Are You Curious Enough?

Are You Curious Enough?

May 5, 2010
entrepreneur

Curiosity may have killed the cat but without it you don’t stand a chance at succeeding as an entrepreneur.

Some of the questions I get about the path to success go like this; Should I go to college or start a business? Do I need to get an MBA in order to be successful?  Does the school I go to matter? Would the better investment be in a degree or using that money to start a business?

If your dreams, goals or aspirations involve being an entrepreneur then no college, MBA’s and degrees aren’t necessary. What is though is a curiosity to learn new things.

Why College Was Historically Important

Colleges have historically been the most efficient way to educate the most people to prepare them for the widest spectrum of career opportunities.  The Internet has changed all that.  Knowledge is now distributed without the need of campuses, teachers, text books, classrooms and buildings.

Today, gathering knowledge that is not only equal to, but superior than most College curriculum is available to all.  In fact if your interested in attending MIT, go ahead, all 1900 classes they offer are available to you for free. Its not just MIT either.  Want to attend Stanford, its available.  How about Carnegie Mellon, go ahead. All of this information can be had and the best part is it’s for free.

Success Is About More Than Knowledge

If you feel like getting a degree is the next step for you in your journey then go for it.  However know that it is not a mandatory step to take.  The knowledge is out there and available to all.

The challenge to you is do you have the curiosity to pursue knowledge, information and new ideas.  Do you have the curiosity to take the knowledge you’ve learned and apply it?  Are you curious enough to try new ideas, search for answers to problems, research other ways of doing things and learn from people who have been there before.

It’s about curiosity not College when it comes to success.

Here’s a good article on the continued decline in the importance and the value of a College degree.

What do you think? Is a College degree going to be more or less important to have over the next decade?

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  • srinirao

    Rich,

    Having completed both an undergraduate degree and an MBA I could not agree more. What it gives you is access to information. Now that barrier has been wiped out. In some cases I would venture to say part of the benefit of attending these institutions is the people that you are around. My best friend went to MIT and almost all of his friends are very successful and I think that's partially because you become the byproduct of the people you surround yourself with.

  • sacas

    Very interesting. My opinion is that the colleges finally will became broke. In the new age, the internet is changing everything. I quit till now two colleges, because on the internet was much more and better information, about the field that i wanted to learn.

  • http://www.RichLazzara.com/ Rich Lazzara

    Srini, thanks for sharing your first hand experience. The networking opportunities on Univ. are without a doubt a big benefit. Although I believe that too is being replaced with the advent of social networking tools.