Thursday, October 6, 2011

Steve Jobs and Walter Williams: College Really Can Be Unneeded

            First, as you probably already know, Steve Jobs of Apple, passed away yesterday.  I would never be able to memorialize him adequately, but I will say that without him and people like him, the world would be…well, most of you know what the world would be like since you were alive before Apple and Microsoft came to be!   RIP Steve Jobs, your life’s work goes on and on.

           Second, here is my blog.

           Walter Williams column of a few weeks ago, “College Can Be Unneeded”, was about how college may not be the best choice for some high school graduates, and how too many unprepared students in colleges are contributing to our national lack of proficiency in math and reading.  I agree with him that many are going to college for the wrong reasons, and that many have career goals that don’t require an undergraduate or graduate degree.  As I was taking a break from the rough draft of this blog, I read on facebook that Steve Jobs passed.  At that moment, my blog changed direction.

            Remembering that Steve Jobs did not finish college, I wondered how many other successful people did not finish college, or didn’t even attend.  Here are a few:

Jack Taylor, founder of Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Ralph Lauren, founder of Polo Ralph Lauren
Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook
Mark Dell, founder of Dell, Inc.
Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway
Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Records (and more)
Rachael Ray, TV chef and personality
Steven Spielberg, director and so much more
Rush Limbaugh, conservative talk radio commentator
Frank Lloyd Wright, architect

            I could go on, but I won’t.  Instead, I will direct you to a website where you can read about everyday people who have succeeded without a college degree.  They aren’t known worldwide and probably won’t appear in history books or have a page on Wikipedia, but their stories are encouraging and positive.  And they illustrate what still makes our country the place everyone wants to come to – a place where determination, hard work and opportunity can lead to a successful life.  Go read and be encouraged and inspired.

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