In my class on entrepreneurship yesterday, a student asked whether entrepreneurship be taught or is it that entrepreneurs are born. This is the same question as can writing be taught, or can singing be taught, or can Tennis be taught. This is a big myth.
In every field there are some natural talents and characteristics required. And these things one inherits. But then there are so many routine things that one learns from other people’s experience. Ultimately what is education — one aspect of education is sharing experiences of people who converted their experiences to systematic knowledge. And in entrepreneurship one can learn so many things from others. It is clear that by going to school and taking classes a normal person can not become Einstein or Bill Gates, but most normal people can benefit a lot from classes on any topic related to their interests.
In any case, I enjoyed the question because I hear this ‘myth’ in every area — I have heard can one be taught ‘design’ or … (name your favorite interest).