Richard Branson
Richard Branson, famously one of Britain’s richest people, is known for being the man behind the Virgin label. Branson personally founded Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Mobile, and the list goes on. Richard Branson not only didn’t go to college, but he actually dropped out of high school when he was just 16 years old.
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren’s entrepreneurial spirit has been evident since he was in school, when he started selling neckties to his classmates. Even then he knew that he wanted to be a millionaire some day; instead, he ended up becoming a billionaire, thanks to the enormous success of his fashion brand. Though Lauren did attend business school for two years, he never graduated and still managed to become incredibly influential.
Jay-Z
Rapper Jay-Z is famous for his music worldwide, with hits such as 99 Problems and Can’t Stop The Hustle. (He also happens to be one half of one of the most famous power couples on earth, with wife Beyoncé.) Though many people around the world now look up to him, the rapper never actually completed his high school education. He dropped out in his sophomore year and ended up selling drugs for a time; he then started his rap career by burning and distributing his own CDs, before co-founding his own record label with the help of friends in 1995.
Dave Thomas
Everyone loves a Wendy’s, and they have done since the fast food chain was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas. The man became a huge success thanks to his commitment to the chain restaurant and achieved billionaire status. What a lot of people don’t know though is that he dropped out of high school when he was only 15 years old. Though he passed away in 2002, he’ll always be remembered for Wendy’s.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates is the founder of Microsoft and one of the richest people in the world. While he did finish high school, getting a degree had nothing to do with his success. Gates never ended up graduating college. Though he was enrolled at Harvard, he only attended for two years before he dropped out to pursue greater things.
Amancio Ortega
Amancio Ortega is a Spanish billionaire. If you or anyone you know wear clothes from Zara, Ortega is the reason they exist, being the founder of the company. This billionaire entrepreneur dropped out of school when he was just 14 and took up jobs running errands for shopkeepers in his town. From there, a huge business grew.
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was the world famous founder of tech giant Apple, which produces a large portion of the world’s tech stamped with its iconic branding. Though he passed away in 2011, his legacy will live on for years to come. Jobs did not graduate college, despite his subsequent heavy involvement in the tech industry. He attended Reed College in Oregon for just one semester before dropping out.
Michael Dell
Michael Dell founded Dell computers, which let to him becoming a billionaire and an international success. He did not graduate from the college degree he was enrolled in, though, his success in computers occurring around the same time as he was going through college. Dell started the company out of his college dorm and after he saw signs of prosperity, saw no point in continuing with his degree.
Ty Warner
Ty Warner developed the company Beanie Babies and is also a hotel owner and investor. Though he is a massively successful billionaire, he does not have a full education at higher level. He dropped out of college after only a year due to his parents’ health concerns, but that did not stop him from reaching immense success from Beanie Babies. Some things you just don’t need a degree for.
Walt Disney
Walt Disney had an immense impact on popular culture during his lifetime, and his legacy has only gone on to be more impressive. What many people don’t know, however, is that Disney actually dropped out of school at the age of 16. He was already a cartoonist for his school newspaper, but went on to join the Red Cross while creating cartoons for other publications on the side. It was only a few years before he was able to make it as a cartoonist full time and his first studio was established by the time he was 20 years old.
