People drop out of school for various reasons: They may be in pursuit of a dream, simply uninterested in school or circumstances force them to quit. In Part I of this article, we supplied you with a list of well-known and highly successful men who began their careers by deliberately dropping out of school. Whatever their reason for dropping out, the following six dropouts also clearly made the most of their decision.
1. David GeffenDropped out of: The University of Texas, Austin, at age 20.
Geffen’s first job after dropping out of college was as an usher at CBS Television City, but he soon took a job in the mailroom of the William Morris Agency, where he eventually became an agent.
His accomplishments: Geffen is a talent agent, the founder of both Asylum Records and Geffen Records, the Broadway producer of Dreamgirls and Cats, and a major studio head. David Geffen is often touted as Hollywood's first self-made billionaire, with a net worth of over $4 billion. As one of the cofounders of DreamWorks SKG, with Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg, Geffen’s influence in the entertainment industry has grown progressively for almost 40 years.
Before the DreamWorks studio was sold to Viacom, it either produced or distributed more than 10 films that grossed more than $100 million, seeing tremendous success with films such as American Beauty, Shrek 2 and Saving Private Ryan.
In May 2002, David Geffen announced the largest single donation to a U.S. medical school in history -- giving $200 million to the UCLA medical school. In 2004, he commented that he is no longer interested in making money, and that whatever he makes in the future, he’ll donate to charity.
By graduation time: Geffen’s time in the William Morris mailroom was short. He quickly became an agent, and by the time he would have been graduating from UT, Geffen was the most sought-after agent at WMA.
2. Michael DellDropped out of: The University of Texas, Austin, at age 19.
Michael Dell was an average student and a freshman living in the dorms with plans of studying medicine when he founded PC’s Limited computer company in 1984 with $1,000. In the first full year, PC’s Limited -- better known today as Dell Computer Corporation -- grossed $6 million.
His accomplishments: Thanks to innovations in selling computers, as well as some timely buy-outs, Dell Inc. is currently the most profitable PC maker worldwide. With multiple appearances in Forbes, Fortune, PC Magazine, Financial World, and Industry Week, Michael Dell’s personal worth is measured somewhere around $19 billion.
In May 2006, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation gave Dell’s former university a $50 million grant to build three new research centers on campus, all of which will bear his name.
By graduation time: At about the time his UT class was graduating, Dell’s once-modest computer company was going public. 3. Peter JacksonDropped out of: Kapiti College, a New Zealand secondary school, at age 17.
Already a prodigious filmmaker, -- even if only on 8mm camcorders -- Jackson ditched school and worked in the production room for a local newspaper to earn money so he could finance his next film.
His accomplishments: Although his screenplay for Heavenly Creatures earned him an Oscar nomination in 1994, it was his Lord of the Rings trilogy that cemented Jackson’s place among the new generation of Hollywood filmmakers. As a measure of that status, Universal Studios reportedly paid him $20 million up front for 2005’s King Kong, a film that cost more than $200 million to produce. Nonetheless, the film’s revenues almost tripled that amount worldwide.
By graduation time: At the same time Jackson’s schoolmates were graduating, Jackson was doing what he loved to do most: He was making movies. In a few years, he would begin work on Bad Taste, a film critics lauded at Cannes and whose rights were sold to 12 countries -- and Jackson was on the map.
4. Ty WarnerDropped out of: Kalamazoo College, Michigan after attending for one year.
Warner dropped out and moved to Hollywood to become an actor, without much success. He then moved to Chicago and nabbed a job as a salesman at a toy manufacturer known as Dakin, where he remained for the next 20 years.
His accomplishments: Warner left Dakin, mortgaged his home, and threw his life savings into founding Ty Inc. in 1986. Using his sales experience and his contacts within the retail toy industry, Warner launched Beanie Babies in 1993. Eschewing excessive advertising, limiting production on select models, and choosing not to distribute them to bigger department stores, Warner created a veritable hysteria for Beanie Babies among both parents and collectors. Some Beanies were selling for 1,000 times their retail price.
Ty Inc. is privately owned and profit amounts can only be estimated. Nonetheless, some believe that during one year at the height of the hysteria, Beanies earned Ty Inc. more than $700 million.
By graduation time: Warner was working for Dakin at the time of his supposed graduation, learning the industry and developing contacts that would serve him many years later when forming Ty Inc. 5. Azim PremjiDropped out of: Stanford University, at age 21.
Azim Premji had a single term remaining before earning an electrical engineering degree when fate intervened: His father’s sudden death forced him to return to India and take over the family business in vegetable oils.
His accomplishments: Premji took that business, once known as Western India Vegetable Products, and began to diversify from various toiletries to hydraulic cylinders and soaps. In time, the business became Wipro Technologies, among the largest software companies in India. As a result, Premji, its chairman and CEO, has landed atop Forbes’ list of richest Indians six years in a row. As of January 2006, Azim Premji is considered the 10th richest man in the world -- and surely the wealthiest man who still flies economy class.
Guided by the belief that "Education is the vital element in the development and progress of our nation,” Premji began the Azim Premji Foundation, which is dedicated, in brief compass, to raising the level of education across India. In addition to countless other philanthropic pursuits and running Wipro, Premji didn’t forget about his own education; he earned his Stanford degree 30 years after dropping out.
By graduation time: Premji was knee-deep in vegetable oils by the time he should have graduated from Stanford, but when he actually did, he was among the most respected and admired men in the world -- and worth billions.
6. Quentin TarantinoDropped out of: Narbonne High School, Harbor City California, at age 16.
Although it’s hard to believe -- based on his various cameos -- Tarantino dropped out to become an actor.
His accomplishments: As both writer and director, many of Tarantino’s films, such as Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, indelibly changed the Hollywood landscape and helped usher in the independent-film industry. Trademarks such as nonlinear storylines, grisly violence, clever dialogue, pop-culture references, and countless homages to his favorite films have made his work both groundbreaking and instantly recognizable. His script for Pulp Fiction won him an Academy Award.
While still making films, Tarantino also uses his influence to allow smaller-budget films to get the exposure that is otherwise unavailable to them.
By graduation time: At about the time he would have graduated university, Tarantino began working at the now-legendary Video Archives in Manhattan Beach. He was the guy many of us encounter while renting videos: That spastic film-buff with an encyclopedic knowledge of movies.
bound for success
Successful dropouts can be found in numerous industries, and their careers are often inspirational; however, the list of unsuccessful dropouts is much longer and far less interesting -- no one would write an article about them. In other words, the inspiring thing about these men isn’t that they dropped out, but that they succeeded despite having done so.
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