In an earlier post, we posed the question, “Is College Necessary for Entrepreneurs?” While there are certainly good arguments for both sides, it’s a fact that a college degree does not guarantee success. And there are countless determined entrepreneurs who have proven that success can be achieved despite a lack of higher education.
We have compiled a list of 100 amazing “degreeless” entrepreneurs who have risen to the top. Some high-profile entrepreneurs you will recognize immediately, while others you may be discovering for the first time. Many of them didn’t complete elementary school, and still more are considered high school dropouts. Their backgrounds and industries run the gamut; however, they all have at least two things in common. Incredible success and no college degree.
My brother, Matthew, and I aren’t on this list (didn’t want to toot our own horns… well, at least not too loudly); however we count ourselves among the golden many who achieved success without attending college. Entrepreneurs at an early age, Matthew and I had already started six (toot toot) businesses by the time we graduated high school. We were both offered college scholarships, but turned them down – it was clear to us that college was not in our future. Within a week of graduating high school, we bought a bar/café/billiards location, which we overhauled, re-branded and turned into a hot spot; and on the 12-month we sold it for a great profit. Of course, we have gone on to start several more businesses, both offline and online, and we have never once looked back.
While we’ve listed our Top 100, we know there are hundreds (if not thousands) more entrepreneurs who have achieved success without a college a degree. Are you one of them? Let us know who we forgot by posting your comments below.
The List
Abraham Lincoln, lawyer, U.S. president. Finished one year of formal schooling, self-taught himself trigonometry, and read Blackstone on his own to become a lawyer.
Amadeo Peter Giannini, multimillionaire founder of Bank of America. Dropped out of high school.
Andrew Carnegie, industrialist and philanthropist, and one of the first mega-billionaires in the US. Elementary school dropout.
Andrew Jackson, U.S. president, general, attorney, judge, congressman. Home-schooled. Became a practicing attorney by the age of 35 – without a formal education.
Andrew Perlman, co-founder of GreatPoint. Dropped out of Washington University to start Cignal Global Communications, an Internet communications company, when he was only 19.
Anne Beiler, multimillionaire co-founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. Dropped out of high school.
Ansel Adams, world-famous photographer. Dropped out of high school.
Ashley Qualls, founder of Whateverlife.com, left high school at the age of 15 to devote herself to building her website business. She was more than a million dollars by 17.
Barbara Lynch, chef, owner of a group of restaurants, worth over $10 million, in Boston. Dropped out of high school.
Barry Diller, billionaire, Hollywood mogul, Internet maven, founder of Fox Broadcasting Company, chairman of IAC/InterActive Corp (owner of Ask.com),
Ben Kaufman, 21-year-old serial entrepreneur, founder of Kluster. Dropped out of college in his freshman year.
Benjamin Franklin, inventor, scientist, author, entrepreneur. Primarily home-schooled.
Billy Joe (Red) McCombs, billionaire, founder of Clear Channel media, real estate investor. Dropped out of law school to sell cars in 1950.
Bob Proctor, motivational speaker, bestselling author, and co-founder of Life Success Publishing. Attended two months of high school.
Bram Cohen, BitTorrent developer. Attended State University of New York at Buffalo for a year.
Carl Lindner, billionaire investor, founder of United Dairy Farmers. Dropped out of high school at the age of 14.
Charles Culpeper, owner and CEO of Coca Cola. Dropped out of high school.
Christopher Columbus, explorer, discoverer of new lands. Primarily home-schooled.
Coco Chanel, founder of fashion brand Chanel. A perfume bearing her name, Chanel No. 5 kept her name famous.
Colonel Harlan Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Dropped out of elementary school, later earned law degree by correspondence.
Craig McCaw, billionaire founder of McCaw Cellular. Did not complete college.
Dave Thomas, billionaire founder of Wendy’s. Dropped out of high school at 15.
David Geffen, billionaire founder of Geffen Records and co-founder of DreamWorks. Dropped out of college after completing one year.
David Green, billionaire founder of Hobby Lobby. Started the Hobby Lobby chain with only $600. High school graduate.
David Karp, founder of Tumblr. Dropped out of school at 15, then homeschooled. Did not attend college.
