Want to Become a Tech Entrepreneur? Forget the MBA, Study Computer Science Instead
March 11, 2020
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One of the best things about entrepreneurship is that it’s open to anybody. You don’t have to go through years of studying to become a business owner – if you’ve got a great idea and can sell it, you can start straight out of high school, or even when you’re still in high school! There are loads of entrepreneur success stories about people who started their own business from scratch, without a single qualification behind them, and made it big. Bill Gates and Richard Branson, the founders of Microsoft and Virgin respectively, were college drop-outs.
So, it’s clear to see that you don’t need a ton of education to make it with your own business; all you need is a great idea and a lot of drive and determination to make it happen.
But that being said, education definitely helps, especially if you want to launch a business in an industry like tech, where things are constantly changing and you need the know-how and the expertise to keep up.
Plus, online degree programs mean that it’s easier than ever to start a business while you’re studying. You can study for your degree online and part-time while focusing your main time and energy into building your business as you learn. There’s no need to wait four years until you graduate before you’ve finally got the time to launch your business idea; you can start it now and learn as you go.
But what degree should you study? If you want to become a tech entrepreneur, most experts recommend a computer science degree as the way forward. Business skills can be picked up along the way, and many colleges offer combined computer science or IT with business programs, or you can take an additional course in business to brush up your skills.
You’ll Develop Key Technical Skills
Computer science degrees are the best option for aspiring tech entrepreneurs, because of the important technical skills that you will develop as a result. In Silicon Valley, computer science graduates and developers are held in higher esteem than MBAs. And these days, it’s difficult to build a successful tech startup if you don’t have any technical skills of your own; successful tech company founders have strong technical backgrounds, and in the beginning, you’ll be responsible for doing the day-to-day programming, developing, and other IT tasks necessary to build your product and brand before you’re at a point where you can hire a team to do it for you.
You Can Find a Business Partner with Skills That Complement Yours
But what about business skills, you ask. The good news is that people with strong business skills are everywhere. When you’ve worked hard to develop a solid background in tech, it’ll be much easier for you to find a business partner with skills in areas like:
- Business administration
- Law
- Communications
- Accounting
- Marketing
- Business development
Skilled developers and computer scientists can always find good jobs, so if you study business hoping to become a tech entrepreneur, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find somebody with the IT skills that you need ready to become your business partner; most are going to be working for Google or Facebook or another top tech company. On the other hand, if you become that skilled tech person, you’ll find it’s much easier to find somebody with a strong business background looking to get their teeth into a new startup idea.
You’ll Increase Your Startup Opportunities
When you have a solid computer science and tech background, the number of startup opportunities you can go for is vast. You don’t need to wait around to find a developer or a programmer who’s able to turn your idea into a reality; you can just do it yourself. You could be the founder of:
- The next big IoT device that transforms the way people live
- A revolutionary search engine
- Software that people didn’t even know they needed until they get it
- The next big website or eCommerce platform
- A new way for businesses to market to customers
- An online store that stands out from the crowd
- An entertainment device that people love
…and the list goes on!
The truth is that today, tech is transforming the way we live, and even though there’s no shortage of new tech devices, software programs, and applications coming out every day, people are ready for it and they still want more. Tech is about solving problems; sometimes people don’t even realize that they had these problems until they are presented with a solution. Nobody thought that they needed a smart fridge that sends them a list of everything in it when they’re at the supermarket so they don’t shop for things they don’t need, but those who have one now couldn’t live without it!
You’ll Have Something Solid to Fall Back On
The truth is that entrepreneurship doesn’t always work out. But the good news for those with a technical background is that bouncing back from a business failure is easier. If your business doesn’t take off as expected, your online masters in computer science will provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to be a good job candidate for companies like:
- Shopify
- Dropbox
And they’re just the big names! There are thousands of medium-sized tech companies, small businesses, and start-ups looking for people with the skills that you will develop from an online computer science degree. Plus, tech is applied in almost every industry, so you could easily try something different, like working in healthcare, law or even banking. People with strong technical skills and backgrounds are in demand, everywhere.
And that’s not all – if your business idea doesn’t go where you want it to, your tech background means that you’ll be in a better position to start a new one. Maybe you developed software that just didn’t go down well; you can use what you learned from your first business idea to come up with better, more appealing products or services that will do well.
If you want to become a tech entrepreneur, forget studying business – develop crucial tech skills and set yourself apart from the rest.
