Skipping college and becoming a barber?

TheBiz

I'm considering becoming a barber and not getting a 4 year degree.
I hope to be self employed in the future, I want to be financially comfortable and generally happy etc..
I'm considering going to school to become a barber, earning an income and learning about stocks shares, real estate, investing, business ownership, saving money, jewellery design, fashion design, programming/app development and possibly about acquiring other businesses.
I don't intend on barbering being my sole source of income.

I would go to college but I don't know what I want to do, nothing really stands out to me, except business but I don't want to work in a corporate job. (Kind of strikes me as strange that you don't need a business degree to do an MBA)

I also would need money to start investing in stocks etc..
Barbering is something I have an interest in, it's always been in the back of my mind 'that seems like fun', I'm creative, good with my hands and I've always heard 'go with your passion(s), work smart and hard, the money will follow'.

I'm just not 100%, I kind of feel I need to go to college, I know my parents want me to but they know as well as I do no degree really stands out, I like reading books and learning online/self learning.
Something I've also kept in my head is 'education will make you an income, self-education will make you a fortune'.
But I don't know, what do you think?

I'm just kind of blabbering and looking for someone else's input rather than 'oh college is important' or 'sure you have exams to focus on' any input? Thanks

Pawwed Rig

College isn't for everyone.
If you want to be a barber then be a barber.
Bear in mind it is not a very well paying occupation so getting the capital to follow your other interests may be difficult.

TheBiz

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

College isn't for everyone.
If you want to be a barber then be a barber.
Bear in mind it is not a very well paying occupation so getting the capital to follow your other interests may be difficult.

I know I would excel at college but I really don't know what I want to do or if the degree is worthwhile in the grand scheme of things.
That's why I'm not 100% sure, money shouldn't decide but at the same time it's not a career with a lot of growth.

Wibbs

Another angle might be TB; do the degree, at the same time maybe part time in the oul barbering and then afterwards decide? It's "only" four years at the end of the day. Then you have a fall back option plus build experience in the thing you want to do. And the barbering isn't such a bad career choice. Hair keeps growing. Even Patrick Stewart needs a trim from time to time. Better again if you can make it a wider biz, that you can expand.

johnnyskeleton

TheBiz wrote: »

I would go to college but I don't know what I want to do, nothing really stands out to me, except business but I don't want to work in a corporate job. (Kind of strikes me as strange that you don't need a business degree to do an MBA)

What do you mean by a corporate job? Strictly speaking working for a company or for someone else is much of a muchness. And if you wanted to be a self employed barber youd need start up capital.

If youd like to invest in the stock market, youd do well to know how its done. Usually, investments will be made by people who understand how to assess the profitability of companies and the wider economic situation. Studying economics would be a good idea for that.

Id also be cautious of those sayings which valorise self learning. Sure, a lot of these 1 in a million genii didnt complete formal education, but thats not to say that ignoring college is a sure fire way to make money.

My advice is, as others have said, try to do both. Study economics or something and try to get a job part time as a barber. Then see which you like. But if you dont want to go to college at all thats fine and theres nothing wrong with that choice.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

NI24

Op, if you don't want to go to college don't, otherwise it will feel like a prison sentence (except one you have to pay for). Too many people these days get a degree because it's "the thing to do", but as a result college degrees have never been so worthless; degrees are no longer earned-- they're bought. If you're not academically minded then more hands-on experience is something you would benefit from. Work hard and don't do anything because it's expected of you.

Pawwed Rig

NI24 wrote: »

degrees are no longer earned-- they're bought.

That is nonsense unless you have details of examiners or the NCEA taking cash for qualifications. Relevant degrees are always important and the results are a good indication of a persons academic ability.

TheBiz

TheBiz wrote: »

I'm considering going to school to become a barber, earning an income and learning about stocks shares, real estate, investing, business ownership, saving money, jewellery design, fashion design, programming/app development and possibly about acquiring other businesses.

I think the only part of this that is in any way clear and definite enough to base an adult decision on is the first nine words, so I'd advise you to follow those and maybe look a good bit closer into the many difficulties, risks and barriers that stop everbody else doing the other things mentioned without either a lot of cash to lose or a lot of hard-gained knowledge.

Jawgap

Sounds like you need a business degree......seriously.

Trading takes a lot of time bundled up in research and analysis - therefore you need to know how to do it properly. Learning on the job by trial and error will be a lot more costly than paying out for an education.

Plus, if you do a degree the chances of developing a network of useful contacts, etc, as well as possibly bumping into someone of a like mind increase exponentially which can all help get you started and keep you going.

Dog Man Star

The best thing anyone can do is to learn a trade after leaving school, an apprenticeship, and then go to college in early twenties.

If you do this, you can work at weekends for proper money and you can travel between terms and earn proper money.

I wish I did this when I was young.

There is far too much emphasis on getting a degree first. Become a barber first. Then the world is your oyster.