Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard University twelve years ago to launch Facebook. While the talented computer programmer whose net worth is $53.6 billion is getting his degree, he isn't getting it by going back to the campus and picking up where he left off over a decade ago. Zuckerberg's situation is very unique.
Zuckerberg's degree
The 32-year-old internet entrepreneur will receive an honorary degree during the same ceremony where he will give the commencement address to the class of 2017. It will be a unique situation because he will be speaking to graduates while he himself is not one.
Everyone listening to his speech probably has an account as a result of him launching Facebook from his Harvard's dormitory room on February 4, 2004.
Other dropouts
Mark Zuckerberg is a philanthropist and the fifth richest person in the world, but he isn’t the only person who became successful after dropping out of college. The other famous dropouts also happen to be in the technology field. You might have heard of them.
Steve Jobs, who died on October 5, 2011 at the age of 56, was a college dropout because his parents could no longer afford to keep him in the expensive Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Even after dropping out of college, Jobs went on to become the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple.
Bill Gates left Harvard after two years. He became successful as a co-founder of Microsoft, the world's largest software company. The 61-year-old billionaire said that if things didn't work out with Microsoft, he would return to college.
Invitation to drop out of college
While most people don't advocate for someone to drop out of college, PayPal founder Peter Thiel has done just that.
The Thiel Fellowship offers intelligent young people $100,000 to leave their studies and work on a startup. Thiel is not a college dropout. In fact, the 49-year-old businessman and philanthropist received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University in 1989 and his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1992 from Stanford Law School.