David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue airlines. Dropped out of college after three years.
David Ogilvy, advertising executive and copywriter . Was expelled from Oxford University at the age of 20.
David Oreck, multimillionaire founder of The Oreck Corporation. Quit college to enlist in the Army Air Corps.
Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chippery. Later renamed, franchised, then sold Mrs. Field’s Cookies.
DeWitt Wallace, founder and publisher of Reader’s Digest. Dropped out of college after one year. Went back, then dropped out again after the second year.
Dov Charney, founder of American Apparel. Started the company in high school, and never attended college.
Dustin Moskovitz, multi-millionaire co-founder of Facebook. Harvard dropout.
Frank Lloyd Wright, the most influential architect of the twentieth century. Never attended high school.
Frederick “Freddy” Laker, billionaire airline entrepreneur. High school dropout.
Frederick Henry Royce, auto designer, multimillionaire co-founder of Rolls-Royce. Dropped out of elementary school.
George Eastman, multimillionaire inventor, Kodak founder. Dropped out of high school.
George Naddaff, founder of UFood Grill and Boston Chicken. Did not attend college.
Gurbaksh Chahal, multimillionaire founder of BlueLithium and Click Again. Dropped out at 16, when he founded Click Again.
H. Wayne Huizenga, founder of WMX garbage company, helped build Blockbuster video chain. Joined the Army out of high school, and later went to college only to drop out during his first year.
Henry Ford, billionaire founder of Ford Motor Company. Did not attend college.
Henry J. Kaiser, multimillionaire & founder of Kaiser Aluminum. Dropped out of high school.
Hyman Golden, co-founder of Snapple. Dropped out of high school.
Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA, one of the richest people in the world, dyslexic.
Isaac Merrit Singer, sewing machine inventor, founder of Singer. Elementary school dropout.
Jack Crawford Taylor, founder of Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Dropped out of college to become a WWII fighter pilot in the Navy.
Jake Nickell, co-founder and CEO of Threadless.com. Did not graduate from college.
James Cameron, Oscar-winning director, screenwriter, and producer. Dropped out of college.
Jay Van Andel, billionaire co-founder of Amway. Never attended college.
Jeffrey Kalmikoff, co-founder and chief creative officer of Threadless.com. Did not graduate from college.
Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo! Dropped out of PhD program.
Jimmy Dean, multimillionaire founder of Jimmy Dean Foods. Dropped out of high school at 16.
John D. Rockefeller Sr., billionaire founder of Standard Oil. Dropped out of high school just two months before graduating, though later took some courses at a local business school.
John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods. Enrolled and dropped out college six times.
John Paul DeJoria, billionaire co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems, founder of Patron Spirits tequilla. Joined the Navy after high school.
Joyce C. Hall, founder of Hallmark. Started selling greeting cards at the age of 18. Did not attend college.
Kemmons Wilson, multimillionaire, founder of Holiday Inn. High school dropout.
Kenneth Hendricks, billionaire founder of ABC Supply. High school dropout.
Kenny Johnson, founder of Dial-A-Waiter restaurant delivery. College dropout.
Kevin Rose, founder of Digg.com. Dropped out of college during his second year.
Kirk Kerkorian, billionaire investor, owner of Mandalay Bay and Mirage Resorts, and MGM movie studio. Dropped out eighth-grade.
Larry Ellison, billionaire co-founder of Oracle software company. Dropped out of two different colleges.
Leandro Rizzuto, billionaire founder of Conair. Dropped out of college. Started Conair with $100 and hot-air hair roller invention.
Leslie Wexner, billionaire founder of a Limited Brands. Dropped out of law school. Started the Limited with $5,000.
Marc Rich, commodities investor, billionaire. Founder of Marc Rich & Co. Did not finish college.
Marcus Loew, multimillionaire founder of Loews theaters, co-founder of MGM movie studio. Elementary school dropout.
Mark Ecko, founder of Mark Ecko Enterprises. Dropped out of college.
Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Inc. Did not attend college.
Michael Dell, billionaire founder of Dell Computers, which started out of his college dorm room. Dropped out of college.
Michael Rubin, founder of Global Sports. Dropped out of college in his first year.
