Comical as these stats may seem, it’s no joke to report that seven of the top eight wealthiest people in the United States lack a college degree and have kids. Five of those seven are actually university drop outs. So, if we skim the surface of rationale, we could surmise that these entrepreneurs just got lucky despite their lack of focus, correct? We could, but most likely we’d be wrong. It’s far more realistic to guess that the impetus for abandoning traditional education was that these folks already had a vision of what they wanted to do, they had an idea and, as important as the idea itself, they possessed the drive to do something with it.
Unlikely many of their classmates, these are people who possess a pioneering spirit, the necessary nerve to take a calculated risk, and the intellect to decipher what a worthwhile risk may look like. The fact that these gentlemen (and one honorable-mention woman) were so able to focus on their ultimate goal is what enabled them to succeed.
Their achievements exceed what most people are able to accomplish, even with far more advanced education. There are Ph.D holders who work in retail. Unless you have the fortitude and ambition to make something of yourself, all the certificates of paper from every awe-inspiring institution on the planet aren’t going to do much for you. Sure, they might get your foot in the door, but it’s your personal creativity and self-motivation that are going to have to build the lasting impression once the rest of your entity follows. The Wharton School of Business Alumni newsletter might impress your underlings (assuming they’re studious enough to know what the Wharton School of Business is) but the people who finance your pay check won’t be bowled over unless you actually do something worth being impressed by.
Bill Gates, software king, dropped out of Harvard University. Now the 50 year-old Washington state super star, married with 3 children, is worth roughly $50 billion.
Warren Buffet, age 75, made his money in investments. He’s the only one of the top eight who completed advanced levels of education, with his undergrad at the U of Nebraska and a masters from Columbia. A widower and father of 3, Buffet is worth an estimated $42 billion.
Paul Allen, software genius who, along with Gates, founded a software empire, is now 53 and worth $22 billion. Allen is the only person on the list who is both single and childless. Allen dropped out of Washington State University.
Michael Dell dropped out of the University of Austin, Texas and built a fortune in technology. Now only 41 years old, the married father of 4 has a material net worth of $17 billion.
Sheldon Adelson is a City College of New York drop out. Married with 5 kids, Adelson, age 72, made his money in the gambling and leisure industry. His net worth is valued at $16.1 billion.
Lawrence Ellison, age 61, dropped out of the University of Illinois. Another giant in the software industry, married and a father of 2, his fortune is estimated at $16 billion.
Tying for the seventh spot are two of the exceptionally wealthy Walton clan, Christy (widow of Wal-Mart founder John) and Jim. At ages 51 and 58, respectively, both are worth $15.9 billion. The widowed Mrs. W has 1 child. Jim, married, has 4. While both of these billionaires essentially inherited their wealth, they are nonetheless actively involved in the family business and make no public mention of advanced education, treading onto common ground with their billionaire contemporaries.
Were we to assume that there is any correlation between the material and monetary assets amassed by this group and their choice to drop out of school and bear offspring, we could judge by those stats that every trailer park in the country should be crawling with millionaires. Obviously that’s not the case. There’s something more to it, and that something more is what anyone has to tap into if they crave a taste of true success.
Author Sam Robertson writes on human interest matters, including education, health, politics and more. With a vast array of published work, Robertson brings a forthright perspective to articles and texts.
