The Advantages Of Being A Student

I have just come back from a talk about self-employment for graduates and it made me realise how much easier it is to set up a business while still studying. The first thing of course was the workshop itself. I am e-mailed about various workshops and lectures etc going on in the university and normally pay them little attention but this one caught my eye for obvious reasons: Working for yourself: how to get started. I made up my mind then and there that I was going to go along and it occurred to me this morning, as I was heading down, that if I wasn't a student, I wouldn't get this opportunity. I also wouldn't have access to all the advice and facilities that the university has to offer.

Being a student has so many advantages when trying to start a business. If you have been following my blog you may remember how it all started: there was a fundraiser in my halls of residence. If I hadn't had that opportunity, I doubt I would have a Facebook page or blog or twitter, hell, Made by Emma wouldn't exist! There is also that safety net when you are a student. Yes, you are a young adult, yes, you are independent and yes, you have no money, but it is the safest time to make mistakes. Students generally only have to look out for number one, there is no worrying about bringing up a family or serious financing and mortgages and such like. All we have to worry about is our studies and whether our loan will reach till the end of the fortnight. We have everything going for us and don't even get me started on us being the digital generation!

This is turning into a bit of a rant/pep talk to student entrepreneurs (there, I said it!) and I didn't mean for that to happen but this talk psyched me up to do lots of business-y things.

The talk did highlight some things that I really need to consider. Things like a timeline for when I want things to happen by, an actually business plan and, possibly most importantly, that one thing that I keep hearing everywhere: NETWORKING. 
These are things I am going to try working on in the near future but for the time being I have to focus on another point: balancing things and organising my time effectively *cough cough architecture *cough cough.

So a blog entry to keep you occupied while I get on with course work and you wait for my new cards to come up on Facebook later including Christmas cards. They, and craft fairs and fundraisers will be the topic of my next entry - no more ravings for the time being!