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How necessary is a college degree? The answer depends on who you ask, and if you ask one of these six people the answer is a big fat no. For example:

A mentor can point you in the right direction. Scott Starbuck grew up a middle-class family where everyone was expected to get a college degree. But when Starbuck was kicked out of high school for punching a teacher who had abused him, everything changed. Although he started college, Starbuck also started working at a local shoe store. And that’s where he found his lifelong mentor, Bill Coveny, the shoe store’s owner. Coveny saw something special in Starbuck and invited him to partner with him to build a nationwide chain of shoe stores. So Starbuck quit school and, through his experience growing Backstage Shoes with Coveny, learned to negotiate leases, and hire, train and motivate employees. Unlike his college friends, Starbuck says he learned how to “feed himself when he was hungry.” The partners eventually sold the stores, and Starbuck went on to start his current venture, City Soles, an online shoe store.

Full story at Open Forum.

How to succeed in business.

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