On our trip we discussed the stereotypes and beliefs surrounding entrepreneurship. The most common cliché is that entrepreneurs are hardworking loners, introverted inventors and risk takers that are on the edge of loosing everything if their business idea fails. Also the media tends to promote stories of these risk takers who without much education turned a crazy idea into a million dollar business. These types are easy to criticize and knock over, but stereotypes can also tell us the general conception and image that might stop people from considering to start up a business. Keeping the dreaded risks in mind, I have also pondered what kind of equation humanities and entrepreneurship can create. Could these stereotypical challenges be won over by the skills that humanities can create? Would it be possible to translate the knowledge I have into creating a business?

From this to action?

During the trip it became clear that entrepreneurial work is one way to employment among others. It’s an independent, responsible and creative path to turn your own interests, knowledge and visions into a source of livelihood instead of working for someone. As a student of arts and humanities I’ve come across the mentioned stereotypes- even prejudices, since traditionally most entrepreneurs work outside this field. To generalize from the large scale of humanistic approaches, our skills are for example critical thinking, cultural knowledge, intercultural and communication skills. From this viewpoint networking and cultural understanding can be for example used to create social and economic value. The problem here could be that our studies don’t always support the process to determine what our expertize is. When wanting to change something, putting together the values and ideas of humanities with the skill set of entrepreneurship one can create problem solving strategies needed in the future. Entrepreneurs look at the outside world searching for ways to clinch these problems.

It’s also important to team up! If you come up with an idea you want to carry on with, students from such back rounds should be more active in connecting with people with the necessary skills they are possibly lacking. Multidisciplinary synergy and for example extra knowledge on how to run a business is easily accessible. Maybe we will see interdisciplinary programs for future entrepreneurs at Universities in the future?