Published By: Orna Ghosh

Famous college dropouts who reached the top

College is one of the crucial steps in our life for building a successful career, but what happens if someone leaves college to follow their dreams? 

If you are looking for inspiration from college dropouts, then this is the right post for you. Honestly, we heard a lot of stories about several dropouts turned billionaires. In most cases, they left college to join the family business or an existing establishment and contribute to their growth. However, some of them started from scratch to take their ventures to new heights.

Let us not take more time and move forward with the list of famous college dropouts who reached the top.

The Co-founder of Apple Inc.- Steve Jobs: He is an American businessman, investor, media proprietor and a clever tech giant. Steve Jobs was a student of Reed College in Portland, Oregon, but since he couldn’t afford to pay the tuition fees, he left college. In an interview, Steve Jobs stated that Reed’s calligraphy class inspired him to design the first Apple Macintosh computer.

The CEO of Reliance Industries Ltd.- Mukesh Ambani: He is the wealthiest person in India, with a net worth of 7.18 Crore. Mukesh Ambani was a college dropout from Stanford University in California. He was presuming MBA before he decided to cut it short and join the family business. However, his handwork and contribution to the company took its growth to a new level.

Stefani Germanotta, also known as Lady Gaga: Did you know that America’s music sensation, Lady Gaga was once a student at New York University’s Tisch School of Arts? She dropped out of college to follow her passion for music. Today, she is one of the most successful American singers, lyricists and actresses in Hollywood.

The American talk show host- Oprah Gall Winfrey: Listed as the most formidable American woman, Oprah made her journey from a media executive and actress to a billionaire philanthropist. She left Tennessee State University to work at the Chicago morning talk show and increased its ratings in just a few months. Are you having any difficulty in recognising her? She was the owner of the TV network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

The chairman of Landmark Group- Mukesh Jagtaini: This Indian entrepreneur and billionaire businessman is a college dropout from a business school in London. He started his entrepreneurial journey with a store in Bahrain, which turned out as a retail store chain. Today, there are almost 2300 outlets of the Landmark Group around the world.

As a disclaimer, this article inspires you to think big and not drop out of college to start your business.