correct, there are a number of factors that play a role: By the time one earns a Ph.D. one tends to be older and more "set in his ways." We are also well trained in a relatively narrow area of the world, but the training demands a fairly set prespective. It is a little like going through the military: Everyone has a role to play and they are well trained to play that role. We are also trained not to stray too far from what we know and can do. In fact, one can be punished for going outside the box. The system that "creates" us, is the system that "controls" us. This can be a very good thing, and one should not underestimate the power of systems like these. It is really no different in the business world. Whether you at the top or at the bottom, those systems usually do not reinforce thinking too far outside the box. In fact, I think I could make a powerful case for people in academe being rewarded for creative thinking far easier than people in the "real world." Where you sit has a lot to do w/ where you stand on most issues. Having spent a lot of time in both worlds (higher ed and the "real world"), I speak from experience.

[sdsilverm3]

Originally Posted by Jayhawk

To some extent, you are correct, but to some extent you are overgeneralizing based on limited experience. It is kind of like saying all Muslims are terrorists. To the extent you are correct, there are a number of factors that play a role: By the time one earns a Ph.D. one tends to be older and more "set in his ways." We are also well trained in a relatively narrow area of the world, but the training demands a fairly set prespective. It is a little like going through the military: Everyone has a role to play and they are well trained to play that role. We are also trained not to stray too far from what we know and can do. In fact, one can be punished for going outside the box. The system that "creates" us, is the system that "controls" us. This can be a very good thing, and one should not underestimate the power of systems like these. It is really no different in the business world. Whether you at the top or at the bottom, those systems usually do not reinforce thinking too far outside the box. In fact, I think I could make a powerful case for people in academe being rewarded for creative thinking far easier than people in the "real world." Where you sit has a lot to do w/ where you stand on most issues. Having spent a lot of time in both worlds (higher ed and the "real world"), I speak from experience.

Jayhawk, thank you for explaining. Though I have worked with many PHD's (company was 33% PHD) in the past I have never asked them directly why they are the way they are. Your response helps people like me better understand what goes about in the PHD world.

[Battery!]

I love these what if stories of maybe I'll drop out and start my own company. Some of you even say drop out and start your own company if you want to be rich and not work for someone else the rest of your life. What are you thinking???

How impressed will a college grad be with you as someone who doesn't have a degree and be willing to pay you for your services? College is about stamina and effort, it proves that you endured a bunch of bs (if you went to a good enough school) and persevered to achieve a piece of paper that says now you know a little something about a particular subject. It shows a real desire and ambition, especially if you fight to get a job that you really want. There's a reason why prestigious positions held by younger folks, like investment banking, aren't held by dropouts.

If you can choose something and impress people with just a high school degree (construction and IT are careers where this could work) then go for it. But if it doesn't work, good luck starting up again or plan on going back to school so you are employable at a professional level. I don't even care if you are 6 credits away from a degree, going back to school to achieve a degree says something about you, your work ethic, and your priorities, even if you are established.

And if the world were so easy that you could just drop out and strike it rich by investing all that time in a business, do you think people would be pursuing masters and phd's? Believe me, if it's that tough for you, stick it out and you will feel more accomplished when you graduate and will still have the opportunity to go into business for yourself with more confidence.

[sdsilverm3]

Originally Posted by Battery!

How impressed will a college grad be with you as someone who doesn't have a degree and be willing to pay you for your services? College is about stamina and effort, it proves that you endured a bunch of bs (if you went to a good enough school) and persevered to achieve a piece of paper that says now you know a little something about a particular subject. It shows a real desire and ambition, especially if you fight to get a job that you really want. There's a reason why prestigious positions held by younger folks, like investment banking, aren't held by dropouts.

What you're saying can go both ways. I could also state a case on how impressed would one be with a college graduate who comes in for a job interview with an arrogant attitude demanding they get paid a certain amount of money regardless of the fact they have zero work experience and have not done anything to justify their demands. Does one having a piece of paper justify this type of attitude? to college snobbery. On top of that, something you might find prestigious might not be held in the same light by others.

[BlackC230Coupe]

I got accepted to the college I wanted to go, got a full scholarship, went for about a month then dropped out. I then went to real estate school to get my real estate license but eventually decided I did not want that. I was also a car salesmen and let me tell you, that job sucked! I absolutely hated it. After that I slowly started my own company which is what I am doing now. I will admit, a college degree would be nice just in case I would like to change careers in the future it is almost impossible to find a good job that does not require a college degree unless it is "sales." Although for me to go back to college now I would have no time to run my business and things would just collapse.

Best reason to go to college is to bang horny sorority girls!

