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Students: You Are Probably Not Mark Zuckerberg, So Stay In School

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Re: Students: You Are Probably Not Mark Zuckerberg, So Stay In School

#11

Post by rumpelstiltskin »

There's just 2 problems with Vivek's position -

a) Cost - In today's economic climate, I simply cannot justify an education that, on avg, costs over $100K. Especially when student loans are involved.

b) Time - 4 yrs is an unnecessarily long amount of time for a bachelors degree, not to mention another 1-2 yrs for a masters. The opportunity cost of this time only compounds the first problem.

Edit: Sorry, I should have been more clear. In terms of cost, I meant that there's an institutional problem within the American education system that allows for such skyhigh tuition rates.

The same reasoning applies to time. Sure, students can ramp up their classes and finish a 4 yr degree in 3 yrs, but why should they have to? Why not make it 2-3 yrs to begin with? This can easily be done by making non-relevant classes optional instead of core for a given major (for example, I had to take a course in art as part of my biology major).

Re: Students: You Are Probably Not Mark Zuckerberg, So Stay In School

#14

Post by faramarz »

alain94040 wrote: post #5

It's really so much simpler... they are both right. While in college, start a startup! It's the optimal time of your life where taking such a risk is really no risk at all. If your idea takes-off, great, figure out what to do then . For everyone else, finish your degree and try again soon (you'll be that much more experienced).

I did this and I can contribute most of my hair loss for dealing with clients while in school.

At some points I could not distinguish what were my priorities and you need a strong support system around you to keep you a float, mentally.

It's an exhausting and distracting proposition, so don't take it lightly or do. Whichever works best.

Re: Students: You Are Probably Not Mark Zuckerberg, So Stay In School

#15

Post by jcnnghm »

treblig wrote: post #9

This is an excellent post, and a very timely one with The Social Network coming out. The film certainly glamorizes startup life, and makes it seem like you won't fail. I released my iPhone app this Summer (SeizeTheDay, http://seizethedayapp.com ). I'm in school at Ohio State for my senior year. We got featured on the App Store, and received app of the week from Time and CNET. This has put us around 100k downloads in…

I've been using your app for the last couple of weeks. I think it's the best tasks app on the iPhone at this point, really well thought out and easy to use. Any plans to offer an in-app upgrade to disable ads?

Re: Students: You Are Probably Not Mark Zuckerberg, So Stay In School

#16

Post by treblig »

jcnnghm wrote: post #15
treblig wrote: post #9

This is an excellent post, and a very timely one with The Social Network coming out. The film certainly glamorizes startup life, and makes it seem like you won't fail. I released my iPhone app this Summer (SeizeTheDay, http://seizethedayapp.com ). I'm in school at Ohio State for my senior year. We got featured on the App Store, and received app of the week from Time and CNET. This has put us around 100k downloads in…

I've been using your app for the last couple of weeks. I think it's the best tasks app on the iPhone at this point, really well thought out and easy to use. Any plans to offer an in-app upgrade to disable ads?

Coming next week :)

Re: Students: You Are Probably Not Mark Zuckerberg, So Stay In School

#17

Post by btmorex »

faramarz wrote: post #7

There still is a stigma for putting university on hold or dropping out. Trust me there is. All you guys (Arrington included) in the valley are in a bubble, which is fine, because it works there but the rest of society doesn't feel the same (good or bad). Anywhere else, your family, your friends, your colleagues, they will not take you seriously until you finish your degree. The stigma will only die when every single…

Disagree completely. I only have about 50 college credits and have no plans to finish. I've also lived pretty much all over the United States and there really isn't much of a stigma... certainly not from my friends and family.

Large companies and universities might have to make special arrangements for you to be on the right "career track", but that's about it (and they will do that, I have personal experience with a University inventing a new position for me).

Re: Students: You Are Probably Not Mark Zuckerberg, So Stay In School

#18

Post by faramarz »

btmorex wrote: post #17
faramarz wrote: post #7

There still is a stigma for putting university on hold or dropping out. Trust me there is. All you guys (Arrington included) in the valley are in a bubble, which is fine, because it works there but the rest of society doesn't feel the same (good or bad). Anywhere else, your family, your friends, your colleagues, they will not take you seriously until you finish your degree. The stigma will only die when every single…

Disagree completely. I only have about 50 college credits and have no plans to finish. I've also lived pretty much all over the United States and there really isn't much of a stigma... certainly not from my friends and family. Large companies and universities might have to make special arrangements for you to be on the right "career track", but that's about it (and they will do that, I have personal experience with a…

Then IMO you're in the small percentage of people who are motivated enough, talented enough and have the discipline to go and get what they want. Most people need to be taught that.

Re: Students: You Are Probably Not Mark Zuckerberg, So Stay In School

#19

Post by ryanhuff »

amichail wrote: post #8

One problem with college is that you start to develop interests that are completely out of touch with what users want. The more educated you are, the less practical your startup ideas.

I would agree if your users are not college educated. Otherwise, I don't see it.

Anyhow, life is more than just catering to user "wants". Yes, college is mostly seen as a gateway to a profession, but you can get much more than job skills out of the experience.

Re: Students: You Are Probably Not Mark Zuckerberg, So Stay In School

#20

Post by yewweitan »

Oh, how much different life would be if I were in the US. I'm a University Student in Australia, and 1 year in Stanford is literally equivalent to 4 years in Melbourne University (say $40,000/year for stanford vs the $5,000/year I pay now). Not to mention that my education is on an interest-free government loan.

I can see why it's so appealing for a University student to want to drop out solely because of the cost. We all have to admit that University can't possibly cover all bases and teach one how to build a business and product. We also have to admit that University provides some very valuable connections, knowledge and perspectives for those who are there.

Hence, to me, it's a question of relative value.

That aside, it then again depends on the type of career path you want to take down the road. If you're in the software world, I guess you can say that building a software product is something that you can do without University. Or put slightly different, University won't make you a better programmer.

Merit in our world is won by building the better hack. However, I've got friends in accounting and finance who have leveraged the crap out of the exposure opportunities at University. I'm sure many of them will land high-paying jobs in the future.

Bottom line is to know your system and thrive.

I sorta dislike the way Vivek tries to push statistics of startup founders as a justification for a college education. Statistics show the current state of affairs, but they don't necessarily link to the point that he is trying to make.

Basically, what he says is that one should learn the ropes by working for some large companies, or even at a startup. The assumption there is that you need a degree to work at a company to gain experience, which again, varies by field (accountants better have a degree, coders at a startup, maybe not).

That said, I agree with his evaluations on the merits of a college education. It would also be stupid to admit that a college degree doesn't confer a certain level of credibility; I'm sure that those with a degree will find it easier to get their foot in the door at large companies.

After all of that, the questions I still think needs to be answered first and foremost is: What does it cost? Am I ready to bear that cost?

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