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Do you remember when the norm advice was that you go and get a degree then go and get a good job.

How many of you followed this path, did you end up in your desired profession did having a degree pay off?

The more and more I talk to youngster I encourage them to think of starting up their own business as their career. I tell them to first start out working for someone for that office /people environment and interacting with others professionally…gain that experience, but they should always strive to have their own business. I know that this is not for everyone but so many people I know have said they wish they after leaving University they had started their own business instead of working all hours for someone else. Some seem to have just lost that energy to take up this stance now, its like society has sucked out all their business innovations and individual progression from them.

What do you think of this?

Would you give this advice?

What are the pros and cons in your view of this?

I personally don't see anything wrong with the advice you're giving. Though the only problem that might occur is that those starting up their own business might not haveany experience. I'd probably advise them to spend some time (a year or two; possibly even less)in industry gaining some practical experience and buildingconfidence in themselves. This would also allow them to be certain that their ambitions aren't just "I think I want to do this... I hope it works out" Also, banks are more likely to give out money to people witha bit more security behind them as opposed to a graduate who'salready £15K in debt!!Considering that more than half of businesses that start up fail, that could just kill any person's ambition to start up something again, leaving them to spend the rest of their lives slaving for the Bill Gates's and Richard Branson's, wondering whether things could have worked out differently. If, however, they have that conviction to try something straight after completing their education, then we can do nothing but encourage them.

[font=Arial]Does "having a degree pay off?" Ultimately, yes. Apart from learning your alcohol-consumption threshold (and testing its limits), the benefits outweigh the perhaps immediate benefits of getting a job straight after high school.The only downside is the financial pit that remains for decades afterwards.

@mafdet good advise

i have a degree and at the moment my job is in the meantime it is not in my chosen field media.

i am definitley looking at starting up my own business. many of the professionals in my field that iknow they only speak of their achievements and feed you negatives on how you wont achieve your goalbla bla bla. one person has offered to help me go about financing my project.

my friends sister she has a degree and runs her own business.

Mafdet I thought this was excellent advice but as with anything one has to proceed with caution especially when venturing out on their own. The failure rate for starting a new biz is alarming but if a person does their homework, I say go for it...ain't nothing like a try as my mom loves to say. I also agree with you when you advise a person to get their feet wet first and they can do this by networking. Plus they can get assistance from their area university's small business department. Alot of them offer free workshops on how to start your own business.
I was fortunate to get a job in my field straight out of college but now I am looking to start a home biz. And yes I wish I had done this years ago, LOL! But it's better late than never I guess.blkbiggrin

@All

Thanks for your contribution to this threadI agree with you all, more and more each day I am meeting people my age who wished they had started their own business and would love to go back in time and change things.

I hope more posters come up in here and offer advice as if they were talking to a young black professional.niceone.gif

@Kareem

Come on now I know your not shy around me surely you got more to say on the matter, don't tell me you clam up when you got to converse with me on a serious subject.smoking-devil

@mafdet

I am meeting people my age who wished they had started their own business and would love to go back in time and change things.

Why should age be a barrier - if they really wanted to, they should stillgo ahead - tell them that we are only going to get older, so say ten years from now they probably will be saying that ten years ago,I wishIhad started my own business! + They must of have a wealth of life experiences to fall back and use within the realm of business.

I am all in favour of youadvising young people to set up their own businesses, if that is what they want. Tell themthey shouldn'tworry too much about failing; become more American,- keep their eyes on the prize, don't focus on losing, concentrate on winning, aim high, etc., etc! (But still tell them about the pitfalls though,just so that they are aware, just don't let it stop them).Point them to where they can get advice, BlackBusinessList.Com, Black Enterprise and the Blacknet. UK Business Directory, to name just a few.


A while backI saw this programme that said that the majority of the wealthier entrepreneurs, had left school at fifteen and notone of them hada degree. Times have changed though andI would most certainly advise themif they can, to get a degree first. All in all, as everyone else said,it sounds as though you aresaying the right things! niceone.gif

athaba wrote:
@ Abatha

No don't get me wrong these people that said they wish they had started earlier are the people that are starting their own business now.....I personally haven't got time for people that state they wish they started their own business earlier and unless they haven't got avery good excuse still do not start their business....if you follow what I am saying.

Thanks for your contribution and like you I noticed and remember watching a programme on young business people and noticed that the majority did not have a degree thats why I asked the question of do people still consider a degree as necessary.

Recently at a gathering whilst speaking to the younger generation nearly everyone of them all doing A levels said they want to start their own business and run their own company but what amazed me was that only about half said they would get a degree the others said they would do a course on business but not really interested in doing a degree. I admire them for having the ambition and drive to own their own but hearing about the non-interest in a degree I did have a slight worry if they were too egar for a get rich quick scheme.

I am not saying that a degree is vital however I would say that the whole studying experience and the path walked proved to be a vital lesson in my life.

blkrainbowfroMafdet, going to come back to this important issue. God willing later tonight at some point. Kareem and I had a very indepth conversation about this very issue about black economic development and education.niceone.gif

Ok Fredblack I look forward to reading your input.......got to rush off now but hopefully will be back on later tonight.niceone.gif

@mafdet

Well I am glad that the people started their own businesses. It can only help to make us stronger. I have just come off an Asian website and it said that most of themare self employed. We know that already and if those young people you met stay determined, then hopefully with support, they can get to where they want to be.

