New research pits resale hustle against business degrees—here's how BBA programs actually compare, and where they combine.
Selling on Depop now teaches many Gen Z sellers more practical business knowledge than their formal education did. In the July 2026 Depop research, 71% of sellers said resale gave them more usable business knowledge than school, and 85% of hiring managers said candidates should list resale experience on a resume. That is the central tension for BBA students: a side hustle can now produce employer-valued evidence of pricing, sales, and customer service before graduation. Employers are also flagging skill gaps in graduates, such as speaking up in meetings and presenting confidently. The credential still matters, but the proof of practice now carries independent weight.
Employer thinking is shifting toward demonstrable skills rather than credentials alone, and Depop's July 2026 research puts hard numbers behind that shift.1 The study, shared exclusively with Fortune on July 28, 2026, was conducted by Penta Group and surveyed Gen Z resellers and hiring managers. Exact sample sizes and demographics were not fully disclosed in the public release, and the employer question allowed multiple selections, so the percentages below do not sum to 100. The findings landed against a backdrop of employer complaints that graduates often lack basics like speaking up in meetings, presenting, and communicating professionally.
Among Gen Z sellers, 71% said online resale taught them more practical business knowledge than their formal education did.1 That comparison is specific to self-identified Gen Z sellers, not all students or all platform users. Depop used the phrase "running an online resale business," which implies active management rather than occasional listing.
Hiring managers gave resale experience measurable weight, and that matters for BBA job prospects. Overall, 85% said candidates should list resale experience on a resume, and they would be more likely to interview an equally qualified candidate who had it. When asked which experiences impressed them most for entry-level business jobs, 65% chose running an online resale business, ahead of internships at 46%, part-time retail or hospitality at 39%, and social media or content creation at 35%. Depop also reported that 91% of hiring managers agreed resale demonstrates entrepreneurial ability and initiative, 88% said it shows commercial awareness, and 87% said it builds transferable workplace skills.1
Even with that employer enthusiasm, 49% of young resellers did not realize their experience counts professionally, according to Depop.1 That gap suggests many candidates are underselling skills they already use week to week.
Reselling on Depop is not a formal business curriculum; it is a series of small, repeated commercial decisions made under real money pressure. When Gen Z sellers say the platform taught them practical business skills, they are describing habits that form through dozens of listings, messages, and sales, not from reading a chapter once.
None of this replaces formal theory. What a Depop seller gains is repetition and consequence. A BBA degree adds vocabulary, models, and context, such as why a pricing strategy works or how to forecast demand. The resale habit gives students something concrete to attach those concepts to, which is why employers notice it.
Several BBA programs now turn independent side ventures into credit-bearing or structured experiences. The table below maps five examples to the skills Gen Z resellers say they develop on Depop.
| BBA Course | Depop Skill | What the Course Adds | Example Program or Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| For-credit innovation track (Emory Goizueta, The Hatchery) | Turning a real side-hustle or idea into a structured venture by iterating from idea to launch while earning academic credit. | Adds a formal, sequenced track with mentorship where students apply entrepreneurship coursework (OAM 236 / OAM 436) to their own startup, integrating academic theory with venture-building milestones while still counting toward BBA degree progress. | The Rose Program guides undergraduates through developing a venture from idea to launch; open to BBA students after completing OAM 236 or the BBA entrepreneurship course OAM 436. |
| Entrepreneurial co-op option (Enterprise Co-op, Conrad School) | Running a self-directed business over a defined term, including managing inventory, customers, and revenue instead of working for an employer. | Transforms a personal or side venture into an accredited co-op term by setting the same expectations as other co-op placements, a 16-week credit-bearing work term focused on the student's own startup. | Enterprise Co-op allows students to start their own business while earning a standard co-op credit of 16 weeks. |
| Undergraduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship (University of Kansas School of Business) | Applying entrepreneurial problem-solving in a real client or startup setting, including hands-on work over a sustained period similar to running a small business or freelance hustle. | Adds structured experiential milestones (minimum hours, multi-week duration, specific point requirements) and a final reflection that convert loosely structured entrepreneurial work into a documented, credit-bearing component of the certificate. | Requires an entrepreneurial internship worth 2 points meeting at least 120 hours over no less than 6 weeks; RedTire can satisfy this internship, and activities like Jayhawk Consulting or The Catalyst earn additional points. |
| Startup incubator / accelerator integrated with undergraduate program and capstone options (Hult Founders Lab) | Scaling a student-run venture from ideation to a minimum viable product and validating product-market fit, similar to turning a resale or side-hustle into a formal startup. | Adds a staged incubator structure (pre-startup, startup, and launch) with deliverables tied to academic credit and capstone substitution, giving formal recognition and supervision to student startups within the BBA curriculum. | The Launch phase can be claimed for 3 credits and can count toward the Hult graduating capstone requirement instead of an internship, the Hult Business Challenge, or a thesis. |
| Non-credit structured co-curricular course: How to Start a Side Hustle (Mount Royal University Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship) | Designing, testing, and launching a practical side hustle while still a student, including validating an idea and committing to weekly structured work. | Adds institutional structure, a defined timeline, and financial incentives (a $500 completion stipend) to encourage students to move from informal side-hustle ideas into concrete, tested ventures within a guided program. | Six-week live online course open to all MRU undergraduate students; free for MRU students; offers a $500 stipend upon completion with attendance at all sessions. |
Nearly half of young resellers (49%) don't recognize that their Depop shop counts as work experience. That's a positioning gap, not a skills gap: inventory your side hustle as business experience before you apply.
While students weigh whether a BBA degree is worth it, a Depop shop can feel like a weekend hustle rather than a formal credential, but employers increasingly read it as live business experience in the job market for BBA graduates. The threshold question is not whether it counts. It does. According to Depop research, 85% of hiring managers say candidates should list resale experience on their resume, and they would be more likely to interview an equally qualified candidate who lists it.
The strongest resume bullets translate reselling into measurable business language: - Sales volume: "Sold X items per month while maintaining a 4.9-star seller rating." - Inventory and logistics: "Managed an inventory of X listed items, tracked cost of goods, and priced for profit." - Growth and marketing: "Grew follower count from X to X and increased monthly sales by X% through listing optimization and targeted offers."
Avoid phrases like "ran a Depop account." Name the numbers and decisions.
On LinkedIn, list the account under Experience if it was your main activity, or under Projects if it ran alongside school or work. Add a portfolio link with screenshots of sold comps, listing analytics, and buyer reviews. Ratings and repeat customers are concrete evidence of customer service and reputation management.
Almost half of young resellers, 49%, do not realize this experience counts professionally. If you are in that group, you are leaving a hiring advantage on the table. Document the account now while the data is still in your seller dashboard. Formalizing it today preserves the details a future interview will ask about.
The global secondhand apparel market reached an estimated $204.7 billion in 2024, growing 17.6 percent year over year, according to GlobalData. That is the marketplace Gen Z resellers are already learning in.
A profitable Depop shop teaches pricing, marketing, negotiation, and customer service, but it stops short of the formal finance, strategy, and compliance knowledge that a BBA curriculum is built to provide, especially for successful finance careers.
A resale account will not teach you to coordinate a team, manage internal controls, or set a multi-year competitive strategy across departments. Organizational behavior, business law, and formal corporate strategy remain classroom skills that hiring managers expect for management-track roles. A BBA connects these pieces into a single decision-making framework that can strengthen BBA job prospects, while a side hustle leaves them largely unexamined.
