Here at CelebMix, we’re strong advocates of serving your time through college and pursuing your dreams – but some of our favourite stars decided to quit school and head straight for the limelight. Below, we’ve put together five stars that we really didn’t expect to be dropouts.
Katy Perry
Despite being one of the world’s most loved musicians today, Katy Perry wasn’t always the most popular girl in school. When she turned fifteen, she dropped out of Santa Barbara Don Pueblos High School to pursue a career in music. And, despite concerns from her conservative family, her gamble paid off, with Katy Perry now a household name and sitting on a cool $125 million.
Simon Cowell
The X Factor’s Simon Cowell might be a super-successful mogul today, his story wasn’t always so bright. Back when Simon was sixteen, he decided to drop out of school and began interning at the mailroom at the EMI music label. There, we learned everything there was to know about working in the music industry, and went on to own one of the world’s most successful music empires, churning out talent show formats like American Idol and The X Factor. And fifteen-seven year old Simon need not look back with any regrets – according to the Sunday Times Rich List of the wealthiest people in the UK, he was worth an eye-watering £325 million in 2015, taking home an annual salary of $95 million.
Daniel Radcliffe
Who needs high school when you have Hogwarts? According to IMDB, Daniel Radcliffe decided to pull out of his secondary school during the filming of the Harry Potter franchise – and we don’t blame him. In the United Kingdom, children are required by law to stay in school until they’re sixteen, so Daniel and the gang were tutored privately between shoots on set. Since then, Daniel has gone on to star in eight Harry Potter movies, as well as making a name for himself after starring in films such as The Woman in Black and Horns. Well, if you’ve got a magical touch, who needs to read books?!
Harry Styles
Former One Direction star Harry Styles made a name for himself after appearing on The X Factor back in 2010, and decided to leave college after progressing in the competition. But who can blame him? After five successful years travelling the world with Liam, Niall, Louis and (sometimes) Zayn, Harry spent 2017 promoting his own music, with debut single Sign of the Times and eponymous album both taking the top spot on the UK charts.
Kurt Cobain
The story of Kurt Cobain is simple: he dropped out of high school just two weeks before graduation after realising he just didn’t have enough credits to graduate with a full honors. If you’re in the same boat, don’t panic! You can buy research papers online to help you reach the right grades and make it through your high school, or you can do it the hard way and study to get the grades you need to make it through your studies.
These five celebrity dropouts show that you don’t have to stay in school to make it big – but if you don’t have the talent and the luck, you’ll probably wish you stuck around. What are your thoughts? Let us know on Twitter using @CelebMix, and check back soon for more news.