NEW YORK: Many individuals are interested by the backgrounds of billionaires and the world’s wealthiest people, often drawing inspiration from their journeys to achieve similar financial success.
While attending prestigious educational institutions may have played a role in their ascent to the top, this is not always the case. Some billionaires have also emerged from public sector institutes.
Elon Musk $197.4 Billion
Elon Musk, renowned as the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, received his education in public schools in Pretoria, South Africa, his birthplace. Despite humble beginnings, he rose to become one of the wealthiest individuals globally.
Musk attended Waterkloof House Preparatory School and Bryanston High School for his primary education. Later, he pursued secondary education at another public sector institution, Pretoria Boys High School.
His pursuit of higher education led him to briefly study computer science at the University of Pretoria while awaiting a decision on his US visa application. Eventually, Musk transferred to Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, before ultimately enrolling at the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania, where he earned degrees in physics and economics.
Although briefly admitted to Stanford University’s PhD program, Musk withdrew just two days later.
Mark Zuckerberg $151 Billion
Mark Zuckerberg, the fourth richest individual globally, famously dropped out of Harvard University to focus on developing Facebook, which he co-founded in 2004. Zuckerberg’s educational journey began at Ardsley Public High School in New York, followed by Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter.
