Mark Zuckerberg’s Educational Repertoire
Mark Zuckerberg, the Founder and CEO of Facebook and one of the world’s most famous entrepreneurs, has gone through the all-too-familiar education route of one who is running the business of a tech giant. Despite his rise to fame for the creation of one of the most widespread social media networks in the world, many people wonder if Zuckerberg has a college degree, or not.
Early Education
Growing up in Dobbs Ferry, New York, Zuckerberg was enrolled in a private school and distinguished himself early as a highly intelligent student; he was already an award-winning mathematics and physics student at Ardsley High school by the age of twelve. Moving on to Phillips Exeter Academy and subsequently graduating at the age of sixteen, Zuckerberg had already mastered and was interested in various programming languages such as C++ and the Atari Basic Programming by this time.
College Education
In 2002, Mark Zuckerberg entered Harvard University as a freshman majoring in computer science and psychology. While at Harvard, Zuckerberg developed a few software projects with corresponding collaborators, including Coursematch, a software which allowed students to view the courses that their classmates had selected. Thanks to this, he first met his classmate, who would become his business partner, Eduardo Saverin.
During his sophomore year, Mark and his Harvard University colleagues, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes, and Eduardo Saverin developed a website for connecting Harvard students with other students who had mutual friends – the social media network, Facebook.
Dropping Out of Harvard
It did not take long, however, until the business venture became so successful that they decided to stop their studies and concentrate full-time on their invention. Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard and the other members of the Facebook team either dropped out or took a leave of absence to concentrate on the new venture.
Rise to Fame
Their dedication soon paid off as Facebook has now grown to become a global giant in the technology world. It was valued at $104 billion in February 2018 with over 2 billion monthly active users and generating over $40 billion in revenue over the last four quarters.
Business and Philanthropic Endeavors
Mark has become an entrepreneur extraordinaire and individual of immense influence, having accumulated a formidable sum of wealth and power. To say the least, Zuckerberg’s influence is vast; his investments and philanthropic efforts ranging from co-founding The Breakthrough Energy Coalition, to his involvement in The Giving Pledge—a philanthropic campaign organized by Buffett and Bill Gates that invites the world’s wealthiest people to pledge to lay aside at least half of their wealth as donations — has helped shape the global economy.
Philanthropic Impact
In 2010, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative – co-founded by his wife Priscilla Chan and Zuckerberg himself – was born with the aim of helping to advance human potential and promote equal opportunity. With the heart-warming $3 billion self-pledge by the couple, along with other donations, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has been able to aid the efforts of many organizations since its formation.
The Digital Library of America, a non-profit that partners with a variety of organizations in preserving, curating, and sharing digital collections of the nation’s cultural institutions, is a well-known initiative of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Additionally, through its project dubbed the ‘War on Disease’, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has provided funding and support for the development of medical technologies and capabilities in various countries.
Under the umbrella of ‘Personalized Learning’, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has broadened its philanthropic scope with the mission to put students first and develop world-class tools and resources that extend learning opportunities. By investing in education and training networks and programs, the Initiative has been able to bridge the educational gap in many communities and ensure equitable education for all.
Investments
Zuckerberg’s venture capital firm, ‘Breakthrough Initiatives’, has been coined as a silent but incredibly substantial contributor to numerous innovative tech projects such as the AI-powered wearables, satellite surveillance systems, block chain technology, and global internet access programs.
The firm’s big bet in the Indian market does not come as much of a surprise. The telecommunications, mobile, and internet space have seen a rapid growth in India, and Breakthrough Initiatives has been right at the center of this growth, influencing the country’s financial and technological landscape.
His passion for cutting-edge technology is no secret, seen through his investment in the virtual reality firm, OculusVR, which was eventually acquired by Facebook, his acquisitions of the group messaging service, Whatsapp, and many other companies.
Career Ahead
Witnessing the exponential growth rate and power of social media, it is no surprise that Zuckerberg decided to pursue Facebook’s development full-time and eventually become one of the world’s youngest billionaires. His decision just goes to show that innovation does not require a college degree and is held back only by the limits of our imagination.
Professional Development
Although Mark Zuckerberg left Harvard without a degree, he has not stopped learning. As a venture capitalist, he is constantly looking for new opportunities to invest in. He has also recently enrolled in a few prestigious professional programs, such as the Haystack University, which he attended in April 2015. Through this, he has been prepared in a number of professional courses to be able to evaluate and ensure the success of his future business endeavors.
Business Connections
Zuckerberg also meets with a variety of entrepreneurs in order to build relationships with the influential members of the business world and learn more about their companies. For example, in April 2018, he was snapped in Silicon Valley meeting with the founders of various technology companies, including Pinterest, Instacart, Dropbox, and Airbnb.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Current Status
At present, Mark Zuckerberg is one of the wealthiest people in the world and has achieved much over the course of his career. While he may not have a college degree, what’s clear is the fact that Zuckerberg laid a strong foundation to be successful by having strong educational background and through the formation of strong professional and business relationships.
