Extract from book by George Tan, “Success Secrets”.
Stories abound about how geniuses like Albert Einstein and highly successful entrepreneurs like Bill Gates were failures and dropouts. Some of these stories are not entirely accurate. True, Bill Gates did not complete his university education. But he left during his third year to pursue a career in computer software development and to start a business with his friend — a business that eventually became Microsoft Corporation. His decision to leave was not because he could not cope with his studies. Bill Gates had left Harvard University, which is widely considered to be the top university in the world! He was reported to have gained admission to Harvard with a SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) score of, 1590 — a score that would have placed him among the top 0.1 percent of candidates. He was not the regular “college dropout”.163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡALcxzbTXOD
In the same “class” as Bill Gates is Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computers. He did not do well in school, and one of his teachers had commented that he “would probably never go anywhere in life”. While at the University of Texas at Austin, studying to become a doctor, Dell started a computer company called PC’s Limited. The company did so well that, at the age of 19, Dell stopped his studies to run the business full-time. Today, PC’s Limited has become Dell Computer Corporation, the largest personal computer manufacturer in the world. And Michael Dell was ranked by Forbes Magazine in 2006 as the 12th richest man in the world. The case of Albert Einstein (1879–1955) is a bit more complicated. His “failure” in mathematics was, in fact, due to a confusion caused by a change in the way grades were assigned. Einstein was not weak in mathematics. He actually showed an aptitude for mathematics at an early age. Einstein attended the Foothold Gymnasium, a secondary school in Munich, Germany, and he began to learn mathematics when he was about 12 years old. He taught himself Euclidean plane geometry from a school booklet, and also began to study calculus. He was, however, considered a “slow learner”. This could have been due to dyslexia, a learning disorder whereby sufferers have difficulty recognizing alphabets and words. It could also have been due simply to shyness. But later in life Einstein credited his development of the theory of relativity to this slowness, saying that by pondering space and time later than most children, he was able to apply a more developed intellect. In 1894, following the failure of his father’s electrochemical business, the Einsteins moved from Munich to Pa via, a city in Italy. Einstein remained behind in Munich to finish school, but he completed only one term before leaving to join his family in Pa via. Einstein quit school — by obtaining a medical note from a friendly doctor — a year and a half before the final examinations. Thus, he did not have a secondary-school certificate. Einstein took the entrance examination of the Technische Hochschule (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) and excelled in science and mathematics. However, he failed the liberal arts portion of the exam. His family sent him to Aarau, Switzerland, to finish secondary school. There, he studied electromagnetic theory and received his diploma in September 1896. So, whether Einstein was in fact a “slow learner”, he still went on to become arguably the greatest scientist of the 20th century; the icon of genius and intelligence! Albert Einstein, Bill Gates and Michael Dell are the more famous examples of “successful dropouts”, even though they were not dropouts in the true sense of the word. There are many more, including those who did badly in school as well as those who dropped out for other reasons. How many?163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMy8gCkBFKz
One website that lists “Noted High School and Elementary School Dropouts” counted 699 as of February 2006. Many of the people on the list are movie stars and pop or rock singers. They include 63 Oscar winners, 103 Oscar nominees and uncounted numbers of other award winners. Sports personalities also featured prominently on the list, including 7 Olympic gold medalists. Significantly, the list of “famous dropouts” also includes:163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzh5mp4CWd5
• 18 billionaires and uncounted numbers of millionaires 163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWzaQ22g7W
• 8 US Presidents and several other world leaders163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPAF21sEuFb
• 10 Nobel Prize winners (6 Literature, 2 Peace, 1 Physics, 1 Chemistry)163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzo3ly710Ps
• 55 bestselling authors 163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dgDhlTZtF
• 27 knighthoods and 3 dame hoods. 163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojQRsOnPys
Yet, this impressive list includes mainly people who are well-known within the English-speaking world. In Europe, Asia and elsewhere, I am sure there are lots more successful dropouts. For instance, Li Ka Shing, the richest man in Asia, is one famous billionaire not (yet) on this list. In China, so I was told but could not verify, the majority of the country’s richest and most successful entrepreneurs are people with minimal education. It has to be noted that “dropouts” in this case refer to people who left the education system for a variety of reasons, not necessarily due to a lack of academic ability. Some were too poor to continue their studies, some stopped schooling because of war, family dislocation, poor health, and other reasons. Thus, the list also includes a number of people who subsequently obtained at least the equivalent of a high school diploma, as well as degrees and doctorates. But they form a minority — 138 out of 699 people, or about 20 percent. The rest never made it past high school. But they made it in life! 163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMRxIJ5pJy
The compilers of the list write:163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUyVdoNUDa
“While it is a fact and very important to stress that more opportunities exist for individuals who have at least a high school diploma, the names on these lists also add considerable weight to the discussion of what constitutes markers of human intelligence and a person’s potential worth to society and, historically, civilization as a whole. These names represent examples of human perseverance, creativity, and, in a great many instances, genius.”163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZDmVYst6Y
