Chris Haroun, the CEO and founder of Haroun Education Ventures, has had a diverse career journey that led him to discover his true passion. After working at prestigious companies like Goldman Sachs and Citadel, he found himself feeling unfulfilled despite his success. It wasn’t until he started teaching that he realized where his true calling lay.
During his time at other companies, Chris always found himself drawn to mentoring and helping others, even if it meant sacrificing some of his own time. This innate desire to assist and guide others led him to start teaching in his spare time. He began by teaching in East Palo Alto and eventually expanded to teaching at Bay Area MBA universities. It was through these experiences that he found his true passion for education and helping students succeed.
In 2016, Chris created a course called “MBA in a Day” and uploaded it to the online learning platform Udemy. The course became a massive success, selling close to 500,000 times and generating a substantial passive income stream. This success motivated Chris to create more courses, and he now has 72 courses on Udemy with nearly two million students worldwide. Despite the financial success, Chris’s primary goal is to help others, and he dedicates a significant amount of time to supporting his students.
The profits from Chris’s courses go towards building schools in underprivileged areas. Through projects like Project Magu in Rwanda and a new school in Kenya, Chris is making a tangible impact on the lives of students in need. His sense of purpose and dedication to helping others are at the core of his work, driving him to continue expanding his educational initiatives.
Chris believes that the future of education is changing rapidly, especially in the wake of the pandemic. He predicts that traditional universities will struggle to survive, and online platforms like Udemy will play a crucial role in reshaping the industry. Chris is a vocal critic of MBA programs, highlighting their shortcomings in preparing students for the real world. He advocates for a more practical and skills-based approach to education, which he believes will better serve students in the long run.
One of Chris’s key messages is that everyone has something to teach. He shares the inspiring story of Teresa Greenway, a Udemy instructor who found her passion for baking bread after leaving an abusive marriage. Teresa’s journey is a testament to the power of teaching and sharing knowledge, regardless of one’s background or circumstances.
In conclusion, Chris Haroun’s story is a testament to the transformative power of finding one’s passion and purpose. Through his work in education, he is not only changing lives but also challenging the traditional norms of the industry. His dedication to helping others and his belief in the value of online learning are shaping the future of education in a meaningful way.