Micky Jagtiani, billionaire retailer, Landmark International. Dropped out of accounting school.
Milton Hershey, founder of Hershey’s Milk Chocolate. 4th grade education.
Pete Cashmore, founder of Mashable.com at the age of 19.
Philip Green, Topshop billionaire retail mogul. Dropped out of high school.
Rachael Ray, Food Network cooking show star, food industry entrepreneur, with no formal culinary arts training. Never attended college.
Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s. Dropped out of high school.
Richard Branson, billionaire founder of Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Mobile, and more. Dropped out of high school at 16.
Richard DeVos, co-founder of Amway. Served in the Army and did not attend college.
Richard Schulze, Best Buy founder. Did not attend college.
Rob Kalin, founder of Etsy. Flunked out of high school, enrolled in art school for a time, faked a student ID at MIT so he could take classes. His professors subsequently helped him get into NYU, they were so impressed.
Ron Popeil, multimillionaire founder of Ronco, inventor, producer, infomercial star. Did not finish college.
Rush Limbaugh, multi-millionaire media mogul, radio talk show host. Dropped out of college.
Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam records, founder of Russell Simmons Music Group, Phat Farm fashions, bestselling author. Did not finish college.
S. Daniel Abraham, founder of Slim-Fast, billionaire. Did not attend college.
Sean John Combs, entertainer, producer, fashion designer, and entrepreneur. Never finished college.
Shawn Fanning, developer of Napster. Dropped out of college at the age of 19.
Simon Cowell, TV producer, music judge, American Idol, The X Factor, and Britain’s Got Talent. High school dropout.
Steve Madden, shoe designer. Dropped out of college.
Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, billionaire. Did not complete college.
Ted Murphy, founder of social media company Izea Entertainment. Dropped out of college.
Theodore Waitt, billionaire founder of Gateway Computers. Dropped out of college to start Gateway – one semester before graduating.
Thomas Edison, inventor of the lightbulb, phonograph, and more. Primarily home-schooled, then joined the railroad when he was only 12.
Tom Anderson, co-founder and “friend” of MySpace. Dropped out of high school.
Ty Warner, billionaire developer of Beanie Babies, real estate investor, and hotel owner. Dropped out of college.
Vidal Sassoon, founder of Vidal Sassoon, multimillionaire. Dropped out of high school.
W. Clement Stone, multimillionaire insurance man, author, founder of Success magazine. Dropped out of elementary school. Later attended high school, graduating. Attended but did not finish college.
W.T. Grant, founder of W.T. Grant department stores, multimillionaire. Dropped out of high school.
Wally “Famous” Amos, multimillionaire entrepreneur, author, talent agent, founder of Famous Amos cookies. Left high school at 17 to join the Air Force.
Walt Disney, founder of the Walt Disney Company. Dropped out of high school at 16.
Wolfgang Puck, chef, owner of 16 restaurants and 80 bistros. Quit school at the age of 14.
Y.C. Wang, billionaire founder of Formosa Plastics. Did not attend high school.
For more successful people who didn’t complete college, including actors, sports stars, and more, check out http://www.collegedropoutshalloffame.com.
GREAT POST! While I’ve graduated from college myself, my father always told me that it took much more that a degree to be successful in this world. He told me that you needed to have good peoples skills, be a good communicator and motivator, be a good “salesmen” such as when trying to get a job/promotion/sale as well as not conforming to the norm. Everyone mentioned above took their destiny in their own hands, and did more than just dream or have an idea. The acted upon it, regardless of education or financial status. The used their skills, experiences and determination to achieve their success. Thanks for sharing.
While reading the list above, I had to make myself stop saying, “Wow!” out loud. Then, as a reflex, I kept saying it in my head. To be honest, I feel so much better about myself right now knowing that these successful individuals made so much of themselves; above and beyond the hype of a piece of paper (a degree).
Ever since I dropped out of college, I’ve on occasion kicked myself for not following through and earning a degree. But this list tells me that I’ve been way too hard on myself. I guess I was conditioned to think that if I didn’t have a degree a “any” field, that I was destined to remain a drone, a loser, a nobody. Even in the workforce, you see where a college degree will allow a person a position over a seasoned employee (without a degree); and that seasoned employee ends up “training” the degreed individual to become their boss. Go figure!
