We all know inspiring stories about entrepreneurs: Zuckerberg with Facebook, Latham with Orangetheory Fitness, Bezos with Amazon, and Neumann with WeWork.
These stories are about otherwise ordinary people who had the grit and gumption necessary to launch their own startup companies — and who were wildly successful at doing so.
Without a doubt, launching your own startup company can be a real challenge. From working through technical problems to understanding the market in which you'll operate, running a successful startup requires innovative thinking and data-driven decision making at every turn.
But as our society’s competitive landscape continues to grow, you need a an edge in order to stand out. This edge could come in the form of a graduate degree — a graduate degree that's designed to help you disrupt the status quo and embrace innovative thinking.
Industries Need Disrupting:
Startups are a risk. They disrupt the norm. And running one isn't for the faint of heart.
Many industries have already been shaken up, drastically changing decade- and even century-long ways of doing business. According to Inc., there are many industries that need to be disrupted, and if they aren't, they'll cease to exist as we know them.
Startups are known for using innovative (or disruptive) thinking and technology to reinvent industries, making them more suited to compete in today’s competitive business landscapes. Disruptive thinking is not commonplace because it first and foremost doesn’t follow the rules. As such, the most quintessential requirement for a disruptive thinker is individual, personal thinking — like Thiel asserts in the quote above.
Specifically, Government Technology magazine details a variety of capabilities required of disruptive startup entrepreneurs. These include skills dealing with intangibles and high degrees of ambiguity — the skills of a disruptive thinker — which include a strong capacity for problem-solving, networking, hiring, and “creating from scratch.”
Skills Necessary for Would-Be Entrepreneurs:
Entrepreneurs aren't just doers, and they aren't just thinkers. Rather, successful startup professionals have taken the necessary steps to master the art of leading a team and challenging conventional thinking. According to Steve Jobs, who is widely recognized as the pioneer of the microcomputer revolution and co-founder of Apple Inc., "The doers are the major thinkers. The people that really create the things that change this industry are both the thinker and doer in one person."
So, while obtaining a graduate degree is a long-term investment, it's also a strategic way for startup entrepreneurs to develop themselves first. With this in mind, it's no surprise that hotbeds of innovative businesses like Silicon Valley are in constant need of leaders with graduate degrees who have honed their soft skills and harnessed the power of innovative thinking.
Note: If you're not looking to move to Silicon Valley or New York City to launch a startup, you're in luck. Forbes predicts that "the 2020s are shaping up to be a period of hope for Middle America—especially when it comes to startups and technology. New technology and startup hubs are emerging beyond the Big Three, including in Atlanta and Toronto."
In other words, if one of your professional goals includes managing and leading a team of fellow professionals, then earning a graduate degree will help you develop the skills necessary to advance within your chosen field. Your undergraduate degree most likely focused on the disciplinary aspects of your field, while a graduate degree will put emphasis on some extremely important skills — critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, and managerial capabilities.
Entrepreneurs With Graduate Degrees:
At this juncture, you may be asking yourself: Why do I need to get a graduate degree? Lots of successful entrepreneurs didn't even finish college!
Well, while not all startup companies were launched by professionals who pursued graduate education, it's actually much more common than you may think. Most accomplished, disruptive entrepreneurs today do have graduate degrees, such as:
- Marketing Guru — Seth Godin
- Business Strategist and Consultant — Rita Gunther McGrath
- IT Expert — Roy Atkinson
- Finance Expert — Sallie Krawcheck
- PayPal — Peter Thiel
- Stitch Fix — Katrina Lake
- Indigo Ag — Geoffrey von Maltzahn
- Arterys — Fabien Beckers
These are just a few of the many successful entrepreneurs who first pursued an advanced degree in their field of focus. Check out Fast Company's list of The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies 2019 or Forbes list of 2019 Billionaires for more inspiration.
Graduate Degrees Perfect for Aspiring Entrepreneurs:
Seriously considering graduate school but aren't sure which degree is right for you? We've listed a few graduate degrees offered at West Virginia University that could put you on the path to entrepreneurial success, depending on your field of interest. You can also check out WVU's website for a comprehensive list of graduate program offerings.
- Instructional Design & Technology — The Master of Arts in Instructional Design and Technology, offered by the College of Education and Human Services, prepares students for jobs as technology integration specialists or online curriculum specialists. Teachers looking for a master’s degree may also find this a perfect complement to undergraduate degrees.
- Software Engineering — Professionals working in the fields of information technology and computer industries can enhance their education and career possibilities by enrolling in the online master’s degree in Software Engineering program offered by the WVU Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. With Software Engineering being one of the fastest growing professions throughout the government and industry sectors, you will receive your education from top industry experts and executives as well as tenured research faculty in Software Engineering.
- Design & Merchandising — Those pursuing a master’s degree in Design & Merchandising at WVU will learn how to design with a focus on environmental sustainability through the application of new materials and technologies in novel forms and product designs. In this program, you'll focus on research addressing design interaction and inclusive design; environmental sustainability; applications of new materials and technologies; new forms and new product design; and new developments in the history of design criticism and curation.
- Business Data Analytics — If you’re interested in big data and the rewards that come with a career in technology: WVU’s master’s program in Business Data Analytics might be for you. By the end of this year-long online program, graduates will be armed with all the tools necessary to become a trail blazer in big data, including data mining, decision sciences and analytics, and ethics and data collection.
- Public Administration — WVU's graduate degree in Public Administration prepares students to serve their community and their country. The program gives graduates the leadership and management skills needed to solve complex issues involving health and wellness, economic planning, sustainable community development, national parks, and historic landmark preservations, to name a few. MPA alumni have been employed post-graduation by organizations such as Deloitte, FBI, West Virginia Office of the Governor, and West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.
- Sport Management — Sport management professionals seek to change the perspective of sports in society. Rather than viewing them as purely a spectacle, instructors, managers, and athletes alike dig deeper to see what positive effects sports can have on both the participants and their surrounding communities. With a master’s in Sport Management from WVU, professionals can excel in fields such as athletic training, event management, marketing, or resource management.
- Graphic Design — For an emphasis on fine arts, WVU offers a MFA in Graphic Design. This curriculum is designed to help students master the art of ceramics, graphic design, intermedia/photography, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. These elements are important because they work to find new ways to communicate effectively, which is a huge goal for businesses everywhere.
Are you ready to disrupt and challenge conventional thinking?
Startups need professionals with a wide variety of advanced degrees and skills, demonstrating that the degree itself is not as important as the competencies learned while earning it.
If you see yourself thriving in startup culture but recognize that you need to arm yourself with graduate degree-level skills, we hope you'll consider checking out the West Virginia University Resource Library to jumpstart your graduate school decision process! We know choosing a graduate school can be challenging, but we promise that we're here to help in whatever way we can.
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