Alex Hillman answered a listener’s question about coworking and college.

Could coworking be an alternative to going to college?

Alex is a college dropout himself.  He believes college is not for everyone.  There are other ways to get the learning experience that people go to college to attain.

People who learn through application can greatly benefit by working in a coworking space.  There is a lot of value in college students getting involved with coworking spaces before graduation.  The network that comes with coworking can greatly benefit students while they are still in school. Coworking does not have to completely replace college, but can supplement it.

There are some things that cannot be learned in a classroom.  Watching people and getting real life experience is beneficial to everyone.  Coworking provides a great environment for this to happen.

Coworking can be an alternative for some people, but not everyone.  Those who are self-aware enough to know they are paying for a degree and not getting anything out of it can use it.  If they are willing to put themself out there and open themselves up to new possibilities in the world of work then they should do it.  People can come to spaces to do their school work and test out the environment before committing to it. Give the community a chance to see if you can build a career out of a coworking space.

If the barrier to entry is money, there are ways to work with operators to get around it.