Think you need an MBA in order to be a successful entrepreneur? Think again. There are many aspects to founding a successful business, and a foundation based on “business” (which is highly subjective) is just one of them. In fact, almost any degree you can imagine can bolster small business success if you look at it from the right angle.

Art history majors, English majors, and geography majors, unite! Your degree is perfect preparation for entrepreneurial success. I’m surprised at how many things I use daily that I learned while in college. Here are a few of the most “unorthodox for business success degrees” worth having and how to put them to work for you.

Go ahead and tell your parents and Sallie Mae to relax. Maybe you really knew what you were doing at 19 years old after all.

1. Writing and English.

There’s not a single business out there that doesn’t need the skills of a professional writer. In fact, if you specialize in a field like search engine optimization, blogging or other aspects of technical writing, you’re golden. You might even want to open your own SEO company or monetize blogs for a living. Otherwise, you’re a step ahead of the competition when it comes to drafting business plans or appealing (in emails) to investors.

2. Accounting or finance.

You might take a couple of 101 finance courses while getting an MBA, but is that going to prepare you for charting your finances to investors? Is it going to show you how to run the numbers while running a business? Understanding the financial aspects of a business can make it or break it. You can also consider starting your own financial consulting company where the sky’s the limit for revenue.

3. Communication.

This degree isn’t just for pageant contestants anymore. “Communication” is a very diverse field and includes spoken, written, and non-verbal cues. Getting a strong foundation on basically how to work with people—and subtly manipulative them to do as you wish—is the ultimate tool for entrepreneurs. Even if you don’t get a degree in it, you certainly need to excel at communication in order to succeed.

4. Computer engineering.

If you majored in this, you already have a knack for tech savviness that can take any business to the next level. From web development to analytics, taking charge of your hosting needs to mobile readiness, you can save a lot of time, hassle and trouble if caring for even a sliver of your business’ web needs is in the bag. Likewise, you can start-up a tech company (Silicon Valley address optional) and make the most of the digital era.

5. Philosophy.

Yes, there’s plenty more you can do with a philosophy degree than “just teach”. Learning critical thinking skills, thinking outside the box and elegant debating are all crucial for a small business owner. It gives you a foundation for connecting with others, seeing different perspectives and, ultimately, getting to know what makes people (like customers) tick.

Take your degree and see how it fits into entrepreneurial success. You’re sure to find a few connections and capitalizing on them is what will give you that competitive edge.

成功的创业者必须要有MBA学位？不一定。创建一家成功的公司会涉及许多因素，拥有“工商学科”背景只是其中之一。事实上，只要找对方向，几乎任何你能象到的学位都能帮助你成功创建一家中小企业。

艺术史专业、英语专业和地理专业的同学们，联合起来吧！你们的学位将为创业成功奠定最坚实的基础。我常常会为每天要用到多少大学里学到的东西吓一跳。以下，就是几类“听起来不大可能发家致富”但实际上见仁见智的学位，以及你可以如何利用这些学位取得创业成功的秘诀。大胆报考吧，告诉父母别紧张。或许你19岁时没给自己选错路。

1. 英语、文学类专业

一名受过专业训练的写作者，靠自己的技能不愁找不到一碗饭吃。事实上，在搜索引擎优化、网络写作和科技写作领域，你会大放异彩。你甚至可以自己开一家搜索引擎优化公司，或者当个网络写手来挣钱。另外，当需要起草商业计划或通过电子邮件招徕投资者时，你会有明显的领先优势。

2. 金融、会计

你要是去读MBA，也会学到几堂财务基础课，但光这么两三堂课能让你胸有成竹地向投资者介绍公司的财务报表吗？它能教会你在经营公司时如何管理财务数据吗？懂不懂财务可以成就或毁掉一家公司。要是你有这方面的专业学位，完全可以考虑创建一家财务咨询公司，这个领域财源滚滚。

3. 传播类

“传播”领域覆盖范围颇广，包括口头沟通、书面沟通，以及语言之外的表达。这个学位将为你学会如何与他人合作、如何巧妙地操控其他人按你希望的那样去做奠定坚实的基础，，这些都是一个创业者必须掌握的杀手锏。即便没有这个专业的学位，想要成功也必须善于此道。

4. 计算机工程

如果你的专业是计算机工程，你已经掌握了可以让任何一家公司更上一层楼的一大诀窍——洞察科技趋势。从网站开发到网页分析，从管理主机需求到面向移动端，如果公司的网络需求被照顾的头头是道，哪怕只是在一小块领域，你也可以节省大量时间，减少很多麻烦和困扰。你完全可以创建一家科技公司（在不在硅谷都行），充分利用数字时代的资源。

5. 哲学

没错，除了教书，哲学还可以让你做许多事情。学习批判性思维技能，跳出固有思维模式，不失体面地和人辩论，这些对当老板的人来说都非常重要。哲学可以让你学会如何与其他人交流，如何从不同角度看待问题，以及最重要的，如何让他人（如客户）为你所用。

看完这些，不妨再看看自己所学的专业有哪些方面对创业成功有益。你肯定能找到许多关联，充分利用好自己所学的这些知识，将让你在创业时获得竞争优势。