Elijah Khasabo starts his mornings answering emails, checking metrics, and debugging his software—a routine not all too uncommon among aspiring tech founders. But unlike many entrepreneurs, he eventually has to put his laptop down and head to his first class of the day.
At 22, Khasabo is walking a tightrope few could manage: his user-generated content platform startup Vidovo is on track to hit over $1 million in revenue this year, yet he’s still completing his senior year at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
At a time when many young people are questioning the value of a degree—thanks in part to growing student loan debt and a less-than-ideal post-grad job market—Khasabo’s time in the classroom might look like a distraction from scaling his business. He admits he’s thought about dropping out plenty of times. In fact, he waited until 14 hours before his first class of the semester to move back on campus.
“Nothing hurts more when the momentum is there. People are talking about you. You’re finally getting your respect. It’s like the bootstrap grind is finally starting to pay off—and knowing you have to go back to school in September, nothing hurts more than that,” Khasabo said.
But for him, the experience is more than just a line on his resume. It’s a jumpstart for the rest of his career.
