COMPANIES ON CAMPUS: College Students Choose Entrepreneurship

Gone are the days when you graduate from university and are forced to send out your resume to so many places that you lose count in the hopes that someone, somewhere – anywhere – will give you a chance and hire you. It didn’t matter if your degree was in Latin American history and you were offered a job as a clerical assistant with the Ministry of Transportation – “I’ll take it!”

Today, college students aren’t willing to spend years working a job they dislike until something better opens up. Instead, they’re seizing the moment, using their potential and creating that ‘something better’ now.

According to a recent survey of 3,000 business students, the Chicago-based Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) found that 68% were interested in owning their own business. And, the desire to be one’s own boss isn’t limited to just business students; CEO has active members from a broad range of fields in over 500 colleges and universities across America.

Increasing numbers of college students are choosing to become entrepreneurs – to take that risk and go it alone. Entrepreneurship expert Evan Carmichael of www.evancarmichael.com has witnessed this trend first-hand. “Students are beginning to realize that it can be done, that they can become successful on their own terms,” he says. “Bill Gates and Michael Dell started out when they were in school and look where they are now.”

Examples of successful student entrepreneurs are not just limited to celebrities, says Carmichael. “Students have seen their mothers and fathers run their own companies, their aunts and uncles. It doesn’t have to be a pipe dream,” he says. “With hard work and dedication, students are discovering that they can make anything happen and they can start now.”

From being your own boss and setting your own goals to experiencing the rush of independence, both the financial and emotional payoffs for college entrepreneurs can be huge. And, college campuses are proving to be an ideal setting for these startups. “With the great advertising potential from the close-knit environment and their own media outlets, campuses are one of the best places to experiment with starting your own business,” says Carmichael. “Not to mention the fact that at any time, you can go knock on the doors of some of the brightest minds in the country and get free advice.”

According to a recent survey by the Young Entrepreneur Foundation, 90% of high school teachers say their students are interested in becoming entrepreneurs, but 75% have no idea where to turn. Colleges are beginning to fill that void, with an increasing number offering entrepreneurship-focused courses in order to help their students get off on the right foot. 80 years ago, the first program of its type began at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and ever since, such programs have ballooned to over 2,220 courses at over 1,600 schools nationwide. While the jury is still out about whether or not entrepreneurship can be taught and learned, this growth is nonetheless evidence of students’ increasing interest in trying their hand at it.

The U.S. Small Business Administration says that nearly two-thirds of college students intend to be entrepreneurs at some point in their careers. “There is no better time or place to start your own company than while you’re in college,” says Carmichael. “And, if you decide it’s not for you, at least it gives you more real world experience for when you do have to go hunting for that job.”


Evan Carmichael is available for an interview. Please contact him at evan@evancarmichael.com.

Evan is an entrepreneur and international speaker. At the age of 19, he became an owner and Chief Operating Officer in Redasoft, a biotechnology software company. The company quickly grew to over 300 organizations as clients, including NASA and Johnson & Johnson, in 30 countries. He started Evan Carmichael & Associates with the goal to give entrepreneurs the Inspiration to follow their passion and the strategies they need to succeed. Evan has delivered over 100 keynote presentations to entrepreneurs in North America, Europe, and Asia. He has been interviewed by newspapers, radio stations, and television stations including The Globe and Mail, CHUM FM, CityTV, Global TV, OMNI TV, Enterprise, and the Toronto Sun. Evan's website, <a href=“http://www.evancarmichael.com”>http://www.evancarmichael.com/ </a>is the world's #1 website for small business inspiration and strategies.