Brad Feld's Advice to MBAs: "Go Do Something Important Right

Dispensing advice to a class of University of Colorado MBA students, investor and entrepreneur Brad Feld asked them to imagine their future selves looking back on their last 15 to 20 years. Would they be fulfilled by their work, their lives?

Here  were some of his closing words (admittedly abbreviated and revisionist):

Don’t worry about money right now. You can always get a job that pays you plenty of money. Don’t worry about your resume. Don’t worry about “am I positioning myself the right way for something five years from now.” I know way too many 45 year olds who have plenty of money, have done all the right career things, yet are unhappy with where they are in life, where they live, and what they do. Don’t be that guy or gal.

His advice for aspiring entrepreneurs:

[C]hoose a domain that you want to dedicate your life to...If you want to be an entrepreneur, working at an investment bank or consulting firm for a while is pointless. Be an entrepreneur starting now. Pick that domain that turns you on the most – start at a high level (e.g. software, Internet, clean tech) but then pick a thing that you really care about and a set of problems you want to solve. If you aren’t technical, go find a technical co-founder right now – there are hundreds of them on this campus. Get your ass out of your chair and just get started.

[Business Insider]

[Photo: flickr/Rocky Mountain Joe]

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