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We know that getting a college degree is the traditional route to success. Still, history is full of tales about individuals who have made it their foundation to lead remarkable lives as billionaires without a college degree.
According to Investopedia, many of these people are disciplined, have a great work ethic, and want to help others, just to name a few of their common characteristics. Check out the 20 billionaires who have reached the pinnacle without going to college.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard University to concentrate fully on co-founding Microsoft, which developed into a software company and made the founder a billionaire by radically changing the face of personal computing with its Windows operating system.
He benefitted from the explosive personal computer market by developing innovative software that became standard in businesses and homes worldwide. His early insight and hard work, alongside calculated business decisions, made Microsoft a market leader and extremely rich. Forbes says he’s worth $105B.
Mark Zuckerberg
From the social networking of the digital age, Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard to develop Facebook. According to Forbes, his net worth is $203 billion.
He’s got billions of people connected all around the world. Facebook’s evolution from a college networking site into a powerful platform has changed our interaction and content-sharing mechanism.
Larry Ellison
He’s resilient and tenacious in his path to success. Many know him as a dropout from two universities—the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago—and co-founder of Oracle, an enterprise software solutions company with a net worth of about $230.7 billion.
Amancio Ortega
According to Telegrafi, Zara founder Amancio Ortega became a billionaire after dropping out of school at 14 to work as a delivery boy in a clothing store. After a while, he developed a successful fashion empire based on its famed “fast fashion” model, which involved the fast delivery of trendy clothing and the swift reaction to consumers’ demands.
As a result, he monopolized the retail market with Zara as its core. That business sense, combined with his exposure to the textile industry, made him quite wealthy, all without formal education. He has an estimated net worth of $125.6 billion.
Michael Dell
They say Michael Dell dropped out of the University of Texas at 19 to focus on personal computing. At Dell Technologies, he helped found the company and became instrumental in building and directing the computer industry and finding the masses access to technology.
His net worth is around $112.2 billion, according to Forbes.
Richard Branson
Richard Branson’s unorthodox business style has catapulted him into fame. At 15, Branson left school to found the Virgin Group, which now has interests in music, airlines, and space travel. He is worth around $2.6 billion.
Steve Jobs
No one in the technology or entertainment industry has a legacy like Steve Jobs’s. After leaving Reed College, Jobs dropped out, co-founded Apple, and became a tech, media, and design pioneer.
At the time of his death, Jobs was worth $7B, and his vision and thoughts have permeated the world.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk left Stanford University’s PhD program in materials science and applied physics after two days to pursue his career in the internet industry.
His net worth is estimated at $304 billion, and with upgrades in electric vehicles, space, and clean energy, he has changed industries and spawned a new generation of entrepreneurs.
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren studied business at Baruch College but left to join the US Army before graduating. While serving for two years, Lauren realized that clothing was an important outlet for her passion.
Lauren’s success seems to have a net worth of just a little less than $10.5B, the essence of luxury and elegance within reach of a wider audience.
Francois Pinault
Francois Pinault’s story is a classic one of how one leaves school at 16 and builds one of the world’s largest luxury groups. Now worth approximately $20.3 billion, Pinault has succeeded through savvy acquisitions and knows the luxury market.
Ty Warner
The story of how Ty Warner built the Beanie Babies phenomenon seems almost too good to be true. As College Transitions reports, Warner withdrew from Kalamazoo College and transformed a simple plush toy into a cultural icon, raking up a net worth of around $6.5 billion.
David Geffen
It took the sharp business acumen of David Geffen, an early arrival in the music industry, and the founding of record labels such as Geffen Records to make him a billionaire.
But he dropped out of college early on and signed and managed some of the biggest acts in rock music. He was able to concentrate on building his career in entertainment, and his net worth is around $8.6 billion.
Ted Turner
As a man of stubborn and pioneering spirit, Ted Turner founded CNN, the first 24-hour news network, and changed how news is consumed. Turner estimated his net worth is $2.5 billion; he was expelled from Brown University.
His innovative approach to news broadcasting and desire to provide people with information around the clock have reshaped journalism and media.
Ingvar Kamprad
IKEA has become a household name worldwide, providing revolutionary, affordable furniture. Kamprad, who began IKEA from scratch at age 17 with no college degree, turned it into a global home furnishing leader.
At his death, he had a net worth of $3.5B, as reported by Forbes.
John Paul DeJoria
Resilience and entrepreneurship brought John Paul DeJoria from humble beginnings to co-founding successful beauty and beverage brands. DeJoria built Paul Mitchell and Patron Spirits with no degree, beginning as a door-to-door salesman.
He’s said to have built up an estimated $3B net worth.
Li Ka-Shing
At 15, Li left school to support his family, amassing Cheung Kong Holdings to around $36 billion. He is one of the most powerful figures in Asia because of his investment approach and ability to adapt to changing market trends.
Dustin Moskovitz
Moskovitz left Harvard University in its early days to join his roommate, Mark Zuckerberg, who was already building the social media giant Facebook. He made a difference in the platform’s rapid technical architecture and user experience growth.
Moskovitz is also a co-founder of Asana, a company that aims to make workplaces more productive by helping users better manage their tasks. His footprint has also been felt beyond Facebook. He’s estimated to be worth around $10 billion.
Sheldon Adelson
Adelson dropped out of City College of New York but built Las Vegas Sands, a leading player in the gaming and hospitality industry, with a net worth of $29.8 billion.
This underscores the importance of taking risks and practicing innovation as the skill to identify and transform the entertainment and tourism landscape is evidence that you don’t need a degree to be successful.
Jan Koum
Jan Koum dropped out of San Jose State University. Koum co-founded the WhatsApp messaging platform, which Facebook bought for $19 billion.
Koum’s net worth is around $16.3 billion; he successfully made a simple product that was easy to use for millions everywhere.
Zhou Qunfei
Zhou Qunfei dropped out of school at 16 to work in a factory, and she started building her empire. That’s how she founded Lens Technology, a global leader in glass production for tech products now worth an estimated $10.4 billion.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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