• As a venture capitalist, you'll be evaluating business plans to determine which have the possibility to be successful. You'll also be helping entrepreneurs manage their businesses, as the firm will make up the bulk of the board of directors in a company's early stages. Unless you have inherited or made your own personal fortune, if you want to be a venture capitalist you'll need to get a job with an established firm. In order to get a job, you'll need to get an education, assemble relevant work experience, and network effectively.

• A keen understanding of basic business skills is important to be able to select profitable opportunities for the firm, and guide these companies through their infancy and adolescence. While its not essential that this education be obtained at an elite MBA program, attendance at a top school will enable you to make contacts you will use throughout your career.

CEO Magazine's subscribers have rated the following programs highly:

1. Harvard University
2. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
3. Stanford University
4. Northwestern University (Kellogg)
5. University of Chicago
6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
7. University of Michigan Ann Arbor (Ross)
8. Columbia University
9. Duke University (Fuqua)
10. Dartmouth College (Tuck)

• Specialized education in engineering may increase your chances of being hired by a venture capital firm, as these skills may be helpful when evaluating new products,

• After graduating from school, you'll usually need to assemble a resume before being hired. While some firms may hire a few individuals right out of school, most prefer that you garner some real world experience first.

1. A short stint at a large successful public company is helpful to show you what the end product of the venture capital process is.
2. Work in start-ups, both those that have failed and those that have been successful, is the best way to gain experience that you can draw on later, in your career as a venture capitalist.

• Use the connections you've established at school and in business to get close to venture capitalists and convince them that you can bring value to their firm.