h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I can't understand why at school, I was taught about calculus, what the capital of some foreign country is, and when certain peoples invaded somewhere, but never once was I taught anything about running a business. Not even the most basic things.
Couldn't we have it available to be taught? Then people with no business ambition could do one thing, and those of us with an inkling that we might want to be entrepreneurs, could learn it.

"Couldn't we have it available to be taught?"

My brother (now 40) learnt about running a small business years ago when he was in sixth form, and I'm pretty sure that other schools do have projects where they learn about making and selling products, even if only in a small way.

My son's school is a specialist in 'Business and Enterprise', so schools do teach these things, and have done for some years.

Been there, done it, got the T-shirt... (and the grey hairs)

Ran my own restaurant for 4 - 5 years in France, employing anywhere between 3 and 6 waiters and kitchen staff at any one moment (in addition to myself and the missus) ... And if my idea of running your own business is skewed - you should try it over here in the land of the bureaucrat!

I'm now quite happily sat here in a job with a quarter of the spending power I had before hand, but with ten times the security and 100x less stress...

I might do it again one day - but for the time being - I'll take the easy option of a pay statement each month!

Businesses need not necessarily be created just to make money. For instance, an artist might need a certain business knowledge to put food on the table, but the art should come first, and the money second. Hence all the starving artists in the world.

My point is that some people who have businesses, don't feel compelled to work all hours running that business, since it is there to enable a different function to be performed.

>>Fair points all. No, I don't have a specific question. It's just that the general tenor of comments made about businesses shows a complete lack of understanding from some people.<<

Well I am a professional scientist and over some of the stuff that gets asked (or not asked half the time) over on the SEx forum. You're not on your own with people pontificating about stuff they know jack all about.

And science *is* taught in schools. Just because someone has a GCSE or A level in home economics - it doesn't mean they're Delia Smith all of a sudden.

Incidentally, for those that think businesses get preferential treatment:

In 2003, changes to the law meant that someone claiming discrimination in employment no longer had to provide evidence, the burden of proof was passed onto businesses to show that they didn't discriminate. The person making the claim is eligible for Legal Aid, businesses have to pay their own costs - even if they win.

A recent case involved a surveyor who took 72 companies and public sector organisations to tribunal, claiming racial discrimination when they didn't give him a job despite the fact he didn't have the necessary qualifications. He lost every case and the legal bill was around £500,000.