Cape Town - Having a formal degree isn’t necessarily the key to success – as these incredible people have proved.
Whether through innovation or skill, these inspiring folks have reached their goals without a traditional educational background.
Ellen Degeneres
The talk show host is one of the most successful comedians in Hollywood but she had to work incredibly hard to get there.
After a brief stint at the University of New Orleans, the 59-year-old decided to drop out after only one semester, reports Time.
From painting houses to being a vacuum salesperson, Ellen worked numerous odd jobs. It wasn’t until the 80s that she started doing stand-up at comedy clubs and finally got her big break on the Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show.
By the 90s the comedian had her own sitcom – and now she’s labelled the queen of daytime television with her own show.
Steve Jobs
According to Crunch Base, the Apple mastermind had a keen interest in computers and attended Reed College in Portland, US, but dropped out after one semester.
Instead, the brainiac travelled to India to pursue a spiritual journey before returning back home to America. He later convinced his good friend Steve Wozniak to start a business with him, which resulted in the birth of the multi-billion technology company Apple.
Kim Kardashian
Before this selfie queen displayed her lavish lifestyle on camera, Kim Kardashian played stylist for celebs such as Paris Hilton, Serena Williams, and Nicole Richie, reports Cosmopolitan.
The Keeping up with the Kardashian star attended Pierce College in Los Angeles while working at the family’s Dash store, but left all of that behind after her reality show took off.
The 37-year-old business mogul now owns her own beauty range, mobile game and has a huge social media following.
Richard Branson
Back in 1966, 16-year-old Richard, who was dyslexic, dropped out of school.
According to the Business Insider, the billionaire then started a magazine for students and made money by selling advertisements to neighbouring businesses.
Richard, who started selling mail-order records to students, built his very first record store the next year. After starting a record label, the now 67-year-old businessman added The Rolling Stones and the Sex Pistols to his label.
He then started an airline, train and mobile phone business and now, 50 years later, the multi-billionaire has a say in more than 400 companies.
Oprah Winfrey
The queen of talk discovered her love for the media while attending East Nashville High School, reports The Business Insider. The now 63-year-old was in her high school’s speech team and worked for a local radio station.
After receiving a job offer from a local television station during her sophomore year at the Tennessee State University, Oprah decided to leave college and pursue a career in media, which paid off big time!
Sources: businessinsider.com, buzzfeed.com, jobsite.co.uk