DON'T DROP OUT

After the first day of classes this semester, I felt like dropping out, again.  I went back to college part-time at the age of 50.  I’ll be retired before I graduate.  It doesn’t matter.

I started college back in the 1970s.  I chose the No. 2 ranked party school in the nation, and it lived up to its reputation.  After 8 fun-filled years and a dismally low GPA, I dropped out.

I was in good company.  The list of famous college drop-outs is impressive.  Everyone knows that Steve Jobs and Bill Gates never graduated from college.  But since it’s ludicrous for me to compare myself to Jobs or Gates, I tried to find a few more drop-out role models.

Alicia Keys dropped out after one semester at Columbia University.  I can’t sing or play piano.

Heidi Klum became a model immediately after high school.  To say I have nothing in common with her is a gross understatement.

Woody Allen got kicked out of college.  He reports he got caught cheating on a metaphysics test: "I looked into the soul of the guy next to me."

Rush Limbaugh dropped out of college after being required to take ballroom dancing.  I’m grateful that is not a core requirement for my major.  Glenn Beck reportedly enrolled in one class at Yale but dropped out, complaining that he spent more time looking for a parking space than he did in class.  Worst excuse ever.

Brad Pitt left the University of Missouri two credits short of graduating.  He’s done okay for himself.

My previous college attempt most closely resembles actor Ray Romano.  He went to college for 7 years but never graduated.  He said, “I would get my student loans, get money, register and never really go.  It was a system I thought would somehow pan out.”

Karl Rove, former presidential advisor, left University of Utah after two years.  He should have stayed in school, for his own sake and that of the president he would later advise.

Tiger Woods quit Stanford University after two years.  I never played a round of golf without cheating.  But then he’s had his issues with cheating too.

A lot of celebrities never finished college, including Robert DeNiro, Clint Eastwood, Kanye West, Simon Cowell, Michael J. Fox, Aretha Franklin,  Quentin Tarantino, Harrison Ford, Will Smith, Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg.  The drop-out list also includes many CEO’s, politicians and eight U.S. presidents, such as Roosevelt and Lincoln.

These and countless other college drop-outs had hugely successful careers.  Some were just born with massive talent or good looks; others just got lucky.  Remember that the list of college graduates is even more impressive.  Education is still important, but good luck getting a job.  Next time you get a call from a telemarketer, just ask them where they got their MBA.

###annie