Universities teach grads to go it alone

By Linda Nguyen. Students create their own job opportunities. Phil Jacobson thought getting a business degree would help open doors on Bay Street. He didn't expect it would also help him become a big wig on Main Street.
"I figured, out of all the undergrad possibilities that were out there, a business degree would position me as the most well-rounded coming out of school," said the 22-year-old president and co-founder of mobile app PumpUp.
"So I could either start something or get a great job and just have those good skills."
After graduating last summer from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., Jacobson decided that his dream wasn't to get poached by a big financial firm. Instead, he wanted to continue working for himself. And he's not alone. Although there are no statistics on how many university students become employers or self-employed after graduation, in recent years, Canadian universities have begun to update their curriculum to support an increasing number who want to work for themselves once they finish school. Traditionally, post-secondary institutions mainly focused on teaching students the skills needed to get hired by someone else. Read more...