Recently I listened to an episode of The Diary of a CEO by Stephen Bartlett, and one part made me think a lot. It was an interview with the founder of Snapchat.
At the time, he was studying at Stanford, then the company started growing so fast he had to pause his studies. This wasn't surprising because I've seen it happen in the startup world—but the thing is, he didn't drop out permanently. He returned to study and completed his degree in 2018.
The Thought-Provoking Reason
The reason I'll always remember isn't because he felt regret or was missing something, but because he didn't want to sit down one day and explain to his son why he didn't finish. He didn't want to set a precedent for his child that quitting halfway is acceptable, just because work or success came early.
What made me reflect even more was how he talked about creativity.
Creativity is the Starting Point
His son likes to draw, and he said: creativity is not the destination, but the starting point. Drawing isn't just about making something beautiful—it's a tool, a way to express the world as you see it. I found myself nodding along. I think the same way.
For me, university isn't where you learn everything in the world. But it teaches you how to think. It gives you a framework to ask questions, to view life from different angles. And each person, when placed on that journey, develops their own unique types of creativity—no one is the same.
Learning Like Planting Seeds
I think university is like planting seeds. You can't eat the seed—you have to wait for it to sprout, grow, then bear sweet fruit. Knowledge in university is the same—it's the foundation, the beginning, not everything.
So when I hear people criticize university as useless, or blame it for not teaching success, I feel a bit sad. Because not everything should be evaluated by money or immediate results. Some things require going through a journey, then looking back, before you see how valuable they are.
A Different Kind of Success
I'm very glad I finished my degree. Even though it meant I didn't earn as much money as friends who worked two jobs while studying. But I learned more things than I expected—about myself, about life, and about how to grow into a better person.
And for me, that's a kind of success that money can't buy.