In college and dreaming of launching a startup? Here's what I suggest.

In college and dreaming of starting your own business?

Here's what I suggest 👇

Try to get the best-paying job you can find after graduation. Even if it's something you hate. It's likely this isn't an entry-level corporate job (especially if it requires a long commute), and it may have nothing to do with your major. That's OK.

Plan to work there for two years. Don't worry about getting promoted, and don't use your free time to try and get ahead of your peers. Just do the minimum to not get fired.

Use your free time to study startups and tech in whatever space you're interested in entering. Find people online who have jobs/companies you admire, and follow them religiously.

Rent one single room and sock away the cash. Forget about 401K employer match. Just put as much $$ into your liquid savings account as you possibly can.

Don't eat out and don't travel unnecessarily.

After two years, quit your job and move to a low-cost city (assuming you don't already live in one). Find a part-time gig to pay rent, and spend the rest of your time working on your startup.

You should have a good runway of savings to give you enough time to get something going.

Yes, this can be done with student loans. But maybe not if you've gone ~$100K in debt for school. (If that's you, you'll need a different approach, and/or probably didn't go to school without a specific career path in mind already.)

And no, I don't suggest moving back in with your parents ever. I just think moving out is important to set a new baseline. If you live Manhattan or something, maybe that's a different story.

Invest heavily in online communities of like-minded founders. Indie Hackers, Twitter communities, etc.

Work a TON on your startup. Don't worry about doing everything perfectly. Take your time to build the right product/service.

If you can, travel to see friends. Stay on their couches. Pack light. Get in the habit of working 10+ hours a day, no matter where you're at.

For these two years, try to minimize your obligations. Just work and hang out with friends. Take both super seriously, and neither less seriously than the other.

Hopefully, you can quit your part-time gig soon enough. But if not, hopefully you'll be able to add a few more hours/month before having to give up on your startup entirely.

This isn't the exact path I took. But mine wasn't too far off. And I've seen others have lots of success with a similar model.

Thoughts?