[rsr911]

I have 2 years of college. I have been very successful in everything I have done. Owned 2 businesses. Been a successful sales rep for other companies and now manage sales for my wifes family's business after my partner bought me out of my last business.

Would I do it over again differently - YES and NO.
I too have a very independant spirit and college was not working for me.
What has seen me thru my professional life is a dedicated work ethic and being passionate about what I was doing.

Doing it over again would I stick it out and get my degree - YES. Opens more doors.
Would I change the paths I chose and the work I have done - Probably not.

Owen

[Battery!]

Dude, you're right about the snobbery. I'm saying apples to apples attitude of applying hard work and really going for something, not having the college grad be a slackass partier who just waltzes into interviews expecting the world to be handed over to him. Assume the college grad has internship experience. We know the corporate world would be more impressed with the college grad. In fact, the non-grad wouldn't even land an interview with that applicant pool.

If you think you won't be dealing with corporate people, good luck selling services and getting funding from people who are in corporate America without proving sufficient qualifications, including a degree.

And you're right about prestige. A finance major at Wharton may hold high regard to a job on Wall Street while a dropout may hold high regard to being a district manager at Wal Mart (ok, maybe not to that extent). Nobody will argue with the opportunities a degree can bring vs. not having one. In fact, today the problem quite frequently with new grads is did they get the right degree.

Originally Posted by sdsilverm3

What you're saying can go both ways. I could also state a case on how impressed would one be with a college graduate who comes in for a job interview with an arrogant attitude demanding they get paid a certain amount of money regardless of the fact they have zero work experience and have not done anything to justify their demands. Does one having a piece of paper justify this type of attitude? to college snobbery. On top of that, something you might find prestigious might not be held in the same light by others.

[sdsilverm3]

Originally Posted by Battery!

Nobody will argue with the opportunities a degree can bring vs. not having one. In fact, today the problem quite frequently with new grads is did they get the right degree.

In total agreement with you on that.

[DarrenCT]

Originally Posted by 4npower

i like it a lot. actually i loved it untill i got the E55. it just needs to have atleast 400hp. the I-drive is a piece of cake. i don't understand why people don't like it. you can control just about anything you want with the I-drive.

i could'nt agree more- I love the i-drive compared to the comand that was in my cl500. Any car could always use more power, but this is fast as hell, or, I just may have a "good" one.

[electromethod]

What I find hilarious about forums is that everyone is quick to point out their success' but never their failures. It's too easy to exagerrate on the net and some people get caught up in it. Same way how too many people believe that vehicles have some correlation with an individuals wealth. Here's my reality: I left my parents house as a teenager with a huge ego and too much ambition. Worked like a dog throughtout college because I had obligations, not because I had anything to prove. On the flip side, I was lost in college. A semester out from graduating with a BIO degree, I changed majors. I went comp sci and thought I loved it. I ended up taking a few finance classes, enjoyed them tremeandously and decided to double up on majors. I will admit that I found classes through college of business to be easy, because I had real world experience vs the majority of other students. About a year out from graduating, I then ended up dropping out of school completely and buying my restaurant. I don't know if I would classify myself as a success, because I have worked 100 hour weeks, 7 days a week, open to close days, for the past 5.5 years. I don't know many people who could bury themselves like I did, and I will be honest, I have come to detest it. What good is the ability to buy material goods when you can't enjoy them?

Now, I am at a juncture where I am planning on working for a few more years at most while wrapping things up. I am working towards going back to school. Yes. I actually want to go back to school and I am actually ready to do so. I don't see my time as wasted time. I will be able to now go to dental school without having to work and will finish with zero debt. Some say I am too old to be going back to school, but I have no doubt in myself nor my abilities.

Just focus on your quality of life and remember that money truly isn't everything. Work hard to find that balance between the two. Living comfortably and being surrounded by the ones that you love is worth more than most think. Remember....... a lot of people who have wealth, came to it by sheer luck, not by their business prowess. I have seen it many times with my own eyes where it pays BIG to be at the right place at the right time, mostly by luck . Don't get caught up in their fairy tale, because cinderella stories are not dime a dozen.

[zdkdeeier493]

Originally Posted by NY C32

I agree 100%

There is very little, if anything, I learned in college that has anything to do whith what I do today.

A degree opens up a lot of opportunities but it certainly is no magic piece of paper. I think that too many companies want to see that degree more to show that their candidates made that commitment rather than what qualifies him/her for a position. I think we all know our share of people that walked out of college with their degrees and actually seem dumber than before they began. Others expect offer letters to be handed out with those degrees. Even still, there are some that are in entirely different fields than their degree's would dictate.

I actually didn't get my degree. I was, and still am 6 credit hours short of a BA in Business Administration. I walked though commencement with the agreement that I would finish my obligations over the summer. Well, I already accepted a job offer start date by that time. I intended to go back...I never did. Part of me wants to just because I should but another part of me says point.

