Success Advice
4 Reasons Wildly Successful People Fail at School
Because you are on this website I’ll assume that at some point you’ve read inspiring stories of some of the world’s most successful people. In some cases, you may have been motivated or surprised to learn that more often than not, these game-changers, to some extent, failed in their school careers.
Big names like Sir Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison (the list goes on) are all part of the club. For a number of reasons, their choice to leave school sparked progress that led to unparalleled success in their chosen field.
This trend has been glamorized in recent years; where graduating school and university have become the norm, the stories of maverick business tycoons have sparked a non-conformist attitude in young entrepreneurs.
There’s an ongoing debate among solopreneurs as to whether college is worth it.
Through my own experience and researching successful ‘drop outs’, I’ve gathered the four main reasons why school isn’t a perfect fit for entrepreneurs:
1. All theory, no action
Granted, schools have gotten better at this. But for the most part, the little practical learning provided is still done in a heavily controlled environment. Alan Sugar once said ‘you can’t learn business out of a book. The most important thing is what experience you’ve amassed.’ The more real world action you take, the wiser you become and the more opportunities there are for you. A controlled learning environment simply doesn’t support that.
Education is mainly based around theory. By definition, you learn the ‘principles on which the practice of an activity is based.’ The schooling method is to learn for years and years, then when you finally reach adulthood, implement. By that time, due to disinterest and the fact you probably crammed for every exam, you would have forgotten most of what you learnt.
“A young man is a theory, an old man is a fact.” – E. W. Howe
The proper way is to put theory into practice as you learn. You wouldn’t learn the piano or guitar without playing it! It’s simple trial and error, review and repeat. That’s what successful people do; they try something and if it fails they learn from it. Which is probably why Steve Jobs ‘failed’ at elementary school.
In his words, ‘school was at fault for trying to make me memorize stupid stuff rather than stimulating me.’ When you have a desire to create something or make a difference, there is no time for debating, analyzing and pondering.
2. Failure is based on test results
During our time at school and university, our success is based on test results. Due to this, the level and quality of your qualifications can have a huge impact on your career, if you choose the employee route.
The mixture of test results and subsequent qualifications is a recipe for self-doubt and dissatisfaction. Independent and driven individuals refuse to be scared into going down a path they are not passionate just because it’s the ‘realistic’ option.
Instead they see failure as a positive thing, a tool for learning and analyzing to improve their methods. If Thomas Edison was given the task of creating the lightbulb as a school project rather than out of his own initiative, would he have tried so many times, or even have been allowed to keep trying after so many failed attempts?
The saying ‘don’t judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree’ springs to mind. School determines students’ success in a narrow range of abilities, but successful people judge themselves on their ability to persevere in doing what they love, not what they’re told to do.
3. School creates followers, not leaders
School should be a platform for students to discover and learn about their passions in order to create high performing individuals, and ultimately, leaders. It’s currently a platform to create followers (in other words, employees).
In fact, when I visited multiple business school open days, their selling points were the percentage of students who were employed after they’d graduated. Imagine that, an entrepreneurship course designed to put students into employment?!
Successful people develop at a young age into independent learners because school cannot stimulate their curiosity. Thomas Edison was seen as hyperactive and prone to distraction at school, deemed as ‘difficult.’ He went on to be home-schooled and very quickly developed a ‘voracious appetite for knowledge… a process for self-education and learning independently.’
“Leaders spend 5% of their time on the problem & 95% of their time on the solution. Get over it & crush it!” – Tony Robbins
You see, leaders seek knowledge to fuel their ambition. They do not bode well being fed selective information. Steve Jobs is a perfect example of this, as explained by the Dean of students at his university: ‘He refused to accept automatically received truths, and he wanted to examine everything himself.’
Followers are people who accept what they are told and do what they are told to do. Leaders, like Steve, develop their own opinions and use them to influence others.
4. They don’t have something to prove
Successful people never act on what is expected of them. They act on what they believe in and on what they are passionate about. Social ladders and school’s expectations can force a student into becoming someone they’re not. Successful people know exactly who they are and what they want.
In his biography, Richard Branson states that in his school, ‘your reputation – and ability to avoid being picked on – was helped enormously by your ability to score a goal.’ He was side-lined because he couldn’t play sport and wasn’t academic.
The pressure to submit to social norms is likely to create average performers because students tend to submit to school rules and their peers despite their beliefs, in order to be accepted. This hinders them from releasing their full potential.
In a letter to his father, he wrote ‘anything I do in life I want to do well and not half-heartedly.’ He pursued what he was passionate about despite what was expected of him. That kind of behavior is how individuals defy what is accepted and change the world.
As an entrepreneur, did school help teach you anything that you use today? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below!
Success Advice
7 Simple Acts of Kindness That’ll Make You Everyone’s Favorite Colleague
When you put kindness at the forefront of all your workplace interactions, you neutralize the viciousness and become someone that other people prefer to work with.

A lot of bruised feelings remain after last year’s election season. But instead of perpetuating the rancor, the world is ready for more kindness in the coming year. It’s time to rekindle your dormant kernel of kindness and vow to bring it with you each day when you enter your workplace. (more…)
Startups
The Secret to Using Video for Maximum Impact and Brand Growth
Master video storytelling to captivate, engage, and grow your brand

The Power of Video in Engagement and Personal Branding
How does one master the ability to captivate an audience? This capability can mean the difference between success and obscurity, but knowing how to achieve it is the biggest challenge. (more…)
Startups
6 Misconceptions About Digital Products That Are Costing You Time and Money
Avoid these 6 digital product myths and build a real business

You’ve probably seen or heard someone talking about how selling online products and digital courses is as easy as 1, 2, 3 and you’re making $10,000 in your sleep overnight. (more…)
Success Advice
The Young Man’s Guide to Leadership: 10 Essential Skills for Success
Nobody wants to follow a leader who lacks self-confidence. Followers want leaders who are competent.
-
Life3 weeks ago
Harness the ‘Battery Effect’ to Transform Life’s Tensions into Your Greatest Strength
-
Life4 weeks ago
Doing This for 30 Minutes a Day Can Unlock Your Full Potential
-
Startups4 weeks ago
7 Strategic Shifts to Help You Scale Your Business Smarter, Not Harder
-
Entrepreneurs2 weeks ago
10 Powerful Steps to Define and Solve Any Hard Problem Effectively
-
Entrepreneurs2 weeks ago
How Smart Entrepreneurs Leverage User Feedback for Market Success
-
Entrepreneurs4 weeks ago
Holistic Entrepreneurship: The Overlooked Formula for Long-Term Growth
-
Startups3 weeks ago
6 Misconceptions About Digital Products That Are Costing You Time and Money
-
Entrepreneurs3 weeks ago
The Secret to Resolving Employee Disputes Without Losing Productivity
1 Comment