Only a handful of entrepreneurs made world history without pursuing graduate degrees, and most of their autobiographies indicate that they are very studious people. They were not only keen and avid readers, researchers and developers, but they were also curious geniuses who sacrificed their social time for knowledge and its implementation. Just how important are graduate degrees for entrepreneurs? They are very important, and the majority of big-time entrepreneurs went through college. In fact, some even went back to college to further their studies. That is the honest truth; even though it is possible to be globally successful without a graduate degree, the odds that you won’t are much higher. Let us take a minute or two to examine this bitter truth.
1. The networks at graduate degree programs are immense.
Any sensible entrepreneur knows that a person’s network is their net worth. Did you know that at colleges and universities offering graduate degrees, you are likely to meet with ambitious, intelligent, passionate and well-connected business leaders who are doing things that can shake the world? For example, Shane Robinson, a prosperous young entrepreneur who also writes articles on startups, credited his wide network of business partners, clients and co-founders to his enrollment at both the Harvard Kennedy School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. It is important to bear in mind that the ambitious individual was doing well in business before he decided to pursue a joint graduate degree at the two institutions.
What most people do not understand is that, even though they might be too busy to enroll for a graduate degree, they can always join hands with their entrepreneur classmates to enroll for MCAT prep classes from the most flexible and well-connected institutions.
2. Graduate degrees drastically improve your portfolio.
It is true that most entrepreneurs were never interested in writing curriculum vitae documents because they were never interested in getting employed in the first place. The world is seeing more of un-employable people: individuals who do well running their own businesses and would never accept employment. However, you must still prove your competency in critical areas of commerce such as accounting, ethical consideration and legal understanding no matter which industry you wish to dominate. How else would you win over established corporate vice presidents to do business with your startup? If you cannot prove your business leadership skills, how would you woo prosperous investors who are advanced in educated?
Even though you do not seek to grow your resume, you must grow your portfolio. If you ever go to pitch a business plan to an investment shark and you find yourself in competition with another guy who is equally as competent as you, you will most likely lose to the competition if he has a graduate degree and you do not. Please refer to Shane Robinson’s story and others like him in this regard.
3. You have more to learn than what you already know.
Unless you are typically proud, you know that smart and learned people always have something powerful to teach you. Imagine yourself attending MCAT prep classes with just 30 people who are super intelligent and prepared to discuss ideas and knowledge with you. Your insight on things will change considerably for the better. The best thing about learning from the best is that they show you how things are done; they even teach you how to think beyond their own understanding. If anything, that is the most powerful tool that you can ever get from advancing your education.