If you’re not freaking out about your future, I envy you. It seems like all of our best friends are telling us about their exciting job offers, published research, and acceptances into grad schools. And while we’re all very excited for their promising futures, it’s bound to make us stop for a second and evaluate where we are in our lives. While a bunch of people our age are creating apps or starting up companies, we’re finding out about their accomplishments as we scroll through Twitter while stuffing lasagna into our faces at the kitchen counter.
So for slight consolation, I have compiled a list of seven accomplished figures in our society who weren’t doing so hot during their college years. These are the real winners, who have overcome phases of failure or mediocrity and rose above to become absolute badasses:
1. Steve Jobs
This is one of the most famous tales of our generation. The creator of Apple dropped out of Reed College in 1974 to traverse India in search of religious enlightenment. Two years later, he helped to launch Apple I’s personal computer, and went on to design the Mac system, make huge strides in graphic design, and created Pixar—and subsequently, "Toy Story."
2. Joe Biden
Apparently, our favorite ice cream fanatic and former VP was quite a poor student, both in college and in law school. After a few rough years at the University of Delaware, he got into law school based only on a professor’s recommendation that praised his likability. Meanwhile, once he got to law school, he pled guilty to plagiarism and graduated in the bottom third of his class. These poor grades evidently didn’t stop him from becoming one of the most well-spoken, diplomatic members of Obama’s Cabinet.
3. Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg had a bit of a rocky start before he directed the "Indiana Jones" and "Jurassic Park" series. He was rejected from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and so instead ended up at California State University (Long Beach). Had it not been for his initial setback, he may not have been offered an internship at Universal Studios, whose vice president may not have seen his short film and offered him a directing gig.
4. Thomas Edison
This is a bit of a stretch into the far reaches of history, but it’s true; when he was younger, many people predicted that Thomas Edison would amount to nothing. As a child, he hardly attended school and was mostly taught by his mother. In early adulthood, he was fired from a few jobs for his lack of productivity and attention. But by the middle of the 19th century, Thomas Edison had patented most of the basic inventions that we use on a daily basis today. Imagine having all your knowledge come from books your mom gave you, before growing up and going on to create the light bulb. If he can do that, you can wake up on time every day and pass that bio exam next week, my friend.
5. J. K. Rowling
The brilliant mind behind the "Harry Potter" series faced some real hardships before the books became hugely popular across the globe. Originally rejected from the University of Oxford, she instead went to the University of Exeter and majored in French and The Classics. She was a financially struggling single mother who was writing at cafés only months before her success, which skyrocketed her status to exactly where she deserves to be.
6. Colin Powell
Acclaimed retired four-star General Colin Powell has a lot to be proud of. He is a former U.S. Secretary of State, Chairman on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and National Security Advisor, who actually got three electoral votes in the 2016 election (in which he did not run.) But back in college, he actually majored in geology as a “C”-average student before joining ROTC. He was unsure of his future prospects, but he found his true calling after graduating… you might too.
7. Thomas Jefferson
Want to feel insignificant? Although he is best known as an acclaimed founding father of our nation, Mr. Thomas Jefferson had minimal education. Although many people like to point out that he was a notorious slave owner and died in some severe debt, you can’t deny that the guy has done some miraculous things that are worthy of praise. You might not help to write a Constitution, but at least you can expect to have some better credit than our third President.