Thanks for this list.
I don’t have a college degree, I stopped going when my business made me too busy to do classwork. However, it doesn’t take a college degree to do a number of things. Among them: Proofread before posting an article.
Nice, but I can’t help feeling like this is nearly irrelevant. Benjamin Franklin didn’t exist in this world, and the rigidity of a society that requires a college degree wasn’t in place. True for Lincoln, Jackson, Carnegie, Ford, etc. Anyone that came of age before the 50s, I’d say. I’d be more interested in a list of strictly the Pete Cashmores — those living outside of THIS system. And then I’d be interested in what these guys have to offer beyond their initial success, and how they’re perceived as people and leaders within their own companies. It’s not just about the dollar, is it?
GREAT post….!!!
Btw, thanks for posting this list – its really impressive. While I do think that a college and/or graduate degree does greatly improves your chances of success, I am not naive – I do not blindly believe that just because you are able to obtain a paper degree from a college or graduate program, you are guaranteed success.
I think the more interesting thing to note however is the number of start-ups that fail because the founders do not complete their education either because of lists such like this one or as Terri PC mentioned above, they are not impressed by the “hype of a piece of paper (a degree)”.
Nice post but you forgot two important ones:
Steve Jobs (Apple)
Bill Gates (Microsoft)
Hey Where are Steve Jobs and Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg?
too well known to be eligible for the list?
BTW great post.
(of course I say so caus’I have a project in mind ready to be turned into reality)…
Posts like these make me always less motivated to graduate even though I’m writing my dissertation
I agree about leaving out the people who started making their money before the end of WWII. It was after everyone came home from the war that the goal of everyone going to college was started. My grandmother went to college for one year and taught school.
I also think that this list also goes to show that it is never the college degree that makes someone successful. It is always the person behind it.
Hey, Great post! I think You missed one person that for me is one of the most emblematic and legendary entrepreneurs ever: Enzo Ferrari. He began his Company out of nothing and became NoT only rich but turned into a legend in the race car industry. I’m not sure what was his highest education level but for sure he never made it for a degree. Just for You to think about it, who hasn’t dreamt with driving a red convertible Ferrari?
Wow lots of good stuff here. Awesome post!
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Great post but why is Jerry Yang on the list? Lots of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs dropped out of PhD programs. Haven’t all of them done BA/BS degrees as a pre-req for the PhD program? Isn’t the same true of the entrepreneurs who dropped out of law school? e.g. Red McCombs.
This list is proof that nothing can stop your dreams but your mind.
Love this! When I was in 8th grade, I knew I wanted to be in advertising. I just knew. I skipped college, instead going to an advertising trade school for a year. I then talked my way into a job as a junior copywriter at an ad agency. The next thing I knew I was working at agency powerhouse Ogilvy & Mather, founded by someone on your list – David Ogilvy, who was thrown out of Oxford at the age of 20. When you’re a “creative” (copywriter, art director, or creative director) in advertising, no one cares about your education. They just care about the ads in your portfolio. Obviously this isn’t the case for most professions. I was lucky. Advertising pays well and when I left the agency world 10+ years ago, I was pulling down six-figures. Today I run a successful naming firm called Eat My Words and I am a recent winner of the American Express “Make Mine a Million $ Business” competition. I love telling people I didn’t go to college. But what I relish even more is that I talked my parents into giving me a chunk of change because they paid for my sister to attend USC and Harvard and I had saved them a bundle of money. While my way isn’t for everyone, if you discover your passion at a young age and it’s in a field that values creativity over education, save yourself 4 years and thousands of dollars in student loans and dive into what you love.
