This University Teaches Entrepreneurship as a Survival Skill

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-18

What if the most important thing you learned in college wasn't a formula or a theory, but how to survive when everything changes? That's the question Allan Matarrita-Chinchilla, a professor at ULACIT in Costa Rica, has been answering for years. And his answer might surprise you. ### Entrepreneurship Isn't Just for Founders When most people hear "entrepreneurship," they picture a twenty-something in a hoodie pitching to venture capitalists. But Matarrita-Chinchilla sees it differently. At ULACIT, entrepreneurship is a survival skill, not a career path. "It's about preparing students for innovation and professional change," he explains. In a world where industries can be upended in months, knowing how to spot opportunities, adapt, and build something from scratch isn't optional. It's essential. Think about it. The job you train for today might not exist in ten years. Or it might look completely different. The ability to pivot, to create your own path, that's what keeps you employed, relevant, and fulfilled. ### A Classroom That Feels Like a Startup At ULACIT, students don't just read case studies. They live them. They form teams, brainstorm ideas, and pitch projects. They fail fast, learn faster, and iterate. It's messy, unpredictable, and exactly like real life. Matarrita-Chinchilla emphasizes that this approach works for everyone, not just business majors. Engineers, designers, psychologists, they all benefit from thinking like entrepreneurs. Because entrepreneurship is really just problem-solving with a bias toward action. And the results speak for themselves. Students leave ULACIT not just with a degree, but with a mindset. They're ready to launch ventures, join startups, or bring innovation to established companies. They're ready for whatever comes next. ### Why This Matters Beyond Costa Rica You might be thinking, "That's great for Costa Rica, but what about here?" The truth is, this model is spreading. Universities around the world are waking up to the fact that traditional education isn't enough. Students need to learn how to learn, how to adapt, and how to create value in a rapidly changing world. In the United States, programs like Stanford's d.school and MIT's Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship have been champions of this approach for years. But it's not just elite schools. Community colleges and state universities are getting in on the act too. Because the demand is there. Students want skills that translate to real life, not just theory. > "Entrepreneurship is the ultimate transferable skill. It teaches you how to think, how to act, and how to keep going when things get tough." — Allan Matarrita-Chinchilla ### The Takeaway So what can we learn from a small university in Costa Rica? A lot, actually. Entrepreneurship education isn't about creating a bunch of startups. It's about creating resilient, adaptable, creative people. People who can navigate uncertainty and turn challenges into opportunities. Whether you're a student, a professional, or just someone trying to figure out your next step, the lesson is clear: don't wait for someone to hand you a map. Learn how to draw your own. And if you're in a position to influence education, whether as a teacher, administrator, or policymaker, take a page from ULACIT's playbook. Make entrepreneurship a core part of the curriculum. Not as an elective, but as a requirement. Because in the 21st century, it's not just a nice-to-have. It's a survival skill.