Oyo’s Ritesh Agarwal, a college dropout, regrets not getting a formal education

Ritesh Agarwal revealed four key learnings from his journey to becoming the CEO and co-founder at OYO on Twitter.

OYO Rooms co-founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal revealed that when he is asked by others about whether he missed out on having a college life, he always replies with a "resounding YES".

But while he felt he missed out on having a college experience, the time he spent at the Thiel fellowship taught him several lessons and recently, Agarwal had a reunion with the other members who were part of the fellowship and he shared four key lessons from his journey.

"1. Thinking big: When I was starting out, I had no background or knowledge to break into the hospitality industry. At the Thiel Fellowship, there were teenagers with no background, experience or resources - yet they had ambitions to build something with a global reach. I was always told here, that you need to think big while starting out but be practical in your execution," Agarwal wrote on Twitter.

"2. Naivety is good but don't be naive all the time: As an entrepreneur, people doubt your ability to make a mark if you have no experience in the industry while starting out. This burden of expectations often pulls down entrepreneurs like an anchor.

It's good to have some level of naivety when building something of your own, but you can't be too naive as well. Knowledge is power. Understanding/learning about your industry is really important if you want to create a difference," he added.

People often ask me if I missed attending college and receiving a formal education. My answer has always been a resounding YES.

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The college experience is unmatched - it prepares you for the 'real-world', both personally and professionally.

But for me, The Thiel fellowship was… pic.twitter.com/1OYqsMwsvv

— Ritesh Agarwal (@riteshagar) May 11, 2023

The Twitter video generated several responses from users, most of whom praised Agarwal for the words and his thoughts.

Also read: Oyo's Ritesh Agarwal on the 'most valuable trait' for a young entrepreneur. Watch