How many of the things we are interested in people doing actually require four years of college? Certainly, there are careers – notably engineering, medicine and law – that require formal university degrees.
Yet, for many young adults, especially those interested in business or entrepreneurship, there are alternate paths that might be just as valuable.
Omer Bloch, the 27-year-old CEO and founder of the international recruitment agency, FAVA, is a highly successful millennial who did not default to the typical high school to college trajectory.
Although he’s never received a formal college degree, Bloch concurs that the most important quality an entrepreneur can have is the ability to learn – it just doesn’t have to be within the walls of academia.
A two-time college dropout, Omer Bloch speaks three languages and is working on becoming fluent in a fourth. In addition to leading his ever-growing team at FAVA, he has launched his own podcast, Hire/Fire, and is frequently solicited for guest appearances by established hosts.
It doesn’t take long listening to Omer Bloch speak to discover he possesses the core qualities of mind and character that we could only hope our most highly ranked business schools would develop. Bloch is optimistic, forward-thinking, and eager to create new paradigms that have a winning impact. He is a rare blend of confidence, competence, humility and integrity. So how did he do it?
While his college-attending peers were taking a smorgasbord of distribution courses and quietly reading books in the campus library, Omer Bloch was hustling hands-on experience from the school of life. From marketing energy drinks, to Uber driver, to selling cars, golf equipment, digital advertising and more, Bloch squeezed as much as could be learned about business and human nature from each and every job and mentor. His education culminated in founding FAVA in 2020. His mission: to enhance the lives of 10,000 people from all over the world in remote jobs that financially benefit both them and his client companies.
Mike Rowe, the famous American actor, producer, writer and spokesman has said, “Not all knowledge comes from college.” Omer Bloch’s success story confirms that classroom attendance is not a prerequisite to knowledge and a college diploma isn’t necessary to prepare for a rewarding business career. There is honor, opportunity and prosperity in holding, like Bloch, a degree from the school of life.
