Is College Necessary?
About once every three years my husband and I run out of things to argue about. When that happens, we fall back on an oldie but goodie: Is a college education necessary for everyone? I say no. He says yes.
Most people agree with my husband. A college education opens doors. It increases earning potential. It gets you hired. It may also leave you with unreasonable expectations about your employment options as well as thousands of dollars in student loans.
Bear in mind, my husband and I are both college graduates. He has a degree in math. I have a degree in engineering and I am a law school graduate. So I do value education. Why else would I still be paying off the mortgage on my advanced degree?
My issue isn’t with education. Education, I believe is very important. However, I also believe that education doesn’t always come in the form of a college diploma. A person can succeed through self education, motivation and ambition. To prove my point, and to once and for all win this ongoing argument with my dear heart, I have put together a list of five successful people who never graduated from college.
Five Famous and Successful College Dropouts
Successful College Dropout Number 1: Bill Gates. Just think, every time you send an e-mail over Microsoft Outlook or surf the web with Explorer, billionaire Bill Gates smiles all the way to the bank. While he may be the world’s richest nerd, at Harvard University Gates is known as one of their most successful and richest college dropouts.
Successful College Dropout Number 2: John Glen. John Glen is a lot of things: United States Marine, senator, and the first American to orbit the Earth. But he isn’t a college graduate. He dropped out of school and entered the military in 1941. I guess he turned out OK.
Successful College Dropout Number 3: Rachel Ray. She has a top rated cooking show. She’s published several bestselling cookbooks. She has a talk show and her own magazine. She has earnings of 18 million dollars a year. What she doesn’t have is a college diploma. I guess technically she’s not a college dropout since she never attended college in the first place.
Successful College Dropout Number 4: Ben Cohen (a.k.a. Ben and Jerry’s). Next time you’re eating a pint of Cherry Garcia give some thought to the man behind the ice cream. Ben Cohen lasted three semesters at Colgate College before dropping out. He did complete a correspondence course in ice cream offered through Penn State University. But I don’t think that gets him invited to the alumni reception.
Successful College Dropout Number 5: David Geffen. This wealthy American record executive created Geffen Records, Asylum Records and DreamWorks SKG. But though he attended three separate colleges, he never obtained a degree. One wonders how many companies he would have founded if he had a shiny diploma hanging on his wall.
And That’s Not All
The list of successful college dropouts (or never attended) is longer than you think. Other uneducated, though highly successful individuals include: Architect Frank Lloyd Wright; high school dropout and millionaire founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Anne Beiler; six time college dropout and founder of Whole Foods Market, John Mackey; TV political commentator and Daily Show Punch Line, Glenn Beck; and, Disneyland founder and animation genius, Walt Disney. The list could go on and on. But I think you see where I am going.
So, What’ My Point?
So besides finally proving my dearest husband wrong, a reward unto itself, what’s my point? It’s simple. Success doesn’t come from a piece of paper or from spending countless hours learning about the causes of the War of 1812. It comes from hard work, dedication, motivation and a desire to achieve something that’s bigger than you can dream. And education, though more valuable than gold, doesn’t have to come from the classroom. You can get it through travel, life experience or self learning. And you can save yourself a yacht load of student loan payments in the process.