College Students Control Their Own Destinies by Playing the Boss

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Byline: Sara Faiwell Daily Herald Staff Writer

Somewhere in between studying for his course load at DePaul University, working on his thesis and practicing short track speed skating, Chris Stankiewicz finds time to run his organic lawn care business.

At just 22, you might think this college senior is atypical - he spends all of his free time working and not partying.

While trying to graduate with a degree in secondary education and social sciences, he also is managing a growing lawn company.

"Sometimes I was working 15-17 hour days at the start," he said. "When you combine this with other commitments, time management and efficiency become paramount."

More and more college students are realizing it's never too early to become entrepreneurs.

"There is no security or lifetime jobs in large corporations anymore, and the students know that," said Gerry Hills, the founder of Collegiate Entrepreneur Organization and a pioneer in teaching business startups. "They can …