Can You Really Learn Entrepreneurship in College? Let’s Talk.

So here’s the thing—every university these days seems to have an entrepreneurship program. They promise to turn you into the next Zuckerberg, but let’s be real: can you actually learn how to build a business sitting in a classroom? I mean, some founders swear by these courses, while others say you’d be better off just diving in and figuring it out as you go. Let’s break it down.

Why Every College Suddenly Wants to Teach Startups

According to this Nasdaq report, over 5,000 colleges worldwide now offer entrepreneurship classes. That’s a 30% jump from ten years ago. They teach stuff like writing business plans, raising money, and digital marketing—all things that sound great on paper. But here’s the kicker: does any of it actually work in the real world?

What Founders Actually Think

The Believers

Take Jessica Lin, who co-founded a SaaS startup. She says her university’s program saved her when it came to pitching investors. “Those mock VC meetings? Brutal. But man, did they help.” And then there’s the networking—some founders meet their future co-founders in class. That’s huge.

The Skeptics

But not everyone’s convinced. Mark Rivera, a serial founder who dropped out of his MBA, puts it bluntly: “No class prepares you for that moment when your payroll check bounces.” And he’s got a point. A lot of these courses use outdated case studies and skip the most important part—how to keep going when everything’s falling apart.

The Self-Taught Crowd: Learning by Getting Burned

Then you’ve got people like Sarah Chen. She built a seven-figure e-commerce brand just by watching YouTube videos. “I learned more from my first failed product than any textbook,” she says. And honestly? That tracks. When you’re figuring it out yourself, you learn to adapt fast—because you have to.

What’s Missing from Classroom Entrepreneurship

If you ask me, here’s where these programs fall short:

• Ditch the exams—make students actually launch something (even if it fails)
• Bring in real founders as mentors, not just professors who’ve never run a business
• Analyze real startup failures—not just the success stories

Cheaper (And Maybe Better) Ways to Learn

Let’s be honest—college is expensive. Some alternatives:

• Accelerators: Y Combinator’s three-month program has created more billion-dollar companies than most MBA programs ever will
• Online Forums: Places like r/Entrepreneur give you the unfiltered truth from people actually in the game

So… Can It Be Taught?

Look, classes can give you a framework—especially if you’re the type who needs structure. But at the end of the day? You learn entrepreneurship by doing it. Like that investor Naval Ravikant said: “You won’t learn sales from a book. You learn it by selling.” Maybe the best approach is a mix of both—some classroom basics, then straight into the deep end.

What do you think? Did you learn more from school or real-world experience? Drop a comment—I’d love to hear your take.

Source: Financial Times – Companies