There is no exact way to be successful. There are many people we admire who do not have a college diploma to their name. It is sometimes unavoidable for a person to work to support their family or care for a sick relative, but degrees are undoubtedly the key to obtaining good jobs. In rare cases, famous people took that risk and were rewarded for their incredible talent and dedication to their jobs.
Do you know that Rihanna signed her first record deal at the age of 16, and she went on to build her own fashion and beauty empire? Or Jennifer Lawrence quit her formal education at the age of 14 and is now one of Hollywood’s top actresses? So, does education really matter?
The decision to stop attending school ultimately worked in their favor. They were successful and no longer needed a high school diploma to live a decent life. Check out these 15 famous people who dropped out of school yet still become successful below and tell us who is your idol!
#1 Avril Lavigne
Source: Invision / Invision / East News
Lavigne dropped out of school due to her love of music. Her audition so amazed the head of a music publishing company that they immediately signed her to a contract worth $1.25 million for two albums and an additional $900,000 for a publishing advance. The singer’s parents supported her decision to concentrate on her music career.
#2 Catherine Zeta-Jones
Source: ROBYN BECK / AFP / East News
The star was born in Wales and has had a lifelong interest in acting. She joined a theater group at 9 and landed a role in a theatrical production of Annie. Zeta-Jones realized acting was her calling when she was 15, so she dropped out of school and moved to London, where she participated in a performing arts school and auditioned for roles.
#3 Christina Applegate
Source: Invision / Invision / East News
When she was a baby, the actress began appearing in commercials. At three months old, she appeared in a commercial for Playtex baby bottles and made her debut in Days of Our Lives alongside her mother, Nancy Priddy. It’s no surprise that Applegate, like her mom, became more interested in acting and singing, causing her to quit high school at the end of her junior year.
#4 Drew Barrymore
Source: Evan Agostini / Invision / East News
Drew Barrymore was already a successful actress at the age of three, and by the age of seven, she had starred in Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. However, the young actress was exposed to the darker side of Hollywood culture, which led to health and wellness issues. She stopped going to school at the age of 13 to spend more time getting herself well again.
#5 Harry Styles
Source: TIZIANA FABI / AFP / East News
When he was 16 years old, the singer auditioned for the British version of The X-Factor. Then he joined the band One Direction and won people’s hearts, so it’s no surprise that he had to abandon his education.
#6 Jennifer Lawrence
Source: AFP / East News
Lawrence decided to drop out of middle school at 14. She had a strong reason for doing so: she wanted to be an actress and concentrate on her acting career. Her decision appeared to be the right one. She hit a starring role in the film Winter’s Bone just four years later.
#7 Jessica Chastain
Source: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP / East News
In an interview, the actress admitted that she was not a hardworking student. “Nobody knows this about me. I dropped out of high school. I was not a hard worker. I was a terrible student.” Yet this did not stop her from becoming a movie star and winning an Oscar for Best Actress for the film The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
#8 Jude Law
Source: Invision / Invision / East News
The actor’s parents are both educators. They did, however, support his choice to quit school to pursue his acting career. At 17, Law landed a role in the soap opera Families and was unable to balance filming and schoolwork.
#9 Kate Winslet
Source: Comi Simone/IPA / ABACA / Abaca / East News
When Winslet was 16, she landed a role in a BBC sci-fi show, and she dropped out of school to concentrate on her acting career. The actress now regrets having missed her high school days. She had to deal with the drawbacks of acting because she chose it: she was often bullied for her weight, even by her drama teacher.
#10 Katy Perry
Source: Cyril Pecquenard / KCS / East News
Perry began singing at an early age. Her parents noticed and enrolled her in voice lessons. She stopped going to school at 15 to focus on her music career. Perry stated in an interview that she regrets her decision, but that she now has time to educate herself: “I’ve learned to educate myself at this stage and how to continue my education at any age.”
#11 Keanu Reeves
Source: Schneider-Press / Matthias / SIPA / Sipa Press / East News
Keanu Reeves is now idolized by millions. However, because of his temper, he caused too much trouble for the principal at school. “I didn’t fit in. I had conflicts and run-ins with the staff. I asked too many questions about everything. I couldn’t stop even if it got me into trouble,” he said.
#12 Nicole Kidman
Source: @nicolekidman
The famous actress admitted that she did not complete high school. “I didn’t finish year 11 and I somehow got there.” Kidman also stated in an interview that her husband, Keith Urban, did not complete year 10.
#13 Rihanna
Source: Laurent VU / SIPA / SIPA / East News
Rihanna created a musical trio with two classmates in 2003, while still living in Barbados. Evan Rogers, an American record producer, noticed her and persuaded her mom that Rihanna would be a successful singer. Rihanna quit her education and moved to New York, and she has never regretted it.
#14 Ryan Gosling
Source: DAVID GANNON / AFP / East News
Bullies made Gosling’s school experience difficult. He used his acting skills like Marlon Brando to protect himself from them. Gosling joined the All-New Mickey Mouse Club in 1993, along with Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera. As a result, when he realized what he wanted to do with his life, he quit his education and dedicated himself to the film industry.
#15 Tom Cruise
Source: Invision / Invision / East News
Cruise suffers from dyslexia, making it difficult for him to study in school. He decided to become a priest at the age of 14 and joined the Franciscan seminary, but only stayed for a year before leaving. At the age of 16, Cruise moved to New York to pursue his acting career.
