You can always choose to focus 80% on school while 20% on your startup. When the opportunity really comes, focus 80% on your startup and 20% on your school. And, if the opportunity seems so attractive to you, DROP OUT.
I'm a little confused. Why is somebody who can't decide whether to start a company or not, or indeed what kind of company to start, writing a blog containing "tips for entrepreneurs"?
I've started companies in the past, but can't decide what my next company will be, or when... so I don't think that disqualifies me to give advice on what I've learned.
Stay in school. It's a pain to catch up on your studies, you have to wait for the start/end of the semester, and a degree is always nice to have, especially if you've already invested significant amounts of time into it.
On the other hand, starting a comany is something you can do at almost any time, including after you graduate. If you don't have a burning passion for a specific idea, don't drop out of school for it now.
It sounds like you don't know for sure what you want to work on if you drop out, and you just want to start a business. I suggest you stick it out with school and then go for your idea. If you know exactly what you want to do with a startup, then it's a tougher choice. I'd still lean towards staying in school and finishing your degree, depending on how far you are from graduation, though.
My senior year I scaled back my studies to < 10 hours a week (including class time and papers) and spent 60+ hours a week working on a startup. It was absolutely the right decision. I had my expenses paid for, got to live with all my friends, yet still had lots of time to work on my startup.
The only thing I might suggest is that if you don't have a clear idea, you might want to consult for a while in the target industry. That way you can learn the industry, meet the right people, and understand what people will pay money for.
I certainly agree that it doesn't need to be one or the other. Many universities have great resources that you can tap, to help grow your business. The larger state schools are, in many cases, aligned with a small business development center or business accelerator programs. In addition, you have access to the faculty, which can be a huge resource, plus a good source for co-founders. College is a good time for exploration in entrepreneurship.
That's especially true at BYU, where I go. Several successful entrepreneurs, including the founder of SEO.com, FundingUniverse, InfoSpace.com, Omniture, and other successes, work with us in and around the Marriott School.
All of this support and all of these resources is one of the reasons I've been considering starting something new. When else will I have the opportunity to have so much support and so many resources?
School gave me the time to think and dabble and develop a lot of my personal philosophies and perspective. The business world tends to do the opposite because of the endless drive for fast and cheap. Either way, you lose one aspect of your individuality and gain another.
The idea of improving "how things are done around here" - the process - is what ultimately excites me about business. Others, I think, focus on making the best products, on building a great community around the company brand, or on improving the world's condition. And I think it is these high-level endeavors that should be one's focus, no matter what the specific business is. If you don't know which of those interest you, get a job in the field you like, and the business problems you want to solve will reveal themselves quickly.
Well I "quit" school last year, I did so because I think I can learn more solo than I can in a schooling environment. Or maybe not "more", but different things that schooling may not focus on. (and I'll be able to return in a few years)
In this time I do what I want with my time (OK most of the time, I still have to do free lance to pay the bills), I don't just learn things, but I learn what I need to do for the task I'm trying to do.
Founding a startup isn't a priority for me, but if the idea comes along then thats great. :)
do both. This way you can do your early stage when you have no money coming in while you have free board and food. You'll have 4 years for it to grow to a good business. And if it doesn't, its no big deal...your 4 years of startup experience will be much more valuable to your resume than a 4.0 gpa, extra curriculars and a crappy internship
It does not have to be one or the other. It sounds from the article like you have a number of uncertainties on the company front.
I recommend working along side school work. That is easier said than done in most cases, and you surely don't want both to suffer from each other, but it is doable if you play your cards right.
Dropping out of high school contains much more risk, though, and things are much harder.
Don't drop out of high school, just treat it with kid gloves. High school was when I dabbled with things I thought I might want to do later on (I started a community web site, I wrote and self-published a novel). As a result, in college I find that I have not only the freedom to work on whatever projects I want to, but I go into those projects with perspective and useful knowledge.
In the end, the tactic doesn't matter: only the results. You'll find people in any field that were homeschooled and people who graduated with doctorates and spent 10 years working at some generic job, just waiting. If it gets you where you want to be, do it.
School mostly sucks. College is a mechanism where mediocre minds fight for status, publishing and tenure like dogs over scraps and ensure the most brilliant people are reduced to a low common denominator, and train people to approach life like children even when they are growing up.
If you aren't 100% certain you need to be in school to do what you want with your life, start the company. Learning is awesome, schooling functions as a mechanism of control to make sure the really smart people don't learn so fast that they live up to their potential.
You can always choose to focus 80% on school while 20% on your startup. When the opportunity really comes, focus 80% on your startup and 20% on your school. And, if the opportunity seems so attractive to you, DROP OUT.