Ask HN: Startup Advice for College Students

start.

I'm 19 - business/design (basically creating shit) is more important to me than uni. I've been too 3/4 lectures and no classes this term, and i don't regret it.

Just do it, you shouldn't even have to think about it, and find somebody just as ambitious, doing it on your own gets lonely.

Phase into it, even when im in a lecture im sketching something, you'll find out whats really important (your degree or creating your own company) to you as soon as you start.

I wish I took the leap and dropped out of college when I was attending. That's perhaps the biggest mistake I've made in my life. My best advice to you is that if you're a business guy and you're street-smart, drop out and pursue your dreams early. There's nothing comparable to learning while doing.

From one college student to another, if you can find any internships for start ups in your area do it. If you can't then get involve into any business our entrepreneurial clubs. The people in those organizations are usually are looking to engage themselves in business oriented projects. Be willing to learn as much as possible.

Just do it.

Learn Excel/MySQL/Another programming language, find out where you can get small grants for start-ups just to build a prototype and just get people using the product.

I'd recommend joining a start-up as well. Currently I'm employed at a hot start-up and every single day I am being given several projects which are essentially building/architecture projects using excel, mysql and other programming software/languages to make things useful to the business that people can use.

building is what it is about.

Try asking this question on Quora - if you haven't already. You might get more replies.

...I'm 18 going to University of Minnesota Duluth

...I'm scratching my head thinking "Why don't you just do it?"

You have the wrong angle.

Probably my favorite influence leading to startups would be these videos from huge silicon valley companies: http://ecorner.stanford.edu/popularVideos.html

Many people are going to tell you university is a waste of time but I couldn't disagree more. I hated school, but the two most valuable lessons I've ever learned were at university. They were time management and organization.

Let me ask you a counter question, what do you really want to do? If your answer is I want to be an entrepreneur, stop. What do you want to do? What do you want to make, what do you want to change, what do you want to explore?

Starting a successful startup is like playing one game of chess against 1000 of the best chess masters to ever live. You are doing more than just creating something, you're managing it. The things that do not matter are: people doing the same thing as you and having the greatest idea.

Things to consider: what am i trying to accomplish, who will use it, who will fund it, who will build it, who will maintain it, who will support it, who will talk about it, how do I market it, where will it be located, how dedicated to success am I, can I take advice and what will I do when I want to give up (and you will want to give up at one point or another).

These are all questions you have to answer, however, answering them is not enough. You need to have a plan to discover the best solution. There is a key difference. A solution implies trial and error until something is how you want it, even when its functional, being willing to invest in making it better over time. There is never just one answer.

So figure out what interests you, write a list and start checking things off. My #1 recommendation is to go and copy the questions from the YC application to startup school. Paste them in a text editor of choice and start answering them. Then, find smart young lady from the student writing center who is willing to tear it apart and rewrite it WITH you. Be flexible but fight for your words to produce the best document possible. You will understand more about your business idea than anyone when you're finished. Then go find your programmers and make it happen.