There are tons of people we look up to but who do not have a school degree to their names. Sometimes it can't be helped if the person in question has to work to provide support for their family or take care of a sick relative, but degrees are arguably the key to obtaining jobs. In rare cases, celebrities took that risk but became successful with their amazing talent and dedication to their work.
In the end, dropping out of high school ended up in their favor. They became successful and did not need a high school diploma to get by in life. Here are ten celebrities who dropped out of high school and their current net worth.
10 Ryan Gosling - $70 Million
To focus on working on his acting career, notably The Mickey Mouse Club, Ryan dropped out of high school at the age of 17. School was not necessarily one of Ryan's favorite memories as he did not have a friend until he was an early teen, but getting into acting has brought him to many memorable opportunities. He currently has a $70 million dollar net worth thanks to his many of his roles including The Notebook and La La Land.
9 Katy Perry - $330 Million
Katy Perry has been getting so much media attention lately once she announced her engagement to Orlando Bloom and announcing her pregnancy cleverly in the music video for "Never Worn White."
At the young age of 15, she dropped out of school to put her full focus on her music career. Despite having success, she did regret dropping out and obtained her GED later on. Her net worth of $330 million is impressive with her album sales, her time on American Idol, and for acting roles in animated and live-action alike.
8 Rihanna - $550 Million
The Barbadian singer Rihanna has the highest net worth on this list, coming in at $550 million. Despite having plans to finishing high school, she eventually dropped out to take her singing career seriously. She recorded her demos while attending school, only being able to do so during holidays. Due to the insane amount she makes, Rihanna is currently the highest-paid music artist in the world.
7 Eminem - $210 Million
Eminem is a rapper that went from rags to riches as he did all that he could to make his career as a rapper expand while also helping his single mother as a working-class teenager in Michigan. He expressed interest in English from his love for comic books, but would drop out of high school at 17.
Once he became one of the famous rappers in the world, his current net worth of $210 million thanks to the successful sales of his albums, mix tapes, and his small but impressive acting career.
6 Billie Joe Armstrong - $60 Million
As another high school dropout at 18, Billie Joe Armstrong would form one of the greatest rock bands in history, Green Day, with his childhood friend and current band member Mike Dirnt. His net worth might not seem like a lot compared to Eminem and Rihanna, but $60 million is still a lot of money he earned from album sales, concert performances, and an acting career that involved him being in the musical adaption of American Idiot.
5 Kesha - $5 Million
Compared to the other celebrities on this list, Kesha is behind on the net worth, which decreased due to her lawsuits with her former producer Dr. Luke. Before coming out with her struggles against the infamous music producer, her net worth was around $40 million.
Despite being incredibly smart, scoring nearly perfect scores on her SATs, and being accepted into Barnard College, she dropped out three months before graduating from high school.
4 Cameron Diaz - $140 Million
As of 2014, Cameron Diaz has retired from acting, but is still doing well thanks to her time As an author and other ventures such as launching a new wine brand called Avaline.
Along with becoming a mother with her husband Benji Madden, she has been very busy being there for their daughter's life. At $140 million and quitting high school at 16, Cameron's name is remembered from her time as a model to starring in classics including The Mask, Shrek, and The Holiday.
3 Robert Downey Jr. - $300 Million
The Marvel Cinematic Universe would not be complete without Robert Downey Jr.'s unforgettable role as Iron Man/Tony Stark. For being one of the biggest movie stars in the world, high school was only an obstacle for the veteran actor.
He went to Santa Monica High School, but dropped out in 1982 to move to New York to focus on acting. Even if he got through some difficult hurdles in his life, Robert turned it around by becoming one of the most beloved actors of the century.
2 Jennifer Lawrence - $130 Million
Jennifer Lawrence is one of the youngest actors to drop out of school, being only in middle school at 14 to pursue her acting career. To this day, she has not obtained a GED, stating that her career was her first and only priority. And she stayed true to those words since her current net worth of $130 million came to be with the X-Men film series, The Hunger Games franchise, and Silver Linings Playbook. Jennifer is an inspiring woman who still worked hard and did not need to follow the social norms of getting an education to be successful.
1 Leonardo DiCaprio - $260 Million
The wonderfully talented Leonardo DiCaprio became one of the world's greatest actors with his iconic roles from Romeo + Juliet to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He has stated his dislike for public school and begged his mother to take him to auditions.
He never finished high school, but got his GED and still managed to become one of the biggest influencers in the world thanks to his talent in acting, philanthropy, and activism for saving the environment. The $260 million he makes is a remarkable achievement.