This is a very interesting post and a very interesting thread at that. As a disclaimer, I am 19 years old. I am very grateful to be starting school at USC's Marshall School of Business in January (I was admitted second semester).

I am not even going to begin to try to comment on feasibility of achieving the level of success of many of you board members for two reasons: first, I obviously have no basis for input or comparison as that I haven't even begun college yet. Second, I really am not so sure as to what is more definitive as "success" to me, JayHawk's extremely high level of education, or Energy34108's lucratively profitable business.

As a comment to the general theme of this thread, I think the modern world in which we live is extremely different than it was only a few decades ago. Coming from the perspective of a person who is immersed in what I believe to be a very transitional phase, I think I have a fairly accurate view. It seems that today, yes, maybe it is not as important to have a college degree than it used to be. Maybe I should start up a video sharing business (YouTube) and sell it for $1.6 billion? Or a social networking site for $500 million? Venture capital is where it is at these days, and that is why I am entering the Entrepreneurship program at USC.

What you are all trying to touch upon is, in fact, entrepreneurship. It is both the most precarious and promising path at the same time. If you fail, you FAIL. If you succeed, well, I sure as hell have seen a lot of videos of YouTube, and I'm sure you have too.

What I'm trying to say, to address the original question, is that an education is the root of success. Whether or not it is necessary is irrelevant, because you will hear success stories from both ends of the spectrum. Energy, if you had had an extensive college education, I'm sure your business would be thriving with a lot more enthusiasm it is today. And JayHawk, if you had been a little more adventurous, who knows, you could own a Fortune 500. Did you both do something wrong? Absolutely not. All I'm trying to say is that sticking with school can never hurt. I suggest, go to school. Go with it. If you can start up a business in school, DO IT. USE your professors for what they are worth. USE the computer labs. USE the libraries. USE SCHOOL to thrive, then when it gets to be too much, drop out (only if you HAVE TO) and do that which you love.

Hope this helps,
Bijan

[RunInColorado]

To comment about what electromethod mentioned on failures. Its a good point to bring up. All of us have failed at something or another. Often I believe its how we adjust to failure, over come it, and learn from it that defines who we are as people. Anyone can fail, and no one likes to fail, but it is part of life.

[Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by electromethod

What I find hilarious about forums is that everyone is quick to point out their success' but never their failures. It's too easy to exagerrate on the net and some people get caught up in it. Same way how too many people believe that vehicles have some correlation with an individuals wealth. Here's my reality: I left my parents house as a teenager with a huge ego and too much ambition. Worked like a dog throughtout college because I had obligations, not because I had anything to prove. On the flip side, I was lost in college. A semester out from graduating with a BIO degree, I changed majors. I went comp sci and thought I loved it. I ended up taking a few finance classes, enjoyed them tremeandously and decided to double up on majors. I will admit that I found classes through college of business to be easy, because I had real world experience vs the majority of other students. About a year out from graduating, I then ended up dropping out of school completely and buying my restaurant. I don't know if I would classify myself as a success, because I have worked 100 hour weeks, 7 days a week, open to close days, for the past 5.5 years. I don't know many people who could bury themselves like I did, and I will be honest, I have come to detest it. What good is the ability to buy material goods when you can't enjoy them?

Now, I am at a juncture where I am planning on working for a few more years at most while wrapping things up. I am working towards going back to school. Yes. I actually want to go back to school and I am actually ready to do so. I don't see my time as wasted time. I will be able to now go to dental school without having to work and will finish with zero debt. Some say I am too old to be going back to school, but I have no doubt in myself nor my abilities.

Just focus on your quality of life and remember that money truly isn't everything. Work hard to find that balance between the two. Living comfortably and being surrounded by the ones that you love is worth more than most think. Remember....... a lot of people who have wealth, came to it by sheer luck, not by their business prowess. I have seen it many times with my own eyes where it pays BIG to be at the right place at the right time, mostly by luck . Don't get caught up in their fairy tale, because cinderella stories are not dime a dozen.

Do it! People like you, who go out into the "real world" and then go back to college, make college a better place for you and for institution itself. People like you bring a sense of realiy to "the ivory tower," and the IT can't get too much of that.

[Jeanna230]

Originally Posted by Jayhawk

I wish you much luck w/ your dream! But if it doesn't work out, I could use a "trophy wife."

Haha ok, being a trophy wife is plan B. I'll keep you in mind!

[Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Jeanna230

Haha ok, being a trophy wife is plan B. I'll keep you in mind!

Thank you darling! My heart goes pitter patter! Hey honey, look up my son on Facebook: I think he goes by Robert Ramp...