Society tells us that we should work hard in school, get a good college education and follow our dreams when we decide on a career. For 99% of the population this ethos is exactly right and the most likely way in which you can find a successful career. School is an important time for you, this is when you learn the tools that you need to prepare you for life, gain the knowledge that will take you to successful careers and become a confident individual to take life on. For many however, school is a drag and they cannot wait to leave, in fact some in jump the gun and around 1.3 million American students dropout of high school before their mandatory education is complete.
Many of those who drop out will live a tough life filled with unemployment, crime or working in jobs that they despise. There are some however who have proven that dropping out of high school was the best thing they ever did, today we’re going to look at some notable cases.
TB Joshua
The highly influential pastor and prophet TB Joshua left school after just one year, he would later go on to create the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), the most famous church in Africa that attracts visitors from all over the globe. Joshua has become a highly accurate prophet and an inspiration for millions around the World.
Richard Branson
Left school at 15 after deciding that education wasn’t helping him to achieve his dreams, after starting several small businesses the entrepreneur went on to oversee more than 500 companies under his self-made brand name Virgin. Currently has a fortune of around $5 billion dollars. An explorer, philanthropist and a widely respected CEO, Branson has shown that the decision he took all of those years ago was one of the best that he’s ever made.
David Karp
Left an elite science school at the age of 15 to work on his website idea Tumblr, after 6 years of hard work, the young Karp sold Tumblr to Yahoo for $1.1 billion and currently resides as the company’s CEO. Widely regarded as one of the most forward thinking entrepreneurs on the internet and a hugely influential CEO.
Aretha Franklin
The Queen of Soul quit school at 15 to care for her child, she continued to push for a career as a recording artist and after finding success she took the World by storm. Franklin has 18 Grammy Award to her name and has received honorary degrees from Ivy League universities. Franklin has become the benchmark for any female singer looking to find success and few can get near the high level that she has set in the music industry. Aretha became the first female solo artist to be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has even sang at 3 separate presidential inauguration ceremonies. Not bad for a teenage mum who was forced to give up her education.