Education Contributed To Business Success For Dallas Entrepreneur
Shams Juma is an Internet entrepreneur. His entrepreneurial spirit has led him to overcome two business failures and launch Quantifye, an online consulting marketplace that lets businesses create projects, hire consultants, and mange those projects from start to finish.
"The next time I launch a business, I would prepare myself from a theoretical and an educational standpoint. I needed a well-rounded education to bring it all together. When I spoke to people, the first thing they asked me was where I went to college. At the time, I had some college but I hadn't earned my degree. That gut check made me decide to finish my degree," said Juma who earned a bachelor's of business administration from Texas A&M University at Commerce and his master's in technology commercialization and entrepreneurship from Northeastern University.
Why did you pursue a master's degree?
"I pursued my master's because I realized standards had changed. Macro conditions were making the world more competitive and in order for my skills to be relevant in the work force, I had to invest in obtaining a master's. Higher education also had value outside of the workforce, in fact, it gave me an opportunity to expand my personal network, and while also bringing credibility that I wouldn't have had otherwise."
"The world is becoming increasingly competitive, and one has to constantly invest in themselves and grow their capacity. One of the biggest drivers in change is technology. Businesses are constantly turning to technology to become more efficient and operationally optimized. What used to be a labor skill a few years ago will become obsolete. If there is anything I've learned, it is that technology has no soul and is ruthless in efficiency. In fact, I plan to pursue another specialized degree in the very near future."
Juma's reward for earning the master's degree: "It was the journey and still is. While pursuing my master's, I enjoyed interacting with my peers, building my technical knowledge capital and expanding my network. From earning the master's degree doors open up for me today that were once impossible to budge."
Robin D. Everson is a native Chicagoan who resides in Dallas, Texas. Her appreciation for art, food, wine, people and places has helped her become a well-respected journalist. A life-long lover of education, Robin seeks to learn and enlighten others about culture. You can find her work at Examiner.com
