WEST ALLIS, WI - NOVEMBER 4: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker greets supporters at his election night party November 4, 2014 in West Allis, Wisconsin. Walker defeated Democratic challenger Mary Burke. (Photo by Darren Hauck/Getty Images)
WEST ALLIS, WI - NOVEMBER 4: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker greets supporters at his election night party November 4, 2014 in West Allis, Wisconsin. Walker defeated Democratic challenger Mary Burke. (Photo by Darren Hauck/Getty Images)
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There have been recent news reports concerning one of the probable Republican candidates for president. It was reported that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker does not have a college degree.

The last president without a college degree was Harry S Truman. Is it really necessary to have a diploma to sit in the White House?

Is true success possible without one? Here’s a list of some pretty successful people who got there without a sheepskin in their possession.

Fun Facts About Successful Failures

  • Abraham Lincoln only finished one year of formal education, taught himself trigonometry and is the only president to be awarded a patent.
  • Amedeo Peter Giannini, founder of the Bank of America was a high school dropout.
  • I’m sure we’re all familiar with Colonel Harlan Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame. Not only did he drop out of elementary school but got a law degree from a correspondence school.
  • Frank Lloyd Wright, arguably the greatest architect of the last 100 years, never went to high school.
  • Jimmy Dean, of Jimmy Dean Foods and entertainer, left high school at the age of 16.
  • John D. Rockefeller Sr., founder of Standard Oil, and the richest person ever, left high school two months before his graduation. But he did take a couple of courses at a local business school to get him by. He did OK.
  • Milton Hershey did pretty well with Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with only a 4th grade education.
  • Ray Kroc founder of McDonald's was another successful high school dropout.
  • Thomas Edison, home schooled, went to work for the railroad when he was 12 years old. Went on to invent hundreds of products including the light bulb.
  • Walt Disney, whose teachers said he had no originality, dropped out of school at 16.
  • Wolfgang Puck, famous chef, quit school at 14. Today he’s the owner of 16 restaurants and 80 bistros. Not bad for a cook.

Some Final Thoughts

Of course there are other famous college dropouts. Bill Gates (Microsoft), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Michael Dell (Dell Computers), Rush Limbaugh (Talk Radio Broadcaster) all dropped out of college.

A college education demonstrates that you did the required work to pass the testing required to demonstrate a level of knowledge in a chosen field.

A welder or truck driver does much the same thing. One thing I always keep in mind when I think of education.

Fifty percent of all lawyers, and doctors, finished college in the bottom half of their class. What do you call the guy or gal who gets the lowest passing grade in medical school? Doctor.

Should presidents be required to have a college degree? Comment below.

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