EDUCATION IS NEVER THE ONLY WAY TO SUCCESS

Do you feel dejected or left behind by your peers because you don’t have a college degree? Do you see your supposed illiteracy as a limitation to achieving your dreams? Or are you in the group that thinks education is the ultimate yardstick for success? If any of these questions best describes you, then please read on.

How does it sound to your ears that most of the world’s richest men and women were school drop outs? Well don’t be surprised; it’s the truth.

“I have nothing against education. But at times, education gives people false confidence. It makes people relax, trusting in the power of their certificates rather than in working hard.” – Rasaq Okoya

Today, I will be sharing with you a brief compilation of the entrepreneurial success stories of self made men and women; who took the bull by the horn by building a business, without being held back by the lack of a college degree. These men and women found their entrepreneurial spirit, surmounted business challenges, completed the entrepreneurial process and became successful entrepreneurs.

 “I have been within the four walls of school and I have been on the street. I can confidently tell you that the street is tougher, challenging, daring, exciting and more rewarding. In school; you play alone. But on the street, you play with the big boys.” – Ajaero Tony Martins

Warren Buffett, Mo Ibrahim, Mike Adenuga, Oprah Winfrey, George Soros, John D. Rockefeller, Sam Walton, Jerry Yang and David Filo, Anita Roddick, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Jeff Bezos, Pierre Omidyar, Martha Stewart, Henry Ross Perot and Aliko Dangote; the richest black man in the world did not make the list because they possessed college degrees. Without wasting much of your time, below is a comprehensive list of some of the world’s richest school drop out billionaires.

“Behind every adversity is an opportunity. If you lament over the adversity, you will miss the opportunity.” – Ajaero Tony Martins

  The World’s Richest School Drop Out Billionaires

1.Bill Gates: He is the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, the world largest software company. Dropped out of Harvard to focus on building Microsoft. According to Forbes magazine, Bill Gates has held the position of the world richest man for thirteen consecutive years and he not showing a sign of letting go that position.

“To win big, you sometimes have to take big risks.” – Bill Gates

“We were young, but we had good advice good ideas and lots of enthusiasm.” – Bill Gates

2.Thomas Edison: Thomas Edison was labeled dumb and scatterbrain by his school teachers but he went on to become one of the world’s greatest inventors and founded General Electric; one of the most powerful companies in the world.

 “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison

3. Orji Uzor Kalu: He is one of the richest men on the soil of Africa. This young billionaire was rusticated from college for his participation in a student’s protest. Instead of lamenting over his predicament; he started trading on palm oil and from that humble beginning, he grew his business into a conglomerate “Slok Group.” Though he was later pardoned by the school authorities, he rejected the amnesty offer thereby refusing to return to school.

“A good businessman must have nose for business the same way a journalist has nose for news. Once your eyes, ears, nose, heart and brain are trained on business, you sniff business opportunities everywhere.” – Orji Uzor Kalu

4.Li Ka Shing: Billionaire owner of Hutchinson Whampoa; one of the largest conglomerates in Hong Kong, with operations that span over fifty countries and more than 220,000 staff worldwide. Dropped out of school at the age of 15 and started out by selling watch bands.

“The first year, I didn’t have much capital so I did everything myself. I had to keep my overhead low by learning everything about running a business, from accounting to fixing the gears of my equipment. I really started from scratch.” – Li Ka Shing

5.Richard Branson: Best known for his adventurous spirit and outrageous business tactics. He dropped out of school at the age of 16 to start his first successful business venture; Student Magazine, bought his own 79-acre Caribbean island when he was just 24 and he was knighted in 1999. He is the billionaire founder of the Virgin brand and its 360 companies. His companies include the famous Virgin Atlantic Airways.

 “I wanted to be an editor or journalist. I wasn’t really interested in becoming an entrepreneur, but I soon found I had to become an entrepreneur in order to keep my magazine going.” – Richard Branson

 Successful Entrepreneurs and World’s Richest School Drop Out Billionaires

6.Lawrence J. Ellison: Larry Ellison dropped out of college twice and was told by his adoptive father that he would never amount to anything but he went on to become a billionaire by building Oracle, the world’s second largest software company.

 “I have had all the disadvantages required for success.” – Larry Ellison

7.Michael Dell: He dropped out of college at the age of 19 to start PC’s Limited; later renamed Dell Computers Inc. Dell became the most profitable PC manufacturer in the world making Michael Dell a billionaire.

    “I had to give it a full go and see what happened.” – Michael Dell

8.Steve Jobs: Billionaire co-founder of Apple Inc and Pixar; dropped out of Reed College to start Apple.

9.Henry Ford: This automobile billionaire was born in abject poverty. He never saw the four walls of school but he went on to build Ford Motor Company and become one of the richest men that ever lived.

 “Thinking is the hardest work to do, that’s why so few people are engaged in it.” – Henry Ford

10.Walt Disney: Walt, regarded as the most influential animator because of his creativity with cartoons. He dropped out of high school at 16 and founded Walt Disney; a company which now has an annual revenue of about $30billion.

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

11.Ray Kroc: Billionaire Ray Kroc never saw the four walls of school and spent most of his life working as a salesman. He bought McDonald’s in 1961 for $2.7m and grew it into a multi billion dollar company.

“Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” – Ray Kroc

12.Debbi Fields: A 20 year old housewife with no education and business experience started Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chippery and became the most successful cookie company owner. She later renamed, franchised, and then sold Mrs. Field’s Cookies.

“You don’t have to be superhuman to do what you believe in.” – Debbi Fields

13. Cosmos Maduka: Nigerian Elementary school drop out and billionaire founder of the Coscharis Group.

14. Ingvar Kamprad: Billionaire founder of IKEA. He dropped out of high school at the age of 17 to start IKEA; now the top home furniture retailer in the world, with over 90,000 employees working in its 200-plus stores, and annual revenues in excess of $10 billion.

 “I’m not afraid of turning 80 and I have lots of things to do. I don’t have time for dying.” – Ingvar Kamprad

15.Carl Lindner: Billionaire investor and founder of United Dairy Farmers. He dropped out of high school at the age of 14 to deliver milk for his family diary.

16.          Simon Cowell: Famous for his involvement in American Idols, he dropped out of school at age 16 and started his own record label “Fanfare” at the age of 23.

“Good is not enough; you’ve got to be great.” – Simon Cowell

17. Mary Kay Ash: Founder of Mary Kay Inc and best known as the most outstanding business woman in the 20th century. Mary never saw the four walls of school.

“When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone. Refuse to throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested from failure.” – Mary Kay Ash

18.Coco Chanel: Fashion magnate and founder of the Coco Chanel brand, she never saw the four walls of school.

19. Wayne Huizenga: Wayne is the only person in history to build three Fortune 1000 companies practically from scratch: Waste Management Inc, Blockbuster Entertainment and AutoNation. He is the only person to have developed six NYSE-listed companies.

He also owns the Miami Dolphins and is previous owner of the Florida Marlins baseball team and the Panthers hockey team, making him the only person ever to own three pro teams in a single market, two of which won national championships. He dropped out of college to join a friend in a garbage collection business.

20. Barry Diller: This billionaire media magnate dropped out of college to start Fox Broadcasting Company. He is chairman of Expedia, and was once the CEO of IAC/InterActiveCorp which includes Home Shopping Network and Ticketmaster.

“There’s a world in which reasons are made up because reality is too painful.” – Barry Diller