Why Mark Zuckerberg Is a Bad Role Model For Aspiring Tech Execs 326
coondoggie writes "Want to run a successful high-tech company? Don't drop out of college. The myth of the brilliant Ivy League student who starts a business in his dorm room, drops out of school, and goes on to run a successful high-tech start-up for many decades to come is essentially just that: a myth. Despite a few high-profile exceptions — such as Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates — the vast majority of CEOs running successful U.S. high-tech firms have college degrees, and more than half have at least one graduate degree."
Myth? (Score:5, Informative)
Gates
Jobs
Zuckerberg
That's most of the tech money that isn't IBM or HP.
Re:And... (Score:5, Informative)
Zuck: Yeah so if you ever need info about anyone at Harvard
Zuck: Just ask.
Zuck: I have over 4,000 emails, pictures, addresses, SNS
[Redacted Friend's Name]: What? How'd you
Zuck: People just submitted it.
Zuck: I don't know why.
Zuck: They "trust me"
Zuck: Dumb fucks.
Re:many decades? (Score:5, Informative)
You really have no idea what it takes to run a company, even a small one. Your day is constantly filled with making decisions. With no game plan other than "don't screw up", you will run into the problem that one decision you made last year screwed up a decision you made this year. There are competitors to think about, cash-flow, investor relations, employee compensation, accounting rules, government regulation, community relations, employee relations, the direction of your industry, understanding what makes your company unique such that it deserves a niche, etc.
Re:cause and effect vs commonality (Score:2, Informative)
The the Gates, Jobs, Zuckerberg, are the exception, their success comes from being in the right place at the right time, and having the right idea, and taking the risk to try it out. For these guys everything lined up for them. If they failed they would probably be working a middle class job right now, because they didn't have the college degree (assuming they didn't go back to finish school), and no one will really want to hire them, or they will be doing a bunch of mediocre successful businesses.
Higher education teaches some important things...
1. Research skills: You recognize what you don't know but know how to find out.
2. Patients/Balancing life: In college you are no longer micromanaged (by parents and teachers) You need to discipline yourself to get your work done. Those who fail out of college, isn't because of their intelligence, but because they were not disciplined enough to do the work.
3. The Cram/All nigher: If you didn't have at least one all nigher in college then you missed out on an important learning experience. (Having them all the time, is usually bad) You can see how your body functions under stress, and learn to beat that to get things done.
4. Diversity: People of difference, Races, Religions, Countries, Sexual orientations... You actually have to deal with people where before you could have been isolated from them.
5. Adult Relationships: I am not talking about sex, but mature relationships with other adults. Where you are no longer the kid.
Also Richard Branson, Amadeo Peter Giannini, ... (Score:4, Informative)
OK, BofA is stretching "high tech" a little...
Richard Branson - Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Galactic, plus all of http://www.virgin.com/company [virgin.com]
David Geffen - Dreamworks
Ted Murphy - izea.com
Tom Anderson - myspace.com
David Karp - Tumblr.com
Y.C. Wang - fpusa.com
Rob Kalin - etsy.com
Theodore Waitt - gateway.com
Shawn Fanning - napster.com
Steve Wozniak - apple.com
Kevin Rose - digg.com
Dustin Moskovitz - Cofounder, Facebook
Jerry Yang - yahoo.com
Amadeo Peter Giannini - Bank of America, perhaps you've heard of it
Craig McCaw - McCaw Cellular
Ashley Qualls - whateverlife.com
Pete Cashmore - mashable.com
Jeffrey Kalmikoff - Threadless.com
Ben Kaufman - kluster.com
Red McComb - Clear Channel
Bram Cohen - BitTorrent
Gurbaksh Chahal - Blue Lithium, Click Again