Being successful without a degree

Being successful without a degree
Ramiya Bhas, TNN

As kids, everyone dreamt of making it big, starting with the right kind of education. One always took pride in suffixing their name with degrees like LLB, Phd, MBA, etc. But what happens when you stop studying and skip college? Does the dream of making it big in today's corporate world, obsessed with academic qualifications, come to an end? If you are one of the many who think the answer to this question is yes, then you are wrong!

Success does not come with a degree hanging on the wall; it comes with sheer determination and hard work. And the most famous drop-out success story happens to be that of chairman of Microsoft Corporation, Bill Gates, who dropped out of college to start his own software company. Meet three individuals who dropped out of school/college and have proved with nothing but sheer dedication and persistence by their side, they too can be successful without a degree in hand.

Travelling Through

What do you expect a seventh standard dropout to do in life? If you are David Patrao, you would start a business at the age of 27. "I left school after I completed my seventh standard mainly because there was no motivation left in me to study further. Also at that time, my family was going through a crisis and the responsibility fell on us children to do something for the family," recollects Patrao.

Once out of school, Patrao didn't have many choices in life. So he came to Mumbai in a hope to fulfil his dreams. "I struggled a lot till I was 27. It was at that time I realised that I needed more than just a dream to make it big," he says. He started his business with a three-wheeler tempo, which he used to transport vegetables. "In a couple of years, my business doubled because of the people I worked with," he says.

However, right at the peak, things fell apart for Patrao. "The oil and gas industry was facing certain problems and at that time, my business got hit rather badly. There were certain government red tape issues for us and I faced certain union problems because of which I had to close down my business at that time," he explains. But instead of losing hope, Patrao took up the challenge of doing something else. "At that time I decided to start a travel business as I had the available finance and the right kind of contacts," he adds. Today, Patrao runs MER Travels and has a fleet of vehicles to his credit.

Does this prove that you don't need education to be successful? "I wish I had completed my studies and got a proper degree in business or finance as I would have had better knowledge about how a business should function. I realised I had made a mistake back then by not completing my education. I hope people today aim at getting a degree in their hands," he says.

Click 'S' for success
He was a run-away from Kerala, with nothing in his pocket but a few rupees and lots of hope. That's all P Vishwanath came with when he was 16 who had just managed to pass out of tenth standard after a second attempt. "I had nothing when I came and the one thing I missed most back then was a degree behind my name. My reason for not trying harder was not that I didn't want to but the circumstances through which we were passing were rather terrible. So I took it upon myself to do something worthwhile and I ran away from home," he says.

When he came to Mumbai, he faced the crisis of not knowing the language and having proper education. "For four years, I had no job and I survived on nothing. Eventually, I got a small job; selling calculators, which didn't pay enough. But I stood my ground and started working with electronic typewriters and copiers. Who knew that dealing with machines would be so profitable?" he asks.

But he didn't stop at calculators and typewriters only, he moved to bigger things. "I realised that there were better things in manufacturing other than these two items and that's when I started saving money to go to Germany. However, since I did not know the language, I spent a long time learning English." Once back from Germany, he learnt about plastic cards and started a revolution. Today, his company is an "Arsenal certified contact less card manufacturing company".

But with success, there is always wishful thinking. "I realise this now that the troubles I had faced would be nil if I had the right educational background. I still wish I could go back to school and complete what I had once left behind," he explains.

Fastened Success Back in the '60s, a graduate with a science background had potential. Vincent Fernandes could have been an engineer, a doctor or anything he wanted. Instead, he dropped out of college and decided to get a job. "I had completed my 11th grade in science and instead of going further with my education; I came to the city and began working at that time, as my family was going through financial and emotional crisis," recalls Fernandes. Once here, he started his quest for employment. But initially, all in vain. "Eventually, I took up a helper's job in a manufacturing company," he recalls.

However, Fernandes realised that his dream was much bigger than that and he had to start looking for better options. Slowly, he started learning the tricks of the trade and bought a small company, which was going into losses. This was just the beginning for Fernandes as from there on he went to start his own company.

"For me, my hardships started when I quit my education. When I wanted to set up my own business, I faced a lot of problems from banks as they refused to give loans," he explains. "I still regret the fact that I quit my education. But my experience has taught me what I think could not have been taught in books or management classes." Fernandes now is the proprietor of 'Precision Industrial Fasteners', which has been operational for more than 15 years. As they say successful people are quick to forget about the past and the future is where 'it' is.