Less than halfway through the list I felt the need to share this: I know you’re looking into effects of education in successful entrepreneurship, but who said attending college/uni is for financial success purposes only? OTOH, since when did financial success become the foremost measure of fulfillment (even for entrepreneurs!)? I’m happy for all the graduates out there, they make the world brighter with their insightful views, informed by education. Also, need I really say this? The idea of looking at people who turned the tables, in order to convince oneself that it’s ok not to go to college is in its own right laughable, in that the statistical norm for people without degrees is that they fall in the poorest outcome categories when it comes to physical health, mental health, life fulfillment, general quality of life and, yes, financial success… Take any study you want, really -and there are thousands of them out there, looking at this. For purposes of supporting this, I’m only quoting 2, off the top of google scholar results: http://tinyurl.com/yz8p2gj, http://tinyurl.com/yk7lxq. And I’m only writing this to deter young people who might be reading this from light-heartedly turning away from higher education, since the repercussions of such a decision (regardless of the confounders – and I can think of a few, on the fly) seem to be very serious, in all aspects of life.
Wow, what a dangerous post! Two points you forgot to mention:
1. The list of people who succeeded WITH college degrees is a whole lot longer.
2. The list of people who live below the poverty line and/or are unemployed who never went to college is also a whole lot longer than this post.
Is it an absolute requirement to have a college degree in order to achieve success? Not in this country. Does it make it much more likely? Oh yeah.
Alexandra, what a great story =) And from a personal view, good advice as well.
The rigidity of a society that demands a college degree… only demands one if you are going to spend your life making someone else rich. You don’t need a degree to be a successful entrepreneur.
And this is just the US centric list
[...] Posted by Adam Toren, At Young Entrepreneurs [...]
The first example in the list of Top 100 Successful Entrepreneurs is Abraham Lincoln. He’s one good example of those who made it to the top, but let’s be reminded that he’s from the 19th century. Back then, education was not as important as it is TODAY. “Which would you choose, a successful businessman without a degree, or a successful businessman with, at least, a college degree?” I would choose the latter. This was one of those reminders which one successful businessman I know has instilled into the minds of his children. He may not have finished his schooling, yet he still emphasizes how important a college degree is to his children.
I’m not belittling poverty-stricken people who don’t have enough money to spend for their education. That’s a different story. Thing is, if you have the means for education, then don’t turn your back to that blessing. A lot of children out there can’t even go to school even if they wanted to.
Also, do we just measure success in terms of how much we have? Being rich as an entrepreneur is not bad, not even a sin. It’s even a blessing — only “one of those” many blessings that you can receive. Success is what you do to yourself, what you do to other people, And how it impacts your inner being especially when you’re just alone.
If there’s one great definition of success that I have read, it is a poem written by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
What is Success?
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;
This is to have succeeded.
Gates, Jobs, Zuckerberg??
Be cool….drop out of school. (i just had to say that) lol
This is a great list!! thanks for putting it together, it can remind ppl that we can all achieve what we want to in life
[...] 100 Top Entrepreneurs Who Succeeded Without A College Degree [...]
Great post. I was just having conversations with a friend who found out that Google not only requires a college degree, they have a list of approved schools! He was recruited by several Google employees because of the background he has, but ultimately because the college he went to wasn’t on the list, they couldn’t even get him an interview. Just seems short-sighted when managers and/or companies look at a degree from a particular school as being an indicator of someone’s ability over all else.
I love lists like this. It inspires me to progress. It’s a great reminder that heart has more to do with the quality of our lives than the money in it.
There are a number of people on the list who made huge impacts on the quality of our lives today. It’s in all of us, but tapping into that greatness in us isn’t always easy to do.
[...] The top 100 entrepreneurs who didn't go to college by Young Entrepreneur. This received the most comments in my Google Reader and so I share it with you. Is college education necessary? Would you let your kid skip college if he had a great idea for a business? All the questions that hit home now, but wouldn't have just one year ago. That's all for now. Keep reading. [...]
Sure sure.
Thing is, most of them were either in the States or in Europe. It is different there than here in the Philippines. Their governments openly support entrepreneurship, while here it’s lackluster or non-existent. For someone coming from the working-class (like me), either get an education first, or you wont get anywhere. Education doesn’t mean college degree. It doesn’t even mean a diploma. A lot of people get confused in the meaning.
Second point is that some of the people in the list come from well-off families who can afford to support them financially in their early venture. I’m sure most of the visitors here are the same as well.
Reality is, you can’t even get a small loan to start your business without a collateral or something that you can guarantee.