We will always get the 'get rich quick' type. They would probablyend up falling by the wayside.

blkrainbowfroMafdet, this post was written some time ago about economic development and education. Hope it is some use. Its not short.

Long tings alert**************************

Had to quickly respond Kareem, one of your best posts to date. Dealing with real serious things. This notion that going to College is the route for the majority, is one of the biggest myths ever. College degrees do not ip so facto mean money, and it does not for the overwhelming majority. Only one quarter of whites have degrees, because they do not need them and the overwhelming majority enjoy superior economic life styles than black people.

If anybody thinks having a PhD, or Dr, in front of your name for the average black man means much in money terms to whites, are fooling themselves. The white man controls the games and changes will nilly what the currency is to earn the bigger share and always in a way that keeps us out. We are under qualified, and then DAMN overqualified, and then we don't have experience, then too much experience and something must be wrong why we ain't the head of some massive international company, or nationally known, when they look at our CV's, so there must be something wrong with us; because they would be running the world if so qualified, or we got the wrong experience, cos things are changing and our experience is now passe. While white men ain't got none of any kind.

The money and stuff I have today [which burns the hell out of white people, eg how can you afford to go to the Caribbean so often] has little do with earning big hitter money for very long periods, because it doesn't work like that. I probably earned more than the average black professional, but I can tell you ,that is nothing when you see the kinds of money these guys earn, especially informally.

I earned some serious money e.g. 300-400 hundred pounds an hour, when black men controlled contracts, and we started to taste what those white boys had become accustomed to 'long days', but even then they tried to get us black professionals to take less, which I resisted; and once refused to honour my bill. I would not back down, but those brothers never held those positions long and whites got rid of them. Because their job was to get top quality black professionals to work on the cheap, and thus we were denied that gravy and it returned back to the white man. White professionals, and business people, have much easier access to serious contracts and make sure we only get the dross if that. That is why they are largely private sector animals, because they have the network, and contacts to get in the door and stay there.

I was a Senior Development Project Manager, and white folks tried to use me to front what they were doing, with millions of pounds targeted for black communities, which white managers were ensuring their white friends, and companies, were taking the lion's share and giving black people monkey mesh.

When I tried to make sure that the money was used for the purposes they were intended for, and in accordance with the law, and the fact it was my budget and my name involved, they moved me. Right now, hundreds of millions are being spent for urban regeneration, making white building companies, suppliers of all types rich, which have been gained using black people to get the money and to legitimise. That money, just one contract e.g. refurbishing windows, wiring all those new properties going up, could make many of the numerous small trade based black company run by brothers, which are out there, more so than black women, [FACT] rich or on the way.... Just one contract, which none of them is getting. Pure sub sub sub contracts that are what self employed or small trade firms get, if lucky. There is a very close relationship between public and private sector.

Anyone who thinks talk about conspiracy to keep down black men is a joke, is a kid [I AM SORRY] who has never had serious responsibility, or proper education or experience. The word 'conspiracy' in some cases is incorrect, because white people don't have to plan, or conspire, to know how they plan to flex, it comes naturally and subconsciously and only when there is a problem, e.g. obstacle, they will come together.

Black people are the only people, who you have to scream at to show the obvious. White people believe instrincally, not only are the superior to us, they have a right to the best, the most, if not all things that are desired; even when they have no rational or objective claim to it. So paying a black sub contractor X to them is good money [for a darkie] and honestly can't see the issue, until someone like me raises it, and then we become the issue.

Despite this stuff, when I had the opportunity to earn good money, I did and did not waste it and saved it, or put it to work with other brothers, to do exactly what you have said, buy land, invest in business projects, property, and various stuff, building independent infrastructure. Most brothers with degrees in this country earn slightly more than sisters typing letters in big companies, if that. This notion of getting a degree and opening the whole world to you is a myth. Go to any inner City College here, and go into the IT departments and they are full of highly qualified black men, from the Caribbean, all parts of Africa you name it.

They are comparatively poorly paid and overworked, compared to their private sector partners who don't want them; and will only select a couple of token and approved types, who are not even safe in their jobs. One of my partners, who is a bad man in his profession, has been made redundant three times in succession from big private sector companies.


What has saved us as thinking and conscious black men, is that we never believed white men's propaganda; and followed our fathers who work saved and invests their monies, to maximise independence and that is the only way forward. Yes we will always need doctors, and other professional specialist, but to think that will help us create our own employment, or economic or commercial infrastructure is naiveté at best and DUMB at worse. Good post Kareem

We need people with good practical and vocational skills engineers, good plumbers, trades, technicians, as well as entrepreneurs, producers and manufactures running micro businesses which links small Caribbean islands, to Europe, US, Africa etc.

I am a very practical brother and into sharing stuff. Black man want to make money. Get five brothers you trust, who work steadily and start saving money and take it from there. Opportunities to make money are everywhere, what is missing is brothers who can seize them and fully exploit the arse out of it. . My home, and I go to the Caribbean every year, not only because it is beautiful but also because over the years, of the large number of business opportunities we have observed, carried out feasibilities on. And in some cases there is so many opportunities, we have invited other trusted people to come and check out angles for themselves.

Remember social group determines the power of men, and it is extremely difficult to do big things by you, because the majority of the world, Asians, whites do not. You need to build alliances, networks and hook up with trusted/credible people. Invest in property and land; things that you can control and hold value, and then you're in the game and once in then can manoeuvre in all kinds of ways. You can be a driver, builder, postman or academic or whatever but pulling together is the way forward trust me.blktype
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