The myth of the highly successful college (or even high school) dropout has lodged itself firmly in the startup scene. I couldn't help but wonder: How important is that piece of paper to startup founders when they're looking to hire talent? Or put another way, can you really drop out of school and get hired by the next Facebook?
To find out what entrepreneurs care about most when hiring key staff members, I asked 11 successful entrepreneurs their thoughts on the importance of formal education for their core team. These were their responses:
[seealso slug="famous-dropout-comebacks"]
1. The data says experience matters more
-- Matt Mickiewicz, Hired
2. Experience is education enough
-- Will Land, Accessory Export, LLC
3. Love of learning matters more than specialization
-- Corey Blake, Round Table Companies
4. Experience over education every time
5. Formal education is an investment -- in yourself
-- Roger Bryan, Enfusen Digital Marketing
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6. Character is more important
-- Parker Powers, Millionaire Network
7. Education plus curiosity is the best combination
8. A degree is not a must-have
-- Maren Hogan, Red Branch Media
9. Not everyone should drop out
-- Mark Cenicola, BannerView.com
10. Experience and passion trump formal education
-- Amanda Aitken, Girl's Guide Courses with Amanda Aitken
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11. It depends, but cultural fit isn't negotiable