The best way now is to learn the new technologies and new methods. Then start your own contracting or consultancy business. For people in most sectors, bank on your skill and go learn some more.
Many have said but I’ll repeat for effect.. The list is incomplete with Bill, Steve and Mark.
Thank you for compiling this list… this will keep me going for a while now….
[...] 100 Top Entrepreneurs Who Succeeded Without a College Degree An interesting list of 100 entrepreneurs who have achieved the pinnacle of success – some even without an elementary school degree. [...]
I am college drop out and thanks to that, I have developed 2 successful companies and keep on tracking. So far, i am in charged of the sales in one of my companies and i have to interview many people day ba day, wich have college degree but do not know anything about rising a bussines.
I think mba’s and such of things are for managers and ceo’s… but not for entrepeneurs!!
[...] 100 Top Entrepreneurs Who Succeeded without a College Degree We have compiled a list of 100 amazing “degreeless” entrepreneurs who have risen to the top. Some high-profile entrepreneurs you will recognize immediately, while others you may be discovering for the first time. (tags: succeeded entrepreneurs success education) [...]
How about the percentage of the dropouts to all entrepreneurs?
I have a graduate degree from the US, and am really impress about this article.
Because almost half of the brands here are my favourite. And it is good to know a little about the
founders.
This is to show, that being an entrepreneur is all about drive and inspiration and common sense.
I am thinking about being an entreprenuer myself, at age 37. I was struggled in high scholl and in college for the most part but insisted that I studied hard so I could be like the rest , great corporate job,..etc.
Now, I wished I did not pursue so much time and money , but not regret it entirely. Because I just found a skill that did not even require education, just inner strength and passion….
Thanks for this article…
You cannot count PhD dropouts as without a college degree!!??
It just goes to show how much someone can really take matters into their own hands and be quite the success. I really think that the government has intentionally trained us so that most of us feel the need to have to have a degree in order to avoid being considered as nothing, we’re so brainwashed its disgusting. We might as well be their personal monkeys. The people on this list looked at the world, gave them the finger and told those guys to basically f*ck off haha.
And you know what don’t get this twisted, I’m considered a very successful recent grad from DePaul University. I graduated with four high ranking internships and just finished a high ranking contract position. Tell me how fckd up it is that here I am still looking for a job. Based on my qualifications, I’m definitely not a typical grad. I’ve got recommendation letters and everything to prove it, still not enough to impress those idiots that I have what it takes to be their b*tch.. lol ya, exactly how I meant it.
You could add to this list Guy Laliberté, founder of “Le cirque du soleil”. Maybe he have his high school degree, but not more.
[...] job, or to be considered successful. And not everyone is cut out for college. Check out this list of 100 entrepreneurs who, for one reason or another did not receive a college degree. Some very successful, and [...]
Very good post! It should be read by the graduates who are crying out (through demos) to the government to provide more job opportunities to them (like in my country). How could it be possible???
Thank you so much for putting this article together. It really does inspire. I completed high school, and started working straight off because I quietly frankly didn’t know what I wanted a degree in. As time went by, the idea of a degree seemed less and less important to me. I’m quite successful at the company I’m currently at, and all my immediate managers, including the different groups of people I work with consistently keep telling me that I’m good. I’m by no means blowing my own horn here, but you know when you score a home run, and I’m aware that I’m an asset to the company.
On my first 12 months in, I was given the opportunity to be based at the customer office in NY, as my company felt I had potential, and wanted me to learn all aspects of the business. I was thrilled at the opportunity, as all employees before me, had to have had a minimum of 5 years work experience before being considered. My secondment contract expires in June, and my company have requested me to transfer to my company’s office in NY, and attack the front end of the business. I’ve been asked to replace an employee who is 10 years older than I am, and who also has 10 years more experience in the industry than I do. On requesting to know what my remuneration will be worked out to be, I was informed by the management that my pay will not be increased, and that this is more an opportunity for me, than it is for the company. Which I completely disagree with. I joined the company for a low salary, as I wanted to prove my self first, and despite a pat on the back on a job well done, my salary has hardly moved from what it used to be. I’ve never demanded, as I wanted the company to take notice, and offer me a fair and reasonable amount without me having to request for an increase.
