Students – Why You Must Drop Out Now to Get a Job Later

Newsflash – all you’re learning in college is how to apply for, and work for, a job market that’s no longer creating jobs. Chew on this:

• College curriculums were developed to meet the needs of Fortune 500 companies.
• Fortune 500 companies are responsible for a net loss of jobs over the last two decades.
• Startups generate 60 to 80 percent of all new jobs. And the top 1% of those startups generate 40 percent. Yes, I said 40 percent. Of ALL jobs.

Them’s the facts; plain and simple.

So if you’re looking for a job, you better start looking at startups. And the best way to get a job at a startup is not by attending the best school. The best way to get a job at a startup is by bringing the best street cred.

What street cred? Startup street cred.

Bring the credibility that only comes with having worked through the early days of a startup. Prove that you ‘get it.’ Show that you know things; things that only those who’ve worked at a startup know.

That, my friends, is practically a guaranteed ticket to employment. Of course, you have to make sure you can pass a Michigan background check, or whatever the equivalent is the state where you’re applying, because even entrepreneurs have some standards when it comes to hiring. After that, you’ll need confidence more than you’ll need a college degree.

And a new program called Enstitute is handing out those exact golden tickets to fifteen lucky applicants. (Applications for the new class are open now!)

Get Schooled – In the Real World

Enstitiute is a new two-year apprenticeship program that matches hotshot job hopefuls with hot (funded!) startups in NYC. Startups like Warby Parker, Nestio, Clickable and Shelby.tv.

The startup internship program is open to any 18-24 year old ambitious enough to apply, regardless of whether they’ve stepped foot on a college campus. (BTW – they told me if you’re over 24, and really want in, they want to hear from you too.)

Enstitute provide the basics-food, shelter, transportation. The startups provide the work experience. Experience you won’t get anywhere else. The kind that comes with guaranteed street cred.

Yes, two years sounds like a long time. Even longer when you consider that they’re startup years–which in my experience roughly equates dog years. So, in essence, you’d leave this two-year startup apprenticeship with a decade and a half of actual business experience.

Compare that to leaving college with a framed piece of paper, commencement address well wishes, and no job prospects, and there’s no question where the value lays.

Go get the experience. Learn by doing – as the folks at Enstitute say.

Here’s what else they say about how you can grab one of those 15 coveted spots:

(I cannot apologize enough to Enstitute founder Shaila Ittycharia for my horrible recording skills that block half her face!)

The idea that college is no longer preparing anyone for anything anymore isn’t new. Entrepreneurs, famous bloggers, even the New York Times has been saying it for years. But it took two entrepreneurial twentysomthings to come up with a suitable alternative.

It’s worth noting that the founders of Enstitute, Shaila Ittycheria and Kane Sarhan, both have college degrees. Shaila even has an MBA from Harvard. But they’re both fully aware of what helped them land jobs after graduation.

For Kane it was the internships he had while in college that got him his jobs. Shaila always had her sites set on working in the startup scene. And in a reversal typical of the difference between corporate America and startups, she says that her MBA was a detriment to getting that kind of job. Despite her multiple diplomas, her real cred came after she worked, for free, for startup Birchbox.

The bottom line is this, your Grandmother may think a college degree is critical to your future success, but much like the honey badger, entrepreneurs just don’t care.

And they’re the ones hiring. So why should you?

Learn more about Enstitute and the hot startups they’re working with, and then go apply before the April 30th deadline.

For more tips, check out this free ebook:
5 Tips to Get a Job, Keep a Job and Know When to Run Screaming from Job with a Startup.

What are your thoughts on dropping out now, to ensure a great career later?