- Am I an entrepreneur?
- The definition of an entrepreneur presented in this course is “a person who introduces new products and services, ideally for a profit.” I am currently not operating any organization or business, nor am I working for one that offers innovative or new products in exchange for monetary compensation. On that front, I am not an entrepreneur. However, one of my hobbies is creating art pieces, and I sell pieces that no longer serve me to purchase more art supplies. From a particular perspective, someone could view this hobby as me acting as an entrepreneur.
- What is success?
- Success is often described and defined through its antithesis to failure. Success is viewed as rigidly achieving the goals one has set out to accomplish. However. I view success as a much more nuanced topic and is incredibly relative. To me, success is more defined by the path one takes to achieve their goals and how that shapes their character and their fulfillment towards the end of their journey. Someone unable to achieve their goals due to circumstances outside of their control like physicality or disability, being forced to pivot, but finding purpose and fulfillment through a diverging path they discovered on the original journey, would be viewed as most as a failure. However, I see success in acknowledging personal and societal barriers and maneuvering to find a fulfilling purpose.
- Am I a self-starter? How well do I follow through on my ideas?
- I am a self-starter. If there is an endeavor that piques my interest enough to pursue it, I delve into as many topics as possible about it. I do a plethora of research, study any information available, cross-reference my findings, and slowly and gradually acquire the tools or skills necessary to embark on the endeavor. Through this meticulous research, I can quickly discover if the endeavor is a simple fad or if it intrigues me enough to pursue it continuously. Understanding and differentiating what a passing phase is and what could fulfill me at my core is essential to determining which endeavors I will follow through on.
- How does ODU view entrepreneurship?
- ODU views entrepreneurship as a vital part of the student’s education and transitions into the corporate environment. ODU uses entrepreneurship to offer students tools to innovate. The transition from schooling to the workplace is difficult for young adults. Learning from a textbook and through a lecture is incredibly helpful. Still, many young adults struggle after college because they don’t know how to apply their book intelligence to career traversing or business management. Entrepreneurship bridges this gap by helping students learn and comprehend the material in a manner that allows for more intuitive, flexible, and practical applications.
- What is my role in this ecosystem?
- My role in this ecosystem is to be a grounded yet adaptable asset. I aim to fully understand the fundamentals of my chosen career so that I may always stay within the bounds of my ideas that they become ludicrous. However, my chosen career is in the intersection of public defense and computer science, cybersecurity. These industries require innovative solutions to common problems isolated from each other. A career involving proper defense combined with the constantly evolving tech world requires immense innovation from those who operate within it. I aim to be a resource knowledgeable in the fundamentals enough to use practicality to its full potential and have enough innovation to help push the industry forward and prevent stagnation.