College isn't for everybody. Some don't find specialized schooling necessary for carving out their dream careers. Instead, they opt to work as hard as they can perfecting their own craft without the help of private or public schooling.
So what about community college? For many, community college can be a stepping stone towards further education at a four-year institution. For others, it can be a sign that a university education isn't necessary to accomplish what they want to achieve.
While some celebrities who attended community college rave about their experience, others didn't stick around long enough to garner the same enthusiasm. The celebrities listed below represent a broad spectrum of opinions on the community college experience: some dropped out, some found success at four-year institutions, and some stuck around to see what community college education had to offer. To understand these different experiences, here are 17 celebrities who went to community college.
Clint Eastwood attended Los Angeles City College following his time in the military. He utilized the G.I. Bill to take classes in both business and drama. Obviously the latter stuck, and Eastwood quickly went on to star in westerns, where his career shot to stardom.
A fellow Los Angeles City College alumni, Morgan Freeman studied acting at the community college. He also took classes as the Pasadena Playhouse, until he moved to New York City to try his hand at Broadway. It wasn't until Freeman was nearly 50 years old that his career really took off. After playing a pimp in Street Smart, his acting career budded and the rest is history.
Before famously dropping out of Reed College, Steve Jobs spent some time at De Anza College in Cupertino, California. Obviously university was never the right fit for Jobs, who instead opted to sit in on random creative courses. Later, Jobs would go on to found Apple, one of the most influential tech companies in the world, where he would ultimately transform the computer industry. College isn't for everyone.
Before Star Wars, before he was a geeky film student, George Lucas had an intense obsession with drag racing. It wasn't until a nasty car accident that Lucas changed course and enrolled at Modesto Community College. He studied anthropology for a while, but quickly discovered his passion for film. He ultimately transferred to the University of Southern California, spent years perfecting his talents, and then conceived your favorite space epic.
Age: 78
Birthplace: Modesto, California, United States of America
Prior to becoming a comedic legend, Billy Crystal studied at Nassau Community College due to a series of unfortunate events. Originally, Crystal had been recruited by Marshall University in West Virginia on a baseball scholarship. But Crystal never got to play a single game because the baseball program was suspended during his freshman year. Instead, Crystal worked as a news editor, attended Nassau, and later transferred to NYU where he discovered his passion for acting and comedy in the elite Tisch program.
Halle Berry had several interests that bordered on the cusp of acting before she committed to the art. While growing up in Ohio, Berry worked on her modeling career. At the same time, she studied broadcast journalism at Cuyahoga Community College. Both practices proved Berry had somewhat of an interest in the spotlight. It wasn't until she moved to Chicago to pursue modeling that acting opportunities opened up, and she went on to achieve stardom.
