College dropouts who became successful?

I've read a few stories about college dropouts who ended up becoming super successful. But how common is this actually? I'm not planning to drop out, but I'm pretty curious. Who are some of the most successful college dropouts in history and what paths did they take to achieve their success?

Your curiosity is quite reasonable. College dropouts achieving phenomenal success is not necessarily a common occurrence, but there are a few notable examples that have towered over others in terms of their accomplishments. Due to their exceptionalities, these individuals have been able to thrive, even in the absence of a formal degree.

Notably, Steve Jobs (of Apple) and Bill Gates (of Microsoft) are often cited as two of the most iconic college dropouts. Both of them left their respective colleges (Reed College for Jobs, Harvard for Gates) to pursue their startups, which later became global tech giants.

Steve Jobs left college and traveled to India in search of spiritual enlightenment. Eventually, he returned to the U.S., teamed up with his friend Steve Wozniak, and started Apple in his parents’ garage. Gates, on the other hand, left Harvard after two years and founded Microsoft with his childhood friend Paul Allen.

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, is another dropout from Harvard. He started Facebook in his dorm room and dropped out during his sophomore year when the website's popularity mushroomed.

Then there's Ralph Lauren, the iconic fashion designer who dropped out of Baruch College to join the U.S. Army. After his stint in the Army, Lauren worked for a necktie company where he began designing his neckties, setting the stage for the Polo Ralph Lauren empire.

Lastly, Oprah Winfrey, a media maven, dropped out of Tennessee State University to start working as the first black female news anchor at Nashville’s WLAC-TV. Winfrey later went on to create the Oprah Winfrey Network.

In each of these cases, dropping out was related to them wanting to work on a business opportunity or other endeavor right away. It's important to note that while these stories are fascinating, they're not typical paths to success, and nearly all successful people have completed their education.