Dedication — To Patrick Azumah, who is one of very few persons who really praised me for dropping out of university.
I want to refute some popular misconceptions about university dropouts. Yes, yours truly is a university dropout — a very proud one though. First off, Sir Article believes that there are two kinds of university dropouts, namely the unfortunate university dropouts and the fortunate university dropouts. And I am a fortunate university dropout just like Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, Lady Gaga etc.
The fortunate ones dropped out purposely to pursue their ambitions fulltime. However, the unfortunate ones dropped out due to untoward circumstances such as dismissal, disease, poverty etc., and they desperately want to go back. These ones mostly stagnate or fail in life because they believe a degree is a huge guarantee of their success in life. But almost all the fortunate ones have succeeded and will definitely succeed since they are rare breed. Know the difference!
Moreover, fortunate university dropouts become really successful against all odds, simply because they understand true success and strive to achieve it. True success is never about making a fortune; wealth is just an end product of true success. In fact, true success is all about accomplishing your purpose in life to the full. I love how the late Dr. Myles Munroe, one of the world’s greatest motivators ever, put it, “Success is you discovering your purpose and completing it before you die.” Surprisingly, most folks attend and graduate from university to comply with the educational tradition, yet they end up struggling later in life. Why? They have not lived their purpose in life though they have the academic qualifications.
Now here are the 7 rare reasons why most university dropouts emerge successful against all odds:
(1) They took a life-changing risk:
Bill Gates, Elizabeth Holmes, Don Jazzy, Jan Koum etc. all took a life-changing risk by dropping out of university to focus on their entrepreneurial ambitions. They realised that pure risk-taking is a great requisite for true success in life, so they took a seemingly ridiculous risk which most people would never take. Those dropouts have become wealthy, powerful and famous than their schoolmates because they risked their schooling to chase their dreams fulltime.
(2) They pursue their discovered purpose in life:
Anyone who criticises or mocks me for dropping out of university seeks to undermine the value of my own purpose in life. I have discovered my purpose in life, that is why I no longer want to live just to suit the norm in society. My purpose is to impact a multitude of souls on earth with my talent of writing, and not just to graduate from university and get employed as an accountant because I studied business accounting. The latter is not my purpose in life but rather the former.
(3) They live self-education in their lifetime:
I always say that education differs from schooling in a million ways. I find it absurd when people tell me to go back to university because I need more knowledge. Really? I have always developed my soul with self-education not classroom lessons. I informally learn what most of my schoolmates never think of, and that is why I am smarter and more percipient. Hey, Bill Gates became a highly intellectual person after dropping out of university, mainly because he educated himself uncommonly as an avid reader.
(4) Their intuition remains supreme:
When I decided to drop out of university, I did not consult anyone because I knew they would all discourage me and call me foolish. So I only listened to my supreme intuition which actually compelled me to drop out. That was what the successful dropouts did. Fortunate university dropouts ignore naysayers, but they keenly follow their instincts.
(5) Passion is what defines them:
My good friend and former programme mate, Augustine Amponsah, really understood me when I told him last semester that I would surely drop out of our university. Why? He is one guy who accepts the fact that my innate passion for writing is what defines my whole being, and not mere university education. Yes, any university student who cannot dare drop out of university is not extremely passionate about something. Extreme passion is what compelled Wizkid to drop out of university just to pursue a fulltime music career.
(6) They are rare visionaries:
My lovely friend Boadicea Boateng Yeboah wondered why I could not pursue my programme of study and my writing potential at the same time. But I said that my corporate vision is to establish a writing empire in the world, and this vision is too big to be shared with academic studies; it needs my absolute commitment. That is why Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard University to commit his entire life to his rare vision of creating the world’s largest social media platform, Facebook.
(7) They change the status quo:
Most people are really amazed that I proudly call myself a university dropout. They think I would look stupid one day if I eventually fail. Well, I strive to change the status quo by dropping out of university to start a talent-based firm so that I will be entirely successful. The average Ghanaian boy can never do such a thing, and that makes me a rebel who is changing the status quo. In fact, Oprah Winfrey did something similar by changing the status quo in her case.