When my transfer to the NY office was discussed, I believe I had all the right to know how it would impact my remuneration. My family, boyfriend and everything bit of my personal life was at the other end of the world, but I was willing to take this opportunity, cos I am ambitiousm (in a good way
, and my company needed me to be here for another year. I was quite disheartened when my manager very casually and unofficially brought up, that I didn’t have a right to demand, as I didn’t have a college degree.
I’ve noticed that despite how good I am at my job, the degree factor is constantly thrown at my face. It doesn’t make me feel inferior, cos I know my strengths, but it most definitely does get to me. So thank you for this article.
Very neat list. I have written a post about how people shouldn’t let the lack of degree get in the way to succeeding in life because a degree doesn’t guarantee success. You will need a passion, determination and perseverance to keep on going. Most schools teach us to be employers and not entrepreneurs.
LMAO, I can totally feel the heat coming off those who wasted time, money, and effort on a shiny new degree and can not even dream of being this successful.
Truth of the matter is college is there for people who NEED it. If you feel confident enough not to need a degree then you don’t need one, believe me this is coming from someone who is a high school drop out.
I am currently the IT Director of a VERY large corporation that I will leave nameless. I always knew school was important but not because of the reasons you might assume. The importance of schools comes not from the degrees or certification but from the social environment of the initial growth period of adolescence.
The benefits of learning how to be social far outweigh the benefits of any kind of “foot in the door” opportunity one might gain due to his/her credentials.
You might be saying I am one of the few exceptions to the rule, not true as you can see from the list above. If nothing else the list should show you at it’s least that there is a trend here.
Great list! Parents need to be more encouraging of their children to complete their education at least high school as well as telling them they can make something of themselves beyond whether they earn college degree or not. Just need to get it in their minds at an early age instead of latter years.
I don’t think that having a college degree put one at a disadvantage. If anything it is a plus. If we have the opportunity acquiring knowledge I think we should go for it. Going to college is not all about the diploma, it is about enriching your mind an opportunity of a life time. Think of the environment, the young budding minds and the great network of friends we can establish. That is not to say we can not cash in on opportunities even while in college. What is more I bet you that so where out there, there exist a list of millionaires that went to college. So it all depends on where you stand.
Fantastic Post.
I think the idea of dropping out of collage to start a business is okay, but we should not for get that, in future u will require to take the business far. Basic education is therefore equally important.
Hi!This is awesome blog about Entrepreneurs.In young age to become a Millionaires is nice.
Thanks for reading.
I agree that running a business and getting an education are not necessarily related, depending on the type of business. I agree that you can have a successful business with little formal education and that the best way to learn about your business is to dive in and get on with it. I don’t argue that a degree is an insurance policy either, nor that you should go to university for the contacts and parties. These things are ancillary if you want to enjoy them while you’re there, but not what I was getting at. I would also agree that owning your own business and being great at sales are better insurance policies.
A degree is useful, interesting and a good idea regardless of whether someone knows or doesn’t know what they want to do in the business area of their life because it expands your mind and teaches you to think properly: in a broader way which expands your life horizons and intellectual capacity.
Clearly each person is free to choose their own path though.
definitely that was a great post… a good trivia to all of us but you know, less motivation to finish college degree,,,LOL
Wonderful….this article will boost up lots of people who dont have fancy degree or diploma but wat to do somthing in life.
This page is very inspiring.I love the page.Thank u.
Thank you so much. I’m 55, unemployed, worked all my life in IT… You would think I woke up one day as an “idiot”.
What I was good for all along is no longer good enough. If I had a 30 year old degree in ignorance, I’d get a job faster than having hands on experience, with success, acccompanied by letters of recommendation. It’s amazing… truly amazing.
Very inspiring. Makes me want to go back to college just to drop out.
