Jeff Bezos’s college advice: A reality check for Gen Z
Jeff Bezos’s college advice has struck a nerve with Gen Z after the Amazon founder urged young people not to mistake dropout success stories for the norm. Speaking at Italian Tech Week 2025, he argued that time spent learning the basics inside a strong organisation raises the odds of building a company later. It amounts to a reality check often summed up as Jeff Bezos college advice: get the fundamentals first.
The billionaire, who graduated from Princeton University in 1986 with a degree in engineering, reflected on his own path to entrepreneurship. Before launching Amazon, he spent a decade working in finance, learning the core disciplines that later shaped the company. He told the audience that romanticising the few who made it without formal education was misleading for the majority.
“It is possible to be 18, 19, 20 years old, drop out of college and be a great entrepreneur,” Bezos said. “We have famous examples of that working. But these people are the exception.”
His message lands at a moment when the cultural narrative around higher education is shifting. A growing number of young people view university as optional, convinced they can bypass formal education to become their own boss. Bezos cautioned against mistaking the exception for the rule, noting that he himself launched Amazon at 30, not 20 — a decade that, in his view, gave him the grounding to succeed.
Education | Editor’s Picks
Policy changes, assessment trends and real student life — keep reading with EyeOnLondon.
End-of-day surprises in inspections — no more, says Ofsted
What the shift means for school leaders and how inspection days will change.
Read the articleMore Education
SATs moderators to trial AI-written questions
A first look at how artificial intelligence could shape classroom assessment.
Read the articleMore Education
Student life in London: a practical guide
Housing, costs, part-time work and the best ways to make the city feel like home.
Read the articleMore Education
Rising unemployment among non-graduates
The timing of the warning is significant. Non-graduate Gen Zers currently face some of the highest unemployment rates in the job market. According to the employment charity Goodwill Industries International, many struggling to find stable work are those without higher education.
Steve Preston, the charity’s CEO, has warned that automation and AI will make this divide worse. Entry-level jobs, often filled by school leavers, are among those most vulnerable. Even as companies talk about skills-based hiring, many hiring managers still default to applicants with degrees.
Education in the AI age
Although some technologists suggest AI tools can replace traditional learning, many education experts believe formal qualifications still matter. The experiential learning platform Riipen points out that critical technical abilities, such as debugging and responsible data handling, are built on structured training rather than shortcuts.
Analysts at 2U also argue that degrees “future-proof” careers, allowing people to adapt to shifts in technology. STEM qualifications, in particular, continue to offer some of the best employment prospects and starting salaries.
For more stories on London’s business, finance, and technology trends, follow EyeOnLondon for informed and independent reporting.
[Image Credit | Getty Images via Entrepreneur]
Follow us on:
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest videos and updates!
We value your thoughts! Share your feedback and help us make EyeOnLondon even better!
