Recently, American actresses Lori Loughlin (“Full House”) and Felicity Huffman (“Desperate Housewives”) found themselves at the center of a scandal: the FBI accused them (and a dozen other people) of participating in a fraudulent scheme through which wealthy American people placed their children in prestigious universities in the country.
And while legal proceedings are in full swing in Los Angeles, let's remember the 11 most successful and wealthy people who do not have a higher education, and some of them did not even go to college.
Anna Wintour
Today, the editor of American Vogue, who always appears in black glasses and with a permanent bob, has enormous influence and unquestioned authority. It was assumed that after school, 16-year-old Anna would go to college, but the girl decided her fate differently. She studied journalism for four years, and at 21 she got a job at the popular British publication Harpers & Queen, where she made a brilliant career.
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Ralph Lauren
Today's famous fashion designer, as well as one of the richest people in the world, Ralph Lauren, grew up in poverty. He entered Bernard Baruch College, but after two years of study he joined the army.
Upon returning, Ralph did not resume his studies at college, but began creating ties, from which his great story began.
Leonardo Del Vecchio
At the age of 7 he crossed the threshold of an orphanage, and at 14 his childhood ended. Leonardo was not destined to receive an education. It was a difficult post-war year in 1949, and the only school available to him was the school of life. Before becoming a cardinal in the optical industry, he worked in an auto parts factory. Today, Luxottica's chairman, Leonardo Del Vecchio, or "Mr. Nobody" as the media once called him, is worth $21.9 billion.
What to do if you didn’t get hired the first time
It happens that several interviews in a row end in failure. In this case, there is no shame in asking the HR manager why the company refused. If the reason is not your age, here's what you can do.
Have an internship
If an interesting vacancy won’t hire you without experience, ask for an internship. Companies often invite talented schoolchildren to work as interns. You won't earn money, but you will get an idea of the profession. Prove yourself and they will invite you to join the staff.
Upgrade yourself
While you are looking for a job, develop yourself. Make a list of skills that are missing, select tools: books, courses, seminars. Courses in the field of digital and IT are offered by Netology, Coursera, Stepik and others. In addition to gaining knowledge, you can add information about the completed course to your portfolio.
Wait and try again
The labor market is quite flexible. In big cities, dozens of vacancies appear every day. Those people whom employers prefer for you may not complete the probationary period. Even if you were rejected the first time, no one will prevent you from applying for a new vacancy.
Retrain
Evaluate your skills: perhaps they are not in great demand or the talent market is experiencing a decline. For example, a few years ago there was a boom in infographics and everyone was looking for great designers. Excellent designers are still needed now, but not in such quantities.
Up-to-date information on market trends can be found on industry portals and employment sites. If you didn't get into the trend, be glad that you learned about it before starting your career.
Savitri Jindal
Until 2005, she was quite happy as a mother of nine children and the wife of Om Prakash Jindal, founder and chairman of the OP Jindal Group. The death of her husband after a plane crash forced Savitri to go against tradition (Indian women are not expected to work as they are responsible for the home) and take on the role of head of the company. Despite her lack of education, Jindal was able to continue her husband’s work and create one of the largest industrial empires in India. Today her sons run the business, but their mother, in their opinion, is the cement that holds the whole family together.
What professions can you start your career with?
Let’s talk specifically about which professions in the digital and IT fields are suitable for a graduate. We've put together a short list highlighting key skills.
SMM specialist
Responsible for promotion on social networks, writes attractive posts, works with subscribers.
Key skills: literacy, creative thinking, understanding of social networks.
Traffic manager
Creates advertisements on social networks, writes engaging content.
Key skills: literacy, ability to use social networks.
Contextual advertising specialist
Sets up and runs advertising campaigns in Yandex.Direct and Google Adwords.
Key skills: analytical mind, knowledge of Microsoft Excel, literacy.
Search Engine Marketing Specialist
Promotes websites to leading positions in search engines, collects a semantic core, and makes recommendations for website optimization.
Key skills: basic knowledge of SEO and how search engines work.
Copywriter
Writes texts on a given topic for websites, newsletters, and social networks.
Key skills: literacy, love of text, knowledge of text editors.
Programmer
Develops software.
Key skills: technical mindset, understanding of programming principles, knowledge of at least one programming language.
Tester
Detects errors in programs. Tests software for defects that affect the performance of programs and applications.
Key skills: technical mindedness, attentiveness, basic programming and software testing skills.
Lee Shawki
Incredible insight and perseverance helped him achieve success and take second position in the list of the richest people in Hong Kong. In January, he celebrated his 91st year and despite his advanced age, he is still full of strength and has no plans to retire. Born into a large poor family, he left his father's house early in search of a good life. Lee earned his first million at 36, and at 63 he finally reached the coveted billion. And all thanks to successful real estate transactions.
