Editor’s note: This post is a part of a series with alumnae guest blog posts. Enjoy!
Catharine Burhenne ’11
If you’re a senior approaching graduation, your peers are probably applying to work at consulting firms, Teach for America or for a Watson fellowship. There’s another fantastic option you probably haven’t considered yet – starting your own business.
Here’s why:
Turbocharge Your Resume
Frustrated that the jobs you want to apply to require “5-8 years of experience”? Starting your own business will give you tenfold the experience of someone going through the motions in an entry-level corporate job, with little hands-on work or visibility into how businesses work. Imagine all you’ll have to say in your next interview if you start your own business now. There is no after-graduation opportunity where you will learn and change more as a professional than starting your own business.
Low Risk, High Reward
There will never be another time in your life where it will make more sense to do this. I’m going to assume right now that you are childless, do not have a mortgage, and that you have little to nothing to lose starting a business right now. You might be 21 now, but 21 will quickly turn into 26 or 28, and you’ll have far more reasons not to start a business then.
That corporate job, that master’s program, whatever it is – will always be there.
You Don’t Need Tons of Cash to Get Started
The best part is that there’s no need to invest huge amounts of money upfront. The Internet has opened up a microbusiness revolution and it’s a myth that you need tons of money to start a business. Tools like PayPal, WordPress, and AdSense make it so that anyone can have a website, accept payments in exchange for goods, or earn revenue from advertisements online.
You Can Do What You Love
Our very own Scripps alumna Emily Schuman ‘05 started her own blog and she now has the freedom to make a living out of what she loves.
One of the most valuable skills I’ve picked up since starting askthedentist.com is how to be scrappy and get stuff done without a clear-cut path to success. All of this carries over into my professional and personal life. Best of all, working on my business puts me in a state of flow, which is the greatest privilege one can have in one’s work.
So many of us sit back and think of the Mark Zuckerbergs and Steve Jobs and think it’s not attainable. So we spend our twenties in safe jobs, prestigious graduate school programs, doing the things that make friends and family ooh and ah at our success. But if you’re willing to exist in ambiguity and in an area where there is no clear-cut path – there’s tremendous opportunity for you to have a life doing what you love and going higher than you ever thought possible. You have nothing to lose and stand everything to gain – go for it!
You can also follow Catharine at catharineburhenne.blogspot.com.
I’m really glad to see an article like this on Beyond the Elms. I’m very focused on being an entrepreneur and creating my own work schedule. I already work as a freelance online content writer and tutor, so I plan to pursue starting my own businesses for writing and tutoring after graduation.
@beaschuster , thanks so much for the comment, that means a lot. I commend you for starting your own business and hope you find my next blog post even more helpful 😉
Nice Article man,
I’m also interested in Entrepreneurship after Graduation and currently analyzing the Market.
Thank you for your Article.
@JEE MAIN Results It is Nice to listen that you are going to be an Entrepreneur after Graduation like me.
i going to start my own soft firm soon 🙂 this post is inspirational for me 🙂 i do own my blog at http://www.i2z.in
I think starting a blog is a good idea but not after graduation, the best time to start a blog would be after school as you can write in spare times and when you graduate you’ll have an established blog.
It is often said that the best jobs are the ones that people create for themselves. This is because starting a business is the perfect opportunity to choose an industry that you love and set your own goals. It is true that being a business owner is sometimes a stressful, intense job, but it is also the chance to build an enterprise from your own ideas, aspirations and methods. http://timeeducation.in/uptet-result-up-basic-education-board-gov-in/1023
This is a great article for youngsters. I am of the same opinion. Why should we need to work like a slave in a company if we can start our own company from scratch. Stay as our own boss and live a full life.
Hi Catharine…
I remember that
I start being a salesman after i graduate
I Agree with you
So many of us sit back and think of the Mark Zuckerbergs and Steve Jobs and think it’s not attainable. So we spend our twenties in safe jobs, prestigious graduate school programs, doing the things that make friends and family ooh and ah at our success. But if you’re willing to exist in ambiguity and in an area where there is no clear-cut path – there’s tremendous opportunity for you to have a life doing what you love and going higher than you ever thought possible. You have nothing to lose and stand everything to gain – GO FOR IT !