Every so often I recieve an email from a student in high school or college asking me if they should drop out of school and start a company. I get a number of them every year and I just received another one this week.
I understand the question. Many great entrepreneurs left school to start building things and school wasn’t a good fit. It’s well known that the Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg didn’t graduate from college.
We also have a number of amazing founders in our portfolio that never graduated from college. I can think of 7 of them off the top of my head as I write this post.
But here’s the thing: asking a venture capitalist if you should drop out of school probably means that you aren’t ready. I can’t possibly imagine having any influence on any of the founders (in our portfolio) decision to drop out of school had I met them earlier in their lives.
It’s just a different desire for different people. For some people college isn’t interesting compared to alternatives. For others, the college experience is one part education and all the experiences that come along with it. I chose the latter path.
I think it’s about listening and being honest with yourself. That will lead you to the right answer.