Mark Zuckerberg
Net worth: $28.5 billion
The talented programmer, whom AOL and Microsoft tried to get in his youth, was not distinguished by his desire to organize a business. But chance decided everything: Mark entered Harvard to study psychology and, teaming up with several classmates, created Facebook in 2004.
Mark did not graduate from university, but already in 2010 he could boast of a fortune of $4 billion. Despite this, Zuckerberg does not gravitate towards a wasteful lifestyle. For example, he drives a Volkswagen Golf GTI, not a sports car cast from pure gold.
Li Ka-shing
Unable to pay for treatment, his father died of tuberculosis. The boy, who had not even completed 5th grade, had to quit school and go to the market to sell watch straps. Soon he got a job at a factory producing plastic flowers. His working day lasted 16 hours. Having saved a meager amount, in 1950 he left the factory and headed the Cheung Kong company, whose capital in 1978 was $891.7 million.
Richard Branson (Net Worth: $5 Billion)
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In terms of his charisma and aura of genius, he is not inferior to Jobs. But unlike the latter, Branson is a “good boy” from business. He is friendly, smiling and prone to adventure. Having started his business journey as a schoolboy by breeding budgies, Branson has come to a veritable empire of more than 400 companies involved in almost everything: from mobile communications to space tourism. The entrepreneur is known for his passion for setting new world records. The fastest way to cross something is by boat, or to fly somewhere in a hot air balloon—don’t feed it bread.
Ingvar Kamprad
The founder of IKEA never studied at university, and at school teachers had difficulty teaching him to read. Ingvar's only professional education was graduating from a higher commercial school in Gothenburg. Enthusiasm always replaced his lack of a university diploma. In an interview, the entrepreneur said:
If you do not experience incorrigible enthusiasm while working, consider that at least a third of your life has gone down the drain.
Michael Dell (Net Worth: $18 Billion)
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Michael began making his first money during his school years, selling subscriptions to newspapers and magazines in his native Houston. Soon he became interested in computers and, having already entered the university to become a doctor, began handicraft production of computers. Selling homemade computers began to bring Dell such an impressive income that he decided to drop out of the University of Texas after his first year. PC's Limited, founded at that time, was later renamed Dell Computer Corporation.
Liliane Bettencourt
After finishing convent school at the age of 15, she immediately joined her father's business. In her entire life, the owner of the largest cosmetic empire, L'Oreal, gave only 2 interviews, both in the last century. From youth to old age, Lilian was haunted by scandals: her husband and father were accused of fascism, her lover was accused of self-interest, and she was accused of corruption. According to Forbes 2021, she was considered the richest woman in the world. Its capital was estimated at $45 billion.
1) Why didn’t you get a higher education?
Alexey: “I dropped out of university after 2.5 years of study. On the one hand, I didn’t have enough strength and perseverance, on the other hand, I chose the wrong specialty.”
Christina: “Yes, because my mother initially sent me there. And at first I even tried to convince myself that I really wanted to become a doctor. But don't fool yourself. After 1.5 years, I secretly took the documents. By the way, my mother still hopes that I will recover, although almost 5 years have passed.”
Vladislav: “Even in high school, I knew that I would not go to university. Simply because I immediately wanted to become a photographer and understood that there are no normal universities in this field and that practice is more important in this profession.”
Christy Walton
Little is known about this woman’s early youth. The most turning point for her was her marriage to John Walton, heir to the Walmart empire. Christie's measured life changed in 2005, when her husband, who bequeathed her part of his fortune, died in a plane crash. Despite the lack of higher education, the widow managed her money more than wisely - today this woman’s fortune is estimated at $42 million.
Daniel Ek
Daniel Ek was 21 years old when he co-founded Spotify. To do this, he left the university - the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden - after only 8 weeks of study. Spotify is now one of the most successful music apps in the world with over 32 million subscribers. Ek boasts a fortune of more than 19 billion rubles.
Amancio Ortega
Our list is completed by the richest man in Spain - the founder and president of Inditex. His company is the largest retail chain in the world, owning brands such as Pull & Bear, Oysho, Massimo Dutti, Zara and Zara Home, as well as 4,907 stores in 77 countries. The Western press calls Ortega the Spanish Sphinx and one cannot but agree with this. Amancio's life, like himself, is a complete mystery and enigma. What is known is that due to the poverty of his family, Ortega was unable to even graduate from high school and at the age of 13 he got a job as a messenger in a shirt store.
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When companies choose skills over degrees
Regularly. Fifteen global corporations (Google, Apple, IBM and others) have already announced that they are ready to hire people with a school diploma. Western companies look at the practical experience of the applicant, as well as talent and work discipline. They also ask about a diploma, but its absence no longer interferes with employment.
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