Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez And Others Who Dropped Out Of School But Became Successful

While education is definitely important, billionaires Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg are just a few college dropouts who proved to the world that one can still be immensely successful in the business arena without a diploma.

This is also true in the entertainment industry. Here’s a list of successful celebrities who made it big even after dropping out of school.

Ricky Martin

Ricky Martin rose as a member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo before going solo. But fans would not have heard him belting out “Living La Vida Loca” had he continued his planned education in New York.

He was set for school after he got accepted into New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. But even before classes started, he dropped out and moved to Mexico City to pursue his passion for music.

Lady Gaga

Just like Martin, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, a.k.a. Lady Gaga, was accepted at Tisch School of the Arts in 2003. However, she only attended classes a year and later dropped out so she could concentrate on her music career.

It proved to be a wise decision. She became commercially successful after releasing a number of money-making hits. She became the fifth woman to pass the half-a-billion-dollar hurdle in gross receipts.

Cameron Diaz

Diaz was just 17 years old when she was offered a modeling contract. After thinking it over, she decided to accept the offer and dropped out of Long Beach Polytechnical High School.

It proved to be the right move for her. From modeling, she transitioned into acting and has been in numerous Box Office hits such as “My Best Friend's Wedding” in 1997, “There’s Something About Mary” in 1998, the “Charlie’s Angels” film series and the “Shrek” movies, where she voiced Fiona.

Jennifer Lopez

Lopez attended New York City’s Baruch College only for one term. She opted to drop out to pursue her passion, which is dancing.

However, it soon became apparent that Lopez’s talent isn’t just limited to dancing. She ventured into acting and became the first Latin actress to earn over US$1 million for a single film, the “Selena” biopic, where she also received a Golden Globe nomination.

She soon made waves in the music industry. Her songs “Love Don't Cost A Thing,” “Jenny From The Block” and “On The Floor” all landed on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became some of the highest-selling singles of all time.

Of course it doesn’t mean that dropping out of school will always lead to success for everyone. These few personalities are just exceptions.