Billionaires Without School Degree

Did you know that “more than 1.3 million high school students in the United States drop out of school each year”? Considering that this makes high school dropouts ineligible for 90% of the jobs in the country, is there any reason to think they will be successful?


Actually, there is. Although I do not recommend that anyone drop out of high school, and I believe in school very much, if you don’t finish high school, there is hope.


In the 21st century, successful people like Tumblr founder David Karp dropped out of high school, entered commercial work, and achieved some major successes. However, for these nine billionaires who avoided higher education, becoming a millionaire is not enough.


John D. Rockefeller


Maybe the richest American ever, the founder of Standard Oil today will have an unimaginable net worth of $340 billion. It is hard to believe that Rockefeller only attended high school and briefly studied accounting at the business school before looking for a job at the age of 16.

John D. Rockefeller - Wikipedia


Henry Ford


Henry Ford left the family farm for Detroit at the age of 16. He became an apprentice in the mechanical workshop and later became the chief engineer of Edison Lighting. Ford built the first car in 1896, and it will revolutionize the assembly line. His net worth today will reach an incredible 199 billion US dollars! Not bad for people who haven’t had a formal science education.

Henry Ford - Biography, Inventions & Assembly Line - HISTORY


Oman Theo Ortega


Oman Theo Ortega dropped out of school around the age of 14 and started running errands for the local grocery store. In 1975, he founded Zara. By actively expanding and controlling most of its supply chain, Zara will become an empire in the fashion industry. Today, Ortega is the richest man in Spain, with a net worth of up to 74 billion US dollars.

In Pictures: The Richest People In The World


Kirk Kerkorian


Kirk Kerkorian dropped out of the eighth grade to become an amateur boxer, WWII fighter pilot, and big-city resort mogul. It all started in 1962 when Kerkorian bought land in Las Vegas and opened the original MGM Grand Hotel seven years later. At the time of his death, Kerkorian was worth approximately $ 4 billion.

Kirk Kerkorian, Billionaire Investor in Film Studios and Casinos, Dies at  98 - The New York Times


Francois Pinault


The French leader with assets such as Gucci, Christie’s, Samsonite and Puma The five richest men left private school in 1947 because their classmates mocked their poor background. Pino used to work at his father’s sawmill, which is said to be worth US $ 13 billion and has an art collection containing more than 2,000 works.

François Pinault & family


Murdoch


David H. Murdoch dropped out of school in the ninth grade and worked at a gas station until he enlisted in the military in 1945. After returning from World War II, Murdoch bought his first business, a restaurant in Detroit. A few months later, he turned the restaurant upside down and made $ 700. In 1985, he acquired the Hawaiian real estate company Castle & Cooke, which owns the Dole fruit company. Dole became the world’s largest producer of fruits and vegetables. It is estimated that Murdoch is worth $3 billion.

Rupert Murdoch Receives COVID-19 Vaccine in U.K. - Variety


Richard Branson


Enhancing As one of the world’s most famous billionaires, Sir Richard Branson struggled with dyslexia at the age of 16 drop out. He soon founded his first company, a mail-order record retailer called Student Magazine. That company will become the music store and record company of Virgin Records. During his career, Branson has overseen approximately 500 companies, with an estimated value of approximately $ 5 billion.

Richard Branson - Age, Quotes & Island - Biography

Carl Lindner Jr.


Getting Better During the Great Depression, 14-year-old Carl Lindner Jr. dropped out of school to deliver milk to his dairy company. Lindner and his two brothers opened an ice cream parlor, which later became the United Dairy Farmers chain, operating approximately 200 stores. In 1984, Lindner acquired Chiquita Brands International. In 1999, he became part of the owner and CEO of the Cincinnati Reds. At the time of his death, Lindner’s value was estimated at $ 1.7 billion. His family’s net worth is now $ 2.3 billion.

Carl Lindner Jr & family


Joe Lewis

Joe Lewis


Joe Lewis, the UK’s sixth-richest person, dropped out of school at age 15 and runs his father’s catering business, Tavistock Banqueting. Through his Tavistock group, Lewis is interested in more than 200 companies, including shares of the London Premier League football team Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs), Britain’s largest bar operator, Mitchell`s & Butlers plc, and with approximately 135 restaurants in the United States and four medical centers in Lake Nona, Florida, this is one of the fastest-growing communities in the United States. Currently, Lewis’s value is estimated at $ 5.3 billion. His art collection alone is said to be worth more than a billion dollars.

Also Read: Do Big Tech Know About You?


The Entrepreneurs Diaries is now available on Telegram. Join our telegram channel to get instant updates from TED.

Start typing and press Enter to search