What Inspires Me: How College Students are Fueled by Exponential Growth
What Inspires Me: How College Students are Fueled by Exponential Growth
The world has
changed dramatically since I was in school. My classmates and I focused on
following well-worn paths. We thrived on safety, incrementalism, feeling honored
to take low paying jobs at high profile brands gradually rising through the
hierarchy to the top. Entrepreneurs, risk-taking individual inventors and being
willing to fail in the public eye were not the norm. Big ideas, big inventions
and big change came from government research agencies like NASA or big companies
like IBM and Xerox.Wow, how times have changed. Small organizations who’ve changed the way we live, learn and communicate is the new way of the world. Ideas, companies, inventions can and do come from all over, and increasingly from the younger generation. As a result, today's high school and college students believe that they can change a business model, behavior or industry. Then, they actually set out to do it.
Even more
exciting, as these creators get younger, their ambitions and visions get more
powerful.What to many of us seems like too much self-indulgence is core to what drives this generation. Words and actions like Googling, sharing, texting, taking selfies, poking, tweeting and using #hashtags are all powerful byproducts of a generation that has changed society. This generation isn’t afraid to be in the limelight and take the lead. Sure, they too often binge watch videos, steal music, pirate software, over share, take too many photos, think people care to see what they’re eating, forget how to look people in the eye when talking and think looking and using their smartphone every second is normal behavior. But, all of that is really a product of their desire to make the world a better place by giving people what they want, where they want it, how they want and when they want it.
They no longer settle for the good old days. They are more excited about inventing even better ways to learn, share, communicate, teach, find and do things.
To me, they don't bother with the past. They keep asking how can we do it better and why are rules and regulations created to stop them. They’d rather work and create things that add lasting value to people’s lives then follow a well-worn path of security.
As a company that serves high school and college students, their attitude is infectious. They inspire us every day to build Chegg. Young people are eager to disrupt the paved road. They take ideas and run with them, not looking back. Growing up, they witnessed the exploding growth of tech so rather than being afraid by exponential growth, they’re fueled by the very notion. Here’s why:
This generation is purpose driven. So many young entrepreneurs in a few short months have built, marketed and disrupted a common practice. And they do it with passion and without fear, creating efficiency and inspiring others as they create. They’re not afraid to build the next big thing and the foundation of their success is the good that’s created from their work. It's not just about them, it's about improving people's lives.
This generation takes risks and challenges authority. They look away when it comes to convention. A successful company who has been doing it for years means nothing. Instead, they find a way to do something better, cheaper, faster, or more efficient. And, they’re not afraid to spend every penny to achieve that goal.
They didn’t get there because they followed the protocol or aimlessly went to class. There is no blueprint path for any of these projects. It took gumption, purposeful goals, and the drive to chase their dreams. Rather than waiting for information to come to them, they go and find it.
And finally, this generation invests in themselves. When they need to learn a skill to succeed at their job, they will go out and learn it. They bundle their traditional education with other tools to maximize their success. They learn from companies many of us may never have heard of, and they do it on their own time and their own dime. Companies like Chegg, Coursera, Lynda.com, Khan Academy or Code Academy to build skills and experience. They invest in keeping their bodies healthy and their minds fresh. Their hard work is an investment in their future.
Rightly so, this generation inspires me. So here, take some of their pointers for your success: Be bold. Be innovative. Take risks. Believe in yourself, don’t worry what others think and keep re-inventing yourself and take a chance, it just might work!
Photo credit: Our interns this summer at
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