As the school year continues and class scheduling begins, students are piling up on electives that will help them determine their futures outside of school. From art to business, the possibilities of what these students can become are endless.

While roaming the hallways of school, the reoccurring question most students come across is,
“How do I become successful and make tons of money?” The common answer preached by older
generations is pursuing your education and getting a degree, a.k.a. the most traditional route.
However, newer generations are finding a way out of it; they are becoming entrepreneurs.

According to 2023 survey by Junior Achievement USA 60% of students, they would rather start
a business than have a traditional job.

In a survey conducted by Youthful Impact, they interviewed high school students and asked what
made them want to be entrepreneurs in the future. The most common answer was that they
wanted to be creative and use their skills to create something new.

Many students have passionate hobbies that they put lots of time and effort into outside of
school, like playing an instrument or baking. While these activities seem broad to start a career
out of, it helps students strengthen their creativity and motivates them to pursue something they
enjoy doing.

Students want to challenge their minds and see how creative they can be. The idea of a 9-to-5 job
is often looked down upon by a majority of students because they associate it with limited
flexibility and long hours. On social media platforms like TikTok, teenagers often post how
dreadful it seems to work a 9-to-5 job and how they won’t allow themselves to be in that position
of work in the future.

Many students, however, are confused about where to start learning how to incorporate these
passions and hobbies into something bigger – like starting a business. In a survey, highschoolers
in the Patriot community and surrounding areas were asked if they would like schools to provide
more information about the entrepreneurship fields and 74% answered yes.

Although some schools provide basic classes, students may find it helpful to learn from someone
who is experienced in the entrepreneurship field themselves. Ken Moorman, the owner of
Jirani’s Coffeehouse located in Old Town Manassas, Virginia, emphasized the importance of
students having a mentor to guide them throughout their journey of becoming entrepreneurs.

Moorman explained that finding a mentor at a young age can be strategic and provide valuable
information when starting a business. He stated that “I would say first…no matter what your age is,
get a mentor…Find someone that is doing what you dream of doing or envision of doing [and]reach out to them… I don’t know anyone or any entrepreneur that’s been doing it [business] for any time that will not welcome a young person.”

This is all true, as MicroMentor “conducted the 2018 MicroMentor Impact report and found
that 75 percent of entrepreneurs globally who received mentoring increased their revenue, and 82 percent survived their first one or two years in business, a crucial hurdle for
startups.”

Students may wonder how to find a good mentor, however. In an article published by Frisco
Chamber of Commerce, in order to find a good mentor, you should ask yourself “Do we share
the same values? Do they have the experience that can guide me to success?”

Moorman also shared pieces of advice answering those questions. He stated, “Now some kids,
depending on where you are, are like ‘I don’t know anyone’, right. Believe it or not, email…an
email saying, ‘Hey I’m Ken, I aspire to have a janitorial service or an IT tech service, can I get a
few moments of your time?’ You got to try different avenues, to become an entrepreneur it’s not
as just cook and cutter as, ‘I’m going to college, sign up’ you have to have some hustle, you have
to have some grind.”

As a young person, it’s crucial to have ambition and self-trust to start a business and expect it to
grow as Moorman indicated. That is exactly what Jack Shehata, a Patriot High School student
had when he started his Christian clothing brand, Divine, during his sophomore year of high
school.

The clothing brand consisted of many hoodies, sweatpants, and shirts with biblical quotes
appealing to a Christian audience.

When asked what drove him to start the brand, he answered that “The main reason was because I
never wanted to have a 9-5 job and that was before I even got a part time job getting paid a fixed
amount, which is why I quit because I just can’t do it. It’s just uncomfortable and it feels limiting
to what could be something like an empire that I build from an idea.”

He went on to say, “I just think having a business gives me more freedom.”

However, Shehata is definitely not the only student who has come across the same thoughts. In
2021, 847 companies were reported to be created by students, showing a rise of 400% compared
to previous years. This rise shows how much more accessible it has become for students to start
businesses with online tools provided for them to transform their ideas into dreams to come true.

Between the years of 2010 and 2022, the amount of college undergraduate enrollment declined
by around 15%. This may suggest that overtime students have started seeking a more nontraditional route to start their careers, like becoming entrepreneurs, rather than going to college.

From 2015 with 2.8 million small business applications to 2023 with 5.5 million applications, the rise
of entrepreneurship is evident.