Most people are familiar with some of the more legendary high school dropouts who became wildly successful before they died.
McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc and Walt Disney both left high school to pursue other interests that became globally-recognized brands. Henry Ford and Coco Chanel never finished high school, but they also created enduring brand names that outlasted their lifetimes.
There are also some amazingly high profile entrepreneurs and business people alive today who chose to leave college to follow their dreams. Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Bill Gates of Microsoft and Michael Dell of Dell Computers all chose to leave college to create wildly successful businesses that changed the world.
Even some of the world’s literary greats never finished school. Did you know that Harper Lee, Charles Dickens, H.G. Wells, and Mark Twain dropped out of school?
Kids are told from a young age to stay in school and study hard so they can get a good job. Many employers judge a candidate’s ability to perform a job based on their education. Statistics show that college graduates earn around twice as much as the average high school dropout.
Of course, there are some dropouts who illustrate that education might not be the only road to success. Here are 10 high school dropouts who are now millionaires:
- David Karp dropped out of Bronx Science High School at the age of 15. His original plans were to continue homeschooling and work on other side projects. However, he never got his high school diploma. He ended up building the short-form blogging and social networking platform known as Tumblr in the back bedroom of his mother’s apartment, which he has since sold to Yahoo! for $1.1 billion.
. - Quentin Tarantino left Narbonne High School at age 15 to work at an adult film theater. Later, he took a job in a video rental store while he took acting classes. He wrote several movie scripts in his spare time based around his love of movies and went on to become a screenwriter.
.
- Drew Barrymore may have dropped out of high school, but technically she’s been working consistently since she was just 11 months old, so she could be forgiven. While she may be widely known for her high-profile acting roles, Drew is also a highly successful businesswoman in her own right.
.
- Sir Richard Branson dropped out of Stowe High School at just 16 to start a magazine. By the age of 20 the entrepreneur founded a mail-order record company that expanded to become Virgin Records.
.
- Carl Lindner, Jr dropped out of high school when he was just 14 so he could deliver milk for his family’s dairy farm. He borrowed some money to start an ice cream shop with his siblings. He used his entrepreneurial skills to build a business empire and invest heavily to build his estimated $1.7 billion fortune.
.
- Jay-Z grew up in one of the roughest housing projects in Brooklyn. Originally known as Shawn Carter, Jay-Z, never graduated from high school. That didn’t stop the multi-Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist going on to become a successful entrepreneur.
.
- Uma Thurman left high school at just 16 to pursue an acting career. She worked as a model before being spotted by talent scouts at a drama school and went on to become one of Hollywood’s leading female actresses.
.
- George Foreman left school at the age of 15 to pursue a career in boxing. He went on to become a two-time world heavy-weight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. When he retired from boxing, he jumped into the world of business, becoming the spokesperson for the George Foreman Grill.
.
- Robert De Niro left high school at 16 to study acting. He has become a hugely successful actor who has starred in more than 90 films. He’s also a successful businessman, with a chain of eateries across New York and his own film studio.
.
- Katy Perry left high school at the age of 15 to pursue a career as a musical artist. Her career began with gospel music as a Christian singer, but she reinvented herself to emerge as one of the world’s most successful female pop superstars.
.
There are plenty of success stories circulating about regular people who dropped out of high school and went on to become millionaires. However, it’s also worth noting that 81% of the Forbes 400 richest people hold college degrees. The common thread running through each of the stories of successful dropouts is that they all had a strong ambition to achieve a specific goal that didn’t fit the traditional academic high school mold.
.
© Edublox
Reading and learning made easy –
“It’s been six months … and already she is one of the top performers in her class”
I was told that my daughter would never make it in a mainstream school and that she had to be transferred to a remedial school... She is getting 6's and 7's and she is in mainstream school. Continue Reading
Zan’s Mom, South Africa Edublox Online Tutor December 21, 2013
Dyslexia case study presented at Kennesaw State University
The Edublox Program has given hope to a child who knew he was different, tried to fit in with his peers, and experienced failures in any aspects of school. His newly found confidence has allowed him to raise his hand in a classroom, dared him to try written material presented to him, and opened a world of "I can" instead of "I can't" on new material. Continue Reading
Carole Derrick, Primary Grades Teacher Edublox Online Tutor June 24, 2015
“His English has jumped from 42% to 58%; he is writing compositions that bring tears to my eyes”
Preneil was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of thirteen. His mother shares her son's progress after joining Edublox. Read the full story. Continue Reading
Devigi Pillay, South Africa Edublox Online Tutor January 26, 2016
“My dyslexic son doesn’t seem to be dyslexic anymore”
I never thought I would be writing this statement, but my dyslexic son doesn't seem to be dyslexic anymore! The symptoms have all disappeared. After all I've read on the subject of learning difficulties, this was not supposed to happen! Continue Reading
Laura Trudel, Canada Edublox Online Tutor November 12, 2016
“A program that truly stands up to [its] promises and offers hope to those who struggle”
We just received his first semester report card and I am so excited to say that he received an “A” in both English and Math. Continue Reading
Teresa M., California, US Edublox Online Tutor November 28, 2016
“He is devouring books at a rapid rate”
Six months ago reading a book was tortuous for him because even if he read it his reading was so faltering and full of mistakes that he couldn’t comprehend the text. Continue Reading
Abi Stinson, UK Edublox Online Tutor November 29, 2016
“After six weeks the improvements were very obvious”
The most noticeable improvement came with Math, because we were struggling trying to do his math at grade level (3rd grade), but then around six weeks into Edublox he could do his math at grade level (with the exception of telling time on a face clock and counting money). Continue Reading
Cindy B., Michigan, US Edublox Online Tutor December 1, 2016
“His reading age went up by 2 years in less than 6 months”
His spelling age improved as well and he also did really well in the end of year exams with his best results in most subjects. Continue Reading
Jenny & Greg, UK Edublox Online Tutor December 6, 2016
“In the first 9 weeks of school they have increased over 2 1/2 years”
Phonics just did not work. Last year they did not improve in their reading level all year. We started Edublox in June and already in the first 9 weeks of school they have increased over 2 1/2 years.... Their spelling has greatly improved and learning new words has become a game, not the dreaded chore it once was. Continue Reading
Nita Brist, Washington State, US Edublox Online Tutor December 11, 2016
“I feel as if part of my daughter’s mind was trapped, and Edublox set her free”
She is now almost an intuitive speller. Really, it's a miracle. Six months ago, her spelling tested at a Kindergarten level, and is now at a 6th grade level. This is just still so amazing to all of us who have struggled with her. Continue Reading
The Adams household in New Mexico Edublox Online Tutor December 15, 2016