College Experiences That Helped a CEO Co-Founder at Boring Stuff Succeed
Varun didn't feel their undergraduate studies directly translated to career success, but in business school, they deliberately focused on weaknesses, like taking "the hardest class ever" in business analytics with Excel, despite bombing the final, and some of it still rubbed off and became useful in their career. They suggest challenging yourself and stepping out of your comfort zone in a structured learning environment and even offering to work for free to gain experience, as they would "give that person a chance in a heartbeat."
Business Analytics, Excel, Career Pivot, Networking, Grad School
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Varun Bhuchar
CEO/Co-Founder
Boring Stuff
Dartmouth
UCLA Anderson: MBA
Film, Media Arts, Visual Arts, Political Science, American Studies
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Consulting
Honors Student, Took Out Loans
Video Highlights
1. Challenge yourself by taking classes outside your comfort zone, even if you're unsure if you'll excel. The learning experience can be surprisingly valuable.
2. Consider grad school as an opportunity to pivot your career path and acquire new skills.
3. Networking and offering to work for free to gain experience can be a valuable way to break into a new field, especially for those without specific licensing requirements.
Transcript
What did you do in college to set you up for success in your career?
I probably won't focus on what I studied in college, as it didn't really translate to what I ended up doing. However, I can talk about business school.
For business school, I wanted to focus on the things I was weak at. It might be different from other advice you've heard, but if you have an idea of what you want to do, especially if you're pivoting, I suggest challenging yourself.
Don't go to grad school and just take classes that you're already good at or interested in. Take classes in subjects that you're interested in, but have no idea if you'd be good at.
For example, I took a class on business analytics with Excel. It was the hardest class I've ever taken. The professor's Excel work was insane; to this day, I still can't explain how he did it.
I definitely bombed the final, but it was curved, so I actually did relatively well. Regardless, some of it did rub off. Now, I think about how to analyze things and if there's a way to do them in Excel, even if I wasn't on the same wavelength as the professor.
When you step out of your comfort zone, especially in a structured learning environment, you might be surprised with what you take away, even if the core experience wasn't what you expected.
In general, for undergrad, there's a tendency to view it as the new high school. This is especially true if you don't want a licensed profession like a doctor, lawyer, or accountant.
Afterwards, there's always grad school if you want to pivot. You can also try to network your way into something and hope someone gives you a chance, though that's less likely.
I'm speaking personally, so I'll be biased. If someone came to me and said they wanted to work for me for free to learn, I would give them a chance in a heartbeat. The worst that could happen is it just doesn't work out.