We all heard our parents say that if we ever wanted to be anything in life, be successful, get to the top, higher education was a necessary step. Apparently it wasn´t true, or at least that is judging by the following examples. Like anyone would be, I was shocked to discover the following millionaires and highly successful businessmen did not complete their college education. Perhaps the most surprising out of this list of successful college dropouts was Bill Gates, multibillionaire owner of Microsoft, richest man in the world, left Harvard in 1976 without getting a diploma. And he´s not the only one, also on this list you will find Steve Jobs, current owner of Apple and Pixar, credited with revolutionizing portable technology and the music industry with the I-Pod. Steve Jobs only attended Reed College for one whole semester before dropping out. And finally, David Geffen, producer and owner of Dreamworks flunked out of not one, but two universities!

Perhaps not the best model for those of us who fought for that diploma, and definitely no the best example for a rebellious teenager, but what it certainly does prove is that a driven mind is not hampered or dependent on academic titles. Apparently for these individuals, life has compensated for that lost diploma with a degree in fame and fortune, but mostly success.