Halfway Reflection

In order to keep with this course, I had to develop a sense of working ahead on assignments. Most of the classes I have taken at UF consisted less of assignments but more of quizzes and exams. Some classes just had a few exams throughout the semester and a few quizzes and that’s what determined your grade. As for the online lectures, I found that watching them all in one sitting on the same day they were uploaded worked best for me. I was able to get the information from them in a consistent manner, and it allowed me to focus on the topics being covered that day. As for interviewing people, I had to work up some sense of persistence and patience when trying to approach random people to talk to.

One moment when I felt like “giving up” was after the first ‘Testing the Opportunity Hypothesis’ assignment. I always thought of myself as socially awkward, and whenever I tried to refine my awkwardness, I’d end up making social interaction even more awkward. I was able to conduct the amount of interviews needed for the assignment over the span of a few days and a lot of hesitant approaches. However, I tried to draw out the interviews as long as possible in order to meet the 10 minute minimum requirement, and in doing so, did not meet the minimum requirement. I was pretty disappointed in myself and my lack of ability to make a conversation with a stranger last at least ten minutes. I became discouraged. However, I wanted to succeed in this course – and that meant talking to more people. I decided to change my mindset and didn’t take myself so seriously when approaching strangers. Because of that, they were willing to talk more and I was able to make the interviews longer on the ‘Figuring out Buyer Behavior No. 1’ assignment.

Some advice for a student who plans to take ENT 3003 in the fall 2016 semester:

1. Reflect on why you want to take this class to begin with. Don’t take it just because there’s no exams. I assumed that because there were no exams yet it was a 4 credit course, there had to be some aspect of the class that made it equivalently as time consuming as a usual 4 credit course. You do have to dedicate a decent amount of time and effort in order to meet the requirements. By figuring out why you want to take this course, you will be able to focus on developing a ‘tenacious mindset’ rather than trying to complete this course and never think about it ever again. Tenacity is one of the most important things about being an entrepreneur, according to Mike Colwell who runs Plain Angels, an Iowa angel investor forum. Tenacity is also applicable to success in life in general.
   
2. Be constructively critical of other students’ ideas. Be open to critique from other students also. The ability to adapt your ideas based on helpful critique will leave you with encouragement rather than a sense of disappointment.
   
3.  If you find yourself in this course and feel like it doesn’t apply to what your aspirations are, then try to figure out how it can. I know that’s one of those “easier said than done” phrases, but it could really help you with determination. Entrepreneurship is a mindset. It doesn’t have to be reserved for the “business-types”. I believe that the mindset of identifying opportunity can be helpful in any field.

A quote from Louis Pasteur, a pioneer and innovator in medicine.