It’s not always necessary to attend university in order to further your career. In fact, some of the most famous businessmen and women in the world never started or dropped out of a college degree and still went on to achieve greatness. When deciding on your personal route to take, it’s important to remember that one size does not always fit all and education and learning can be achieved from many different avenues with technology making resources accessible for all.

Famous Examples of Successful Business People Who Didn’t Finish College

  • Mark Zuckerberg was studying at Harvard University when he dropped out to start Facebook, and the social media platform now has over two billion active users.
  • Richard Branson dropped out of education at the tender age of 16 and went on to become the founder of Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic, Galactic and so on.
  • Tumblr was created by David Karp, who dropped out of high school and never received a diploma. The blogging website is now one of the most visited in the US. 
  • Arguably the most famous business mogul of our time, Bill Gates left Harvard University early to begin his Microsoft journey and is estimated to be worth around $80 billion.

Running through ideas and suddenly having that all-important lightbulb moment can be life-changing. Finding a gap in the market and creating something new for consumers can throw you into the world of business at a vast rate of knots and you may start to feel like you’re running before you can walk.

Is further education for you?

Just because you have a great idea does not necessarily mean you have the business knowledge to bring it to fruition. If you’re lucky, you’ll find the right support and advice to help you along the way, but if not, you might want to educate yourself on some fundamental business basics.

Attending university may not always be feasible, and time constraints, life commitments, or even geography can become a barrier to accessing the education you desire.

Luckily, the resources you need are no longer closed behind the classroom door and can be reached through online business courses, accessible from anywhere in the world. Ideal for fitting study around the rest of the day, this route of education offers convenience and flexibility to those with life commitments who cannot spend all day at the university campus. It’s a great way to balance learning alongside your career and will equip learners with the essential business principals needed when starting a new company or brand.

Suffolk University Boston, for example, offers several business degrees that are accessible online and provide the same curricula and faculty as their on-campus programs. Courses will expand essential business knowledge on areas such as policies, law, communications, and economics, but also offer the opportunity to personalize your learning. Adapt your course to complement your business plans and focus on areas that will benefit you the most. Whether it’s financial, marketing, or technological aspects, find out what can be provided here: online.suffolk.edu.

The Mental Side of Being Successful

It is not uncommon for successful business owners to experience a sense of disbelief, a feeling that their success is not deserved or their achievements have not been a direct result of their own personal efforts. This feeling is known as imposter syndrome and can seriously affect confidence and stress levels. Signs of imposter syndrome are as follows:

  • Continuously doubting business success and accomplishments.
  • Fearful of being exposed as a fraud.
  • An increased sense of anxiety when discussing work.
  • Feeling inadequate and insecure around others.

If this is something you would like to tackle, studying business alongside your work may be a great way to boost confidence and separate those detrimental feelings from fact. Completing a degree may help legitimize your success and put those fraudulent feelings to bed. It’s a fact of life that some businesses have sprouted from a lucky break, being in the right place at the right time or knowing the right people to help along the way, but this doesn’t make you any less successful than others.

To Conclude

Whichever route you take to starting your business and expanding your education and knowledge, every journey is unique and different and should never be undermined. It’s just important to remember that there is always something new to learn, and the world of business is ever changing and adapting. Keeping up to date and furthering education will always be beneficial no matter how much success you experience and may even lead you onto something greater.