How to confront the last year in University

The Perspective

In the beginning of this project, I was close of winning about 10000 Euros in a competition directed towards final-year students of the Swedish Gymnasium in Sweden. 

The competition rules were easy: Describe what dream you would like to fulfil if you won the money. I described my goal, to buy a sailboat and sail around the world in it. They discovered me, and I was elected together with 5 other participants in the competition to get featured on their website. In the end I never won the money. I was instead able to get my hands on a cheap Hurley 22 for 1000 euro.

This was back in 2014, I was 18, just getting out of high-school without money but with a head filled with motivation and determination to realize my one single dream: to acquire unlimited freedom in my young years to explore myself, the world and the sea, and as well acquire time to create. A boat was the key to my freedom and self-fulfilment. 

The Question of Today

That was 4 years ago. Today I'm 23 years old, much richer, both in money and in knowledge, such as French and mathematics, problem solving techniques and project management. And when I think of my aging dream, to acquire ultimate ability and freedom to explore and create in this world, in a sustainable but highly adventurous manner, on the sea sailing, I get the same feeling of potential as I had when I started. And I get eager to pursue work in accordance to that potential.

And I ask the question repeatedly to myself: is it worth to continue study? My wisdom says yes; It is, because a degree in Innovation Engineering is very good for an aspiring entrepreneur to have, it is a mark-of-proof that the person can handle innovation projects and succeed with them. It is also good training ground before the real work starts. It is possible to fail, it is not your money and time that is spent, it is the governments money. To get paid for creating a business is a fantastic opportunity.

The subject of choice for me is to create a boat that proves the idea of ultimate and unresistable freedom on the water. A boat that offers to its user a simpler life that is more adapted to our current situation, where we define our lives on internet, and where we must travel sustainable, and feel that the quality of our life is great, and that our effort having a low footprint on the environment is at the same time successful.

The Problem – Time

But there is not enough time for that now. I have only one year left of my studies, and a boat takes awfully long time to build, even a small one. To that opportunity, the door is shut.

However, it would have been enough time if I initiated such a project in the beginning of my studies in Halmstad. But I didn’t, despite I was writing to myself that I would. Why didn’t I?

I realised why during my second year in university. It was because I had not yet given to myself before I tried to give to others. I had built a theory, a vision and a why that had little connection to personal experience to the subject itself: Sailing on the sea, the life of a live-aboard, becoming a self-directed learner and experienced in maintaining relationships in a travelling through internet, as a traveller and boatowner. I could therefore not pursue the ideas and visions I had, even though the thought on freedom on the seas had occupied my mind daily since I was 18 years old.

This is also the reason why I avoid praising about the subject too much, on blogs and in the daily life. I cannot encourage an idea to others I am not myself representing. It was fine during Southbound and Solo, but during my studying years I didn’t feel the qualification just as much, also, I had my mind on mathematics and a lot of other new stuff that entered my mind at that time.

There is a difference between theory and experience. For example, Elon Musk had the idea of an electrical car start-up long time before he decided to invest in Tesla. The moment he decided was when he got a ride in their sportscar prototype. It was first when he experienced the product himself he got involved in the work of the entrepreneur, to share the product with the rest of humanity. Become the change you want to see. That is step number 1. I can therefore not build a boat and start to sell it. First, I need a prototype and the self-earned experience on the sea that proves my theory.

I still have this work in front of me. I am not a liveaboard sailor. I have not yet experienced the sea, and I’m therefore yet unqualified to contribute in the area.

An entrepreneur must be determined the product has value to the customers before launching the business. The realization of a prototype creates that assurance of delivering direct value to the customer. If the prototype fails, no customer has been involved and the trust in the idea is maintained.

This is the reason the CEO talks in broad strokes about the vision and the why about the company, and not about the product specifically. The product is just a footprint of the status of the business ability to realize the vision to the customer. It has nothing to do with the product. However, it is necessary for the entrepreneur to take a leap of faith in the process of reaching the end-goal, a satisfying prototype in accordance to the vision of the business. Here UNITI and Lewis Horne is a good example, it was his vision, which was based on brainstorming with POST-IT notes in a dorm, that realized the promising prototypes he has now showed to the investors and customers.

The idea can be clarified by talking to customers, but it will not be enough. To be able to know how they experience the product, it is necessary to put on the shoes of the customer, to be the customers yourself. As an entrepreneur, you are an interpreter of the customer’s needs and wants, and the interpreter must know the language and the subject to be able to interpret effectively towards greater value. Keep in mind: The customer does not work for better value, because it doesn’t plan to start a business on its ideas. The ideas and opinions are extremely valuable, but they are not law, and should not be treated as such. It is between the lines that the value lies.

The Third Year

So, the third year lies ahead, and the following thought appears: what if I sign up to something that is not going in the same direction as myself? The subject is Mental illness, depression and loneliness. Very interesting subjects for a person that want to encourage people to get even more lonely on boats. (ironically, but still true). But is there time for such a project, and will it work, and will I learn what I ought to learn? It is a lot of work, especially if one aims on becoming the best group.

Also, Sven Yrvind is back in Sweden and has begun the work on the new cruiser. He needs money. Perhaps we can make a good collaboration, realise the visions together, and get two boats ready for the seas. Doing that is inspiring and great. It will create synergy effects. It will be in accordance to your purpose in life, to demonstrate the potential of sailing and the freedom it gives. It is truly an opportunity.

However, when one reflects upon it, the time and effort for building a boat is perhaps never compatible with studying in university. It is just too much construction time and too costly, focusing on the academics becomes too hard at the same time. It is only one year left, and if you chose a subject which will benefit from the resources available in the school, for example a subject in illness, the leverage will become greater and the profit higher. It is very risky combining innovating boat building with academics, because of the complexity of the problem. Better to stand on own feet with Yrvind after school, as a separate innovation project. Then the resources will be better for such an project.

Alternatively, you finish the prototype, sail it, and then return to school to finish your studies. But the question arises, how prepared will you then be to confront the last year with success?

Perhaps quite so, you will have a lot of time to reflect as you sail. But still, it will be another chapter in your life, will you even have the motivation to finish the studies?

After all – Do you want to have a degree in innovation engineering?