[calinet6]

Are you insane? Yeah, you'll learn by doing. You'll probably learn by failing. That's all well and good, you'll likely learn a lot.

But you can learn this also by interning at an existing business, learning how they do things, learning what they do wrong and what they do right. You'll bask in the experience of people who have already done this, and from their partners and connections. If you want to learn from a startup, then intern or work at a startup.

Outright cutting off this possibly important and valuable experience is borderline insane. This is not an absolute. This one-sided recommendation should be taken with a spoon of salt.

Both internship and entrepreneurship are valuable experiences. It's entirely dependent on who you are, what you're interested in doing, and the opportunities you find are open to you.

[ank286]

I couldn't get myself to click on the article. It just sounds like a bad idea. Industry experience is so valuable even as an entrepreneur. You learn about the efficiencies and inefficiencies of industry and it can only help you run your operation better.

[fumar]

I think your right about learning,"efficiencies and inefficiencies of industry and it can only help you run your operation better."

I have had a couple of internships. One stood out as the best learning experience. It was great to learn sales/client relations. But, most internships focus on only on role.

This is were starting a your own business makes a difference. I co-run a dog treat business. I have learned more in a year than in school or interning.

I advocate doing both. During my internships, I am always asking "why." I am curious to learn why things work a certain way. Running my own business I tend to ask "how." How can I accomplish X task(s).

Obviously, there is crossover. But, I doubt I would have been able to get a business of the ground without some experience.

[jonathanjaeger]

Well.. it depends what business and what kind of internship. There's so much variance in people's experiences in internships it's so hard to just bucket everything under "internship".

[guylhem]

Wrong. You learn even better when you figure things out by yourself.

It's called "outside of the box" thinking for a reason. If you join the box, it ain't outside the box.

[pavel_lishin]

> Wrong. You learn even better when you figure things out by yourself.

Assuming you figure out the correct answer.

[gailees]

I think it really depends on what your aspirations are. If I want to become the best engineer, then industry experience is crucial; if I want to eventually become a successful entrepreneur in the B2C space, then I think the OP has an extremely valid point.