An educational degree is usually considered the foundation of any burgeoning career, particularly in today’s job market; the odds of nailing that dream position within a desirable company, or even getting a foot in the door, without a diploma seem near impossible. But near impossible is not the same thing as impossible—in fact, some of today’s biggest success stories involve college and even high school dropouts, proving that sometimes it takes the perfect mix of naiveté and gumption to make it.
Bill Gates
Gates is considered one of the greatest college dropouts of all time. The former Harvard student was far more interested in computers than he was in basic studies, and opted to leave the prestigious university to start his own little computer company, otherwise known as Microsoft. His name is now synonymous with the personal-computer revolution, all because he decided to forgo the more traditional path to success.
Steve Jobs
Of course, Gates wasn’t the only one who recognized how bright technology’s future was. In part because of high tuition costs, Jobs dropped out of Oregon’s Reed College in 1972 to pursue his dream of creating computers. He founded Apple in 1976 with friend (and fellow college dropout) Steve Wozniak; together, they’ve built an empire over the last three decades. With the iPhone, iPod, and iPad considered some of the hottest gadgets today, Jobs continues to stand as a revolutionary, despite his lack of a diploma.
Annie Leibovitz
One of America’s most iconic photographers, according to CollegeDropoutsHallofFame.com, once said, “I was very lucky, in working for these magazines, to learn by doing, but I always regretted not having a formal education.” The woman who helped define Rolling Stone with her work as the magazine’s chief photographer attended the San Francisco Art Institute. She left school to pursue photography full-time, but her ongoing career speaks for itself.
Peter Jennings
It’s one thing to overcome the lack of a college education, but it’s another entirely to succeed without a high school diploma. And yet one of the nation’s most well-respected newsmen did just that. Jennings, a Canadian native, dropped out of high school after the tenth grade. (He told Reader’s Digest in 2002 that he was simply more interested in girls and comic books than in school, adding, “And for reasons I don't understand, I was pretty lazy.”) His education was achieved the hard way—on the job—and he was better for it. Until his death in 2005, Jennings ranked among TV’s best journalists.
