Five Aussies who made it big after dropping out

First published at Hijacked on 17 August 2015.

The latest findings about university dropout rates were recently released, and the situation seems pretty grim: around one in five of us will drop out or change courses within the first year. But while there may be a stigma attached to dropping out, there’s certainly more than one measure of success — just look at Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Australia also has its own examples of those who bucked higher education and found success, proving that sometimes no graduation paper with a fancy university stamp is needed to make it big.

Clive Palmer: businessman, politician, twerker extraordinaire

Palmer dropped out of journalism and law studies at the University of Queensland in the ’70s, but obviously that hasn’t stopped him: just look at his initial ventures in real estate and the resources sector; his tourism resorts, including the bombastic Jurassic Park rip-off (aka Palmersaurus) and Titanic II replica; and him becoming adjunct professor of management at Bond University. Still, his appetite for success shifted to politics, where he formed and leads the Palmer United Party. Even as an asthma sufferer, he’s not slowed down one bit, showing he can compete with the best in the twerking industry.

Kristy Dunphey: businesswoman, author, millionaire at 23

By the time a typical undergraduate student obtains that all-important piece of paper, Dunphey already had business experiences that surpasses the textbook theories in lectures and tutorials.

She flirted with university life on and off, until finally dropping out at 21 and starting M&M Real Estate. Two years later, the ‘self-made millionaire’ tag was slapped onto her name. In between that, she nabbed the title of Telstra Young Australian Business Woman of the Year in 2002. Being a multimillionaire at 27, she could’ve retired and enjoy the lavish fruits of her hard labour, but instead she says she’s a lifelong learner — even with no university degree. Her desire to continue learning resulted in Uploans, a finance broking company based in Launceston. Oh, and she’s also had two books published.

Read the full article at Hijacked.