Jasmine Rodgers  |  Contributing Writer

Getting a job has become increasingly competitive. Is the solution entrepreneurship?

For decades, one of the main purposes of getting a college education has been to equip a student to find a job, or at least be qualified by graduation to get a position.

Thousands of dollars are spent, student loans taken out and various internships completed in the hope the student will have a resume that would make potential employers interested in their expertise. That is the expectation, but this is the reality: Unemployment, though improving, is high and the postgraduate job market is highly competitive, which makes finding work difficult.

As a result, some 20-something newly graduated students, including ones at Azusa Pacific, have turned to creating their own businesses both as a way to make money and incorporate their passions and interests into their professions.

As common as entrepreneurship is becoming among recent college graduates, not much research on the topic exists, despite the emergence of young and successful entrepreneurs like Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg and Tumblr founder David Karp. These are just two examples of young entrepreneurs who have become successful from their enterprises in the technology business.

The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, a British research organization, thought the research on young people starting their own businesses was sparse enough that members conducted a study on the topic to find more empirical knowledge about the trend.

“As part of their Inspiring Enterprise Partnership, the RSA and RBS [Royal Bank of Scotland] sought to plug this gap by listening to and analyzing the stories told by young people about their entrepreneurial journeys: from the emergence of their business idea, to the inception of their business, to where they are today,” RSA’s website states.

The comprehensive study, “Disrupt Inc.: How Young People Are Challenging the Conventions of Entrepreneurship,” revealed many startups were accidents that began imperfectly but evolved into functional, lucrative businesses.

Additionally, the report found that funding for young entrepreneurs tended to be geared toward supporting more conventional business plans rather than the unconventional routes to business ownership.  The study also gave suggestions on how more government programs could be created to help young entrepreneurs.

Even though little is known about these patterns, trials and tribulations, it is evident many young people have indeed turned to entrepreneurship both during and after their college years. Whether to pay off student debt, escape working in an office or make money from their passions, young people’s startups have begun to make a significant mark in the world of business.

Some millennials have found ways to make money from digital media. Today, there are millions of YouTube users and channels catering to different audiences, ideas and movements. There are some individuals whose YouTube videos have gone viral, enabling them to launch professional online careers.

Take, for example, the YouTube-famous entertainer Jenna Marbles.  With just over 14 million subscribers, Marbles creates comedic videos ranging from makeup tutorials to celebrity impersonations.  In four years, her channel has become one of the most popular on YouTube.

According to a feature in The New York Times about Marbles, her estimated annual income from her channel is almost $350,000.  This is a far cry from the money he was making from an unused master’s degree in sports medicine and jobs as a go-go dancer, blogger and bartender.

Marbles is just a relatively rare example of many other young entrepreneurs whose education ended up not leading them to a “traditional” profession. As individuals find new ways to use technology as a steppingstone for entrepreneurship, it’s possible technology could be a major medium of success for college graduates.

Of course, others have gone into business for themselves and not had technology-based businesses. Dillard University graduate Farah Akbar and current APU student Colton Hughes have turned their passions into their own businesses. Akbar, who owns and operates a writing company called Scribe, decided her love of writing was going to become her career. Although she still works a part-time job, entrepreneurship was alluring because she could make her own schedule. Ideally, she hopes her company will grow over the years.

“My overall goal is [to] grow this company to a point where it can support me and fund my dream venture, Tabeux,” Akbar said. “I want the company to grow to 30 employees, and [I want] develop an app to help users with grammar.”

In contrast, Colton Hughes, creator of Pioneer Handcrafted Boards, is a first-year student at APU and has just started his business. The company was conceived from his dual love for skateboarding and carpentry. So far he has four styles of boards that he makes, all of which are ‘80s, “Lords of Dogtown”-inspired cruisers coming in different sizes and designs.

Although he is currently undecided on his major, Hughes has a clear goal in mind for how he wants his business to ultimately look.

“I would love for it to be [enough] to support a lifestyle,” Hughes said. “Not because I started the company to make money — I would love it to be able to do it more often, … and teach other people how to create them [the boards].”

Even though their entrepreneurial endeavors are drastically different, both Akbar and Hughes’ advice to other young entrepreneurs is to make sure their business is a passion, and not only a way to make money.

“Be ready for it to consume your thoughts,” Hughes said. “I think that’s how you’ll figure out whether or not you love it or if you’re doing it for the money.”

Whether postgraduates choose to enter into the “traditional” professional world or turn their passions and dreams into businesses, many factors must be considered. However, entrepreneurship as an option for postgraduates does not seem to be out of reach.