Starting a Business – 56% of small business owners have a college degree. However, this number is down significantly from previous years.

Many business owners these days choose to skip college before becoming self-employed, but others still get at least a 4-year degree. Although it’s possible to start a successful business without going to college, getting a degree can be more beneficial than you might realize.

Here’s why you should earn a degree before starting a business.

Do You Need a Degree to Start a Business?

If you’d like to be a business owner someday, you may be wondering if a college degree is necessary or not.

The truth is that willpower and determination are all you really need to start a successful business. However, earning a degree before you launch a business can be well worth it. The knowledge you gain in college can be incredibly helpful when opening a business and can help you run it in a way that ensures success.

Every individual is different, but many business owners find that going to college and earning a degree helps immensely once they finally ended up launching and operating a small business or startup.

Although a degree isn’t strictly necessary for starting a business, it can definitely help. Getting a degree first is well worth considering no matter what kind of business you want to start.

You may want to learn more about business school now if you’d like to become an entrepreneur someday.

Benefits of Getting a College Degree First

There are many things that you’ll gain from attending college courses and getting a degree. Here are some of the benefits that you’ll experience from getting a college education as a future business owner.

Gain Knowledge and Learn Business Skills 

While there’s a lot that can be learned about owning a business simply through doing it and learning as you go, it can be helpful to get classroom knowledge as well.

Attending classes on business, accounting, technology, marketing, and other relevant business topics can be incredibly helpful. You’ll be able to learn valuable business skills when attending college simply by going to classes and you’ll be able to learn in a formal, low-stakes environment.

There are many business skills that you’ll learn by going to college. These can do a great job of strengthening your future business management abilities.

Build Your List of Qualifications

Another benefit of going to school for business and getting a degree is that you can get qualifications that will help you prove yourself in the future.

A degree still holds a good bit of sway and can show that you’re knowledgeable about a specific subject and have the necessary skills to run a business successfully. This can be helpful when working with business partners or customers. This can also help with applying for loans, attaining funding, and getting investors for your business as well.

A degree shows that you’re a knowledgeable person, whether you get a degree in business administration, business management, or something else. It may also open you up to other opportunities for learning and gaining skills outside of a university setting as well.

There are many times when having a degree would be helpful when running a business, so keep this in mind.

Grow Your Professional Network

One of the best things about attending a business school or college and earning a business degree is that you will meet plenty of other people who are following similar paths as you. Going to college is a social experience and allows you to meet a variety of people from all different disciplines.

Chances are that if you attend college, you’ll meet someone who you might want to work with at a future time. You could meet an accountant who could work for your business, for example, or find business partners and contacts that could help your business grow.

The possibilities are endless, but attending college can help you get a strong foothold and begin building a professional network early on. When you finally start a business, you’ll have better access to the relationships you need.

Best Degrees for Future Business Owners

There are many different degrees that can be helpful as a business owner. Here are some of the degrees that you may want to consider getting if you’re thinking about going to college before starting a business.

  • Business Administration
  • Business Management
  • Accounting
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Business Technology
  • Computer Science
  • Marketing
  • Communication
  • Psychology

Keep in mind that other types of degrees could be helpful as well. If you’re interested in launching a business that’s related to art, for example, it may make sense to get a degree in art while having a business minor.

Regardless of the type of degree you have, you’ll be taking a lot of general classes as well. Each of these can help you grow as a person and become more knowledgeable about every aspect of owning a business and being successful in the professional world.

No matter what type of degree you get, chances are that it will help you when running a future business and you’ll likely be happy that you decided to get it.

Making the Decision to Earn a Degree Before Starting a Business

If you want to become an entrepreneur, you should take the time to earn a degree first. Earning a college degree will help ensure that you’re knowledgeable about how to run a business successfully.

Getting a degree can help you build knowledge and skills in various areas that relate to running a business. This includes business management, technology, accounting, marketing, and much more.

Interested in finding more helpful tips for students and entrepreneurs? Browse our blog now to find more useful articles and guides.