Thank you so very much… I was looking for PROOF!! I didn’t complete college at all… Left my freshman year… Worked for an airline and opened a law firm… My dear Love is being advized by his family to go back and finish college…
He is a phenomenal artist… We have just opened our business…
Please read our story in http://www.holisticnetworker.com … I left the corporated
world in 2003, being guided within to just be…
Our business is a small Studio in the Dallas Meditation Center where
My Love, Joseph Townson guides us in painting… We have
a show on December 3rd, 2010, “The Works of Joseph Townson”,
I am writing a book called “Evicted from a Homeless Shelter”, Joseph wil
be the Artist for the entire book, we are looking for Grant money and
we plan to open a Non-Profit Art Gallery for the Homeless/Pilgrims to bring
their ART work…
I googled Millionaires No College Education… AND I FOUND YOU!!!
Thank you again, for supporting what I aleady knew…I will show it to him… He is on a fork in the road, not wanting to disrespect his family, but he has no proof!! He keeps putting them off by saying he will sign up for next semester….
Mayt I put you in my book?
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Love and Blessings,
Trisha
This is an incredible list! I loooooved everything you wrote in it and used some of your findings in a recent blog of mine as well! Thank you for sharing and being one of the many catalysts that is leading this new generation of people into finding out what it means to be a true entrepreneur. God knows we need more of them!
You’re missing Johnny Cupcakes.
As a high school teacher I am often encouraging students who might drop out to consider higher education – for most of these students it is an opportunity to advance beyond what they thought was possible, but I always have in the back of my mind the lists of names that I have heard like this over the years.
I wonder if you could provide any information about what helped you (and others) on this list succeed without a college degree. What factors separate the people like those on this list who would be served best without college education from people who are more likely to succeed with the college degree?
You can add to the list: Bill Gates, Waly Disney, Warren Buffet, J.Paul Getty, Charlie Bluhdorn (Founder of Gulf & Western–once world’s largest Conglomerate)…
nice list. you can add Jacob Zuma, incumbent president of south africa. he dropped out of elementary school.
Great post and something I would like to share with my class of young people. Thanks a billion!!!
To You prosperity
Education does not always have to be formal certification,and diploma-ed “– TO MAKE ONE A VERY SUCCESSFUL PERSON.”HARD-WORK”,PERSISTENCE COUNT. ATTITUDE IS ALMOST EVERYTHING.
Very interesting, shows that education isn’t the only factor in achieving success.
I believe that hard work and perseverance matters more. IMO, EQ > IQ when it comes to success
Hi!
Very inspiring article. I too feel that i should go to collage and then drop out so that i too can become an entrepreneur myself.
Lakshmi
it’s real that no one need a college degree to be a successful persosn in any field.the most important thing that comes in my mind is that those who join colleges not only study but enjoy their life while those don’t join college or dropout make sacfricase of their college life.i mean they don’t enjoy walking with friends and also don’t dating with girls,insisted of that they work a lot and the experience they get is invalueable that makes them really a diffrent
I like Ryan Wescott’s comment the most, because it cautions against false or dangerous correllations. Put plainly, if you drop out of school, have a very good reason for doing so — there’s nothing magical, in and of itself, about “dropping out.”
Sitting here after getting a rejection letter from florida tech MBA. I have already started my own small marketing firm, adding clients but have endorsments from a pretty sizable global company. I thought I needed the MBA to tell my self I can be successful in business ( use to work in socisl serivces) hog wash! I have alway had the creative sprit with out a graduate degree. I will now go with my company and feel good about what I know and am learnig. I am creative, and perhaps getting the MBA woud have made me loose the creativity. Thanks for the list !!!!! Thank Thank you!
glad to see a list like this. makes me feel better about not having finished school. plus, i am much more successful than my peers of the same age who did finish.
Being a college drop-out and a successful entrepreneur, I think it is time people stop putting so much value on a college degree. Obviously having one does not ensure success and not having one does not doom a person to failure. Education is very important, but it does not have to be limited to halls of higher learning institutions. I will put my experience of starting six businesses up against any MBA. I like to say, just because everyone says something is right, doesn’t make it so.
“Statistical norm for people without degrees is that they fall in the poorest outcome categories when it comes to physical health, mental health, life fulfillment, general quality of life and, yes, financial success…”
Could this be because people are constantly told that if they don’t attain a degree they will be failures and it’s like a self-fulfilling prophesy type thing???
Persistence and experience matter, not a piece of paper
[...] Check out the top 100 Entrepreneurs without a college degree according to youngentrepreneurs.com [...]
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