8 famous faces who got their big break at university [Infographic]

Entering the post-university talent pool can be daunting for today’s students. With thousands of fellow graduates vying for similar positions, landing your dream job fresh out of third year can be tricky, and many people make the decision to bolster their skills with an internship, work experience or additional study before joining the great job search.

There are, of course, those to whom the right opportunity comes a little more readily – whether through hard work and academic success, or simply being in the right place at the right time. Indeed, some university students don’t even wait to finish their degrees before pursuing their ambitions, choosing instead to use their time and resources to make strides towards achieving their goals while still in study.

Among those who got their big breaks at university are some of the world’s most influential faces, including IT pioneers, authors, singers and film directors. These renowned trailblazers are proof that it’s never too early to start thinking about life beyond campus, and that for some, opportunity can come knocking earlier than they anticipated.

To help inspire your own search for success, here we present an infographic looking at eight well-known people who didn’t let anything – even university – stand in the way of them achieving their goals and finding their big break.

8 Influential People Who Got Their Starts at University

Kick-Starting Your Career While Studying – A Risky Move?

While first and second year are normally reserved for studying, socialising and enjoying a handful of late-nighters, third year is the time to start thinking about your career after university, isn’t it? Well, as the famous faces in the graphic demonstrate, it all depends on your passion, drive and how you adapt when opportunities come your way.

Take Bill Gates for example. Though he had a solid idea in developing Microsoft, dropping out of Harvard was a risky move so early in his college days. But, with confidence in his innovation and with the backing of family and friends, he made his aspirations happen – proving that you don’t need a degree to get your big break and be a success.

Veronica Roth is another great example of someone who beat the queue for the postgraduate talent pool and made her dreams happen while still in university. Finding time to pen her now-acclaimed science-fiction novels alongside day-to-day study meant that she’d already written her own bonified success story long before graduation day – establishing herself as a best-selling author before her peers had even had chance to start looking for their first 9 to 5 job.

With passion and motivation, your university days can be a great time to start laying the building blocks for your future career. Away from study, university gives you the freedom, time and resources to focus on what you want to do in life, and these are things which can be difficult to find when you’ve bills to pay and it’s time to find a job.

Seize Every Opportunity – Even if it’s Not a Part of Your Plan

If there’s one thing to take away from this graphic on influential people who got their big break in college, it’s that you need to seize every opportunity that comes your way – even if that means taking a detour off the beaten path and going against what you’d originally planned.

Sure, the famous faces on this list are talented at what they do, but it could be argued that their success has more to do with how they handled the opportunities that were given to them. You think Spielberg would have four Oscars to his name if he hadn’t met with Universal and dropped out of college? Or that Oprah Winfrey would have gone on to become one of the world’s most powerful women if she hadn’t started building her career in local radio while still in study? Maybe, but if anything, it shows that you need to make the most of every opportunity and, sometimes, go with your gut.

Inspiring Interns specialises in finding candidates their perfect graduate jobs. To browse our internships London listings, visit our website.

Graphic was contributed by Aparto Student