Black College Dropouts Don’t Become Successful CEOs

When was the last time you heard about a Black college dropout who became a successful CEO?

We’re all familiar with the stories of Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates—college dropouts who built billion-dollar empires. Their genius was recognized, their potential nurtured, and their networks propelled them forward despite their lack of formal education. But how many Black entrepreneurs have been given that same grace? How many Black professionals can afford to take the same risks and still be seen as credible, intelligent, and capable?

For many of us, a degree isn’t just a credential. It’s armor. It’s survival.

The Reality of Black Excellence

One of my favorite professors in grad school, Dr. Betty Winfield, once pulled me aside and said, “You’re working too hard. You’re going to burn out. Slow down before you stress yourself sick.”

Then she smiled and added, “You know, you’ve already achieved more than 90% of this school’s graduates in its 100-year history.”

I appreciated her words, but I shook my head. “Professor, I love you, but I have three strikes against me before I even open my mouth. First, I’m Black. Second, I’m an immigrant. Third, I speak with an accent. If there’s an opportunity and my competition is a white, American-born candidate without an accent, they’ll get it before me. That means I have to be twice as good just to stand a chance.”

She looked at me, paused, and then said, “You do have a point, Tayo.”

The Burden of Proving Yourself

White professionals often benefit from an invisible advantage—assumed intelligence. Unless they prove otherwise, they are given the benefit of the doubt. For Black professionals, it’s the opposite. We are often assumed to be incompetent, unintelligent, or unqualified—until we prove otherwise.

I’ve lost count of how many conversations I’ve had where I was subtly (or blatantly) dismissed—until someone found out I went to Oxford.

The shift is always the same: Oh, you’re one of the smart ones.

That shift is demeaning. It is frustrating. But above all, it is revealing.

For many Black professionals, success isn’t just about talent or hard work. It’s about fighting to be taken seriously in spaces where we are already questioned. It’s about accumulating degrees, certifications, and accolades—not because they measure intelligence, but because they force others to acknowledge our competence.

Education as a Key to Access

Let’s be clear: A degree won’t eliminate racism. It won’t erase the biases in hiring, investment decisions, or boardrooms. But it will serve as a key—one that opens doors that are otherwise closed to us.

Because while privilege allows some to succeed based on potential, Black professionals are often required to provide undeniable proof of their abilities before we are even given a chance.

To the Young Black Professional: Get the Degree

If you’re a young Black professional debating whether another degree or certification is worth it—yes, it is.

Not because it defines your intelligence. Not because it validates your worth.

But because it increases your access, strengthens your credibility, and helps you navigate a system that was never designed for you to succeed.

So get that degree. Get the next one. And the one after.

Not for approval, but for power. Not for validation, but for leverage.

Because in a world where the odds aren’t in your favor, you have to use every tool available to stack them in your direction.

Yes, there are exceptions—remarkable Black entrepreneurs who defied the odds and built empires without a degree. But exceptions don’t define the rule. And the rule is clear: Black people don’t get to drop out and succeed the way others do.