“Naturally, it takes a very driven individual to become CEO – of any type of company,” says Jones. Becoming the highest position in a company is not easy, here is the big secret in how to become a CEO. In a dataset of 2,600 CEOs, analysts were surprised to discover that 8% had no college degree. 89% of CEOs without college degrees “grew up” in the same industry where they served as CEO, and spent 40% more time in the industry where they became CEO compared to their peers with college degrees. In fact, over 40% of the CEOs of Fortune 100 companies have MBAs, and over half studied business, economics, or accounting as undergraduates. “That was unheard of,” Mark said. Success Without a College Degree? There’s no single path to becoming a CEO. His recipe for success? His crowning achievement was turning around and selling a security company which had only a few thousand dollars left in the bank, and which had been written down as an investment by the owners when he took it over. Reply. While the CEOs we studied surmounted the extra obstacle of not having gone to college, we think their career paths can provide lessons to other leaders regardless of their level of education. Without a degree, you’ll really struggle to become the leader of any business; in fact, unless you've started your own company, the chance of becoming a CEO without a degree is virtually zero. You'll also need managerial experience. That position may report directly to the CEO or another C-level executive, such as the chief operating officer or the chief financial officer. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Some of the most successful chief executives in the business world did not graduate from college. Larger organizations that are looking to hire a new CEO typically prefer candidates with experience in management and, often, a master of business administration degree (MBA). His journey to become google’s next CEO was a challenging one and with a lot’s of hurdles but the one that overcomes has the victory as always said. While piling on the degrees can earn you piles of dough -- and debt -- it's not the only option. Expand your knowledge with a business degree Gaining the right academic credentials can sometimes be the key to an executive-level role. Pathways to the Top: How to Become a CEO. Without an engineering degree, searching for a job in the tech world was a big challenge, but I eventually secured a role with HP. For instance, Charles Phillips Infor CEO’s affair was to get a BS in Computer Science, an MBA, and a JD, but that doesn’t mean everyone with that education will become CEO. To be fair, I found that Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon, the largest oil company, received his BSCE at the University of Texas' Cockrell School of Engineering. Becoming a CEO is often the end goal of a career, and deciding which degree to pursue along this path is an important decision. You can be CEO from the first day. You can start your own company and name yourself the CEO, or you can apply to be the Chief Executive Officer of an existing company. 2 One way to meet that demand is to earn a Bachelor’s degree … These directors provide an advisory role for the CEO, but only if their help is needed. How to Become a CEO. Charles says. CEOs who get to the top without a college degree let their outsized results speak for themselves. 7 Hugh Grant of Monsanto , and No. A COO is in charge of day-to-day operations as well … Start your own company. The MMM degree is a less common avenue to get into hospital CEO work but is no less effective than any other routes covered here. In the absence of a college degree, military experience can offer opportunities to learn important skills and demonstrate results in early leadership experiences. Third, they were more likely to hire great people and rely on their insights. America's Top Givers: The 25 Most Philanthropic Billionaires, EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change, Crisis Catalyzes Demand For Digital Infrastructure, MoneyStamps Of South America - As Investments, They’re Different – Part 1, Covid-19 Related Municipal Defaults Begin, The Dynamics Of Price Discovery In The Stamp Market, Covid-19 Virus Affect On The Stamp Market. Becoming a CEO calls for confidence, leadership and strong communication skills while being able to motivate and inspire a broad range of employees. Number 3, for example was Larry Ellison($77.5 million, who dropped out of the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago before building Oracle, one of the largest software companies. Meanwhile, 75% of Americans believe that higher education is unaffordable and out of reach. 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