Although earning a college degree is widely considered a prerequisite for success, it’s not always so. As evidenced by founders of companies like Apple, Oracle, Virgin, Microsoft, Dell, and—more recently—Facebook, you don’t always need a college degree to succeed in business and life. In fact, all 10 of the most successful college-dropout CEOs on a list compiled by financial site Pinoymoneytalk.com also appear on its 2010 Richest People in the World list.
Many of those CEOs left institutes of formal education while on the brink of building some of the world’s biggest business empires. For example, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft; Michael Dell left the University of Texas to found Dell Computers and Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard to found Facebook. But others simply lacked the opportunity. Both Virgin Group’s Sir Richard Branson and Inditex Group’s Amancio Ortega, son of a railway worker, never went to college because they didn’t finish high school, while Oracle founder Larry Ellison dropped out after the death of his adoptive mother’s death.
Clearly, contrary to conventional wisdom, a degree may be useful, but it’s not necessary.
| Top 10 College-Dropout CEOs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank/CEO | Company | Country | Est. Net Worth | Educational Background |
| 1. Bill Gates | Microsoft | USA | $50 billion | Harvard University, second year dropout |
| 2. Mukesh Ambani | Reliance Industries | India | $29 billon | Stanford University, first year dropout |
| 3. Larry Ellison | Oracle | USA | $28 billion | University of Illinois, first year dropout |
| 4. Eike Batista | EBX Group | Brazil | $27 billion | RWTH Aachen University, first year dropout |
| 5. Amancio Ortega | Inditex Group | Spain | $25 billion | Did not attend college, high school dropout |
| 6. Michael Dell | Dell Computers | USA | $13.5 billion | University of Texas, second year dropout |
| 7. Steve Jobs | Apple | USA | $5.5 billion | California, Reed College, first year dropout |
| 8. Ralph Lauren | Polo Ralph Lauren | USA | $4.6 billion | NY City College, second year dropout |
| 9. Richard Branson | Virgin Group | England | $4 billion | Did not attend college, high school dropout |
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
