Why You Should Reject Your Next Job Offer
As a result of the current financial crisis, many intuitive lessons of our parents and mentors are becoming countercurrent truths. The industrial age assumption that hard work, a lot of studying, and a little luck will land you a great job for life is no longer a reality. Currently, the unemployment rate is 8.1 percent and rising (U.S. Department of labor). Students in the finance department are now fumbling for jobs and even Engineering Co-ops are being cut.
In the face of this harsh reality, everyone is struggling to find a job-secure major. In this mad frenzy, finance majors are looking into accounting, students are accepting pay cuts, and everyone is trying to stay another year for graduate school.
However, what everyone fails to realize is that true success, success measured by Pulitzers, Nobel Prizes, and Forbes magazine, does not arise from the straight and narrow. Simply put, if you are always working for someone else, you will not get very far.
Where is the golden egg, you ask? The secret to success is to be innovative, be original, and be entrepreneurial. Looking back to Forbes 400 List, one can easily see that if you didn’t get a check from a dead man, your probably started a company.
So how can you do it, and how can Lehigh help?
First, start taking risks. If you look around, the only people who have truly done anything with their lives have done something dangerous first. If you are not into dissipating cow manure or public speaking, asking people for money may be more up your alley. When it comes to starting a business, investment capital is absolutely necessary. Even if you are not willing to bet the house and max out a few credit cards, there are still other more comfortable ways to make money by finding venture capitalists.
Second, find a mentor. Taking advice from the keynote speaker of the Entrepreneurial Luncheon, Nick Nickitas, everyone can find advice from a mentor. A mentor could be a friend, but an established entrepreneur can be an invaluable asset. In this mentor search, don’t be scared to ask your role model to be your mentor. In other words, if you want Warren Buffet’s advice, don’t just dream about it, call his secretary on the phone and schedule an appointment. If it takes 40 calls over two years, then so be it. The only way you can get where you want to go is to do something unconventional.
Third, learn how to be an entrepreneur. If you are still an undergrad, Lehigh offers a suite of classes labeled “Entrepreneurship Initiative” that will give you experience in product development, consulting, or direct entrepreneurship. Specifically, Integrated Product Development (IPD), taught by Professor Ochs, teaches students the process to build, develop, and market a high-tech product; Lehigh University Management Assistance Counseling (LUMAC) gives students a unique opportunity to consult with small businesses under the supervision of Small Business Development Center (SBDC) directors; and the Entrepreneurship Minor taught by Professor Mitchell offers students a four-course continuum to focus on entrepreneurial skills with their own ideas as case studies. However, if you are planning on staying for graduate school, Lehigh offers a certificate program in Corporate Entrepreneurship under the MBA track. This unique program, directed by Professor Falcinelli, gives students eight courses to develop an entrepreneurial outlook to business-related problems. Additionally, two courses, Business Plan I and Business Plan II, give students the opportunity to truly test their ideas in a structured environment.
Still not convinced that entrepreneurship is for you? It might not be. There are not many people who are cut out to be an entrepreneur, due to the risks involved. The entrepreneurial track is only a path for those who are motivated enough to move beyond the dangers involved.
