Skipping School, Making Millions: Top Creator’s Success Story

We used the Forbes Top 50 Creators 2023 report to examine the academic backgrounds of leading creators, including Mr. Beast, Khaby Lame, Logan Paul and Brent Rivera. Our analysis is based on the publicly available educational histories of 48 out of the top 50 creators featured on the Forbes list^[1].

Key Takeaways

• Creators with a high school degree are pulling in an impressive $15 million on average, whereas their counterparts with a Master’s degree are averaging 3x lower at $5 million
• The top 3 Creators, Mr. Beast (Jimmy Donaldson), KSI (Olajide Olatunji), and Jake Paul, all stopped their formal education at high school.
  • Their average earnings stand at $47M, vs the overall average for the group $14M
• 96% creators have completed their high school education. Emma Chamberlain and Josh Richards are two creators who are high school dropouts.
• 56% completed bachelor’s and 19% dropped out in between to become full-time creators.
• 9% of creators – Mark Rober, Christina Najjar, and Drea Okeke – are the most educated with a Master’s degree.
• 5 of the creators received their education through homeschooling.

Education Attainment of Top Creators

While traditional wisdom holds that education is the key to success, in the digital age, producing 30-second YouTube videos can sometimes be more rewarding than earning a four-year degree. Let’s explore how the top creators have balanced their education and passion to achieve remarkable success.

96% (46 of 48) of creators have completed high school, surpassing the national average of 93.3%^[3]

Out of 48 top creators, 27 (56%) completed their college, 9 (19%) are college dropouts, and 12 (25%) never attended college.

9% (3) of creators completed their master’s degree and one dropped out in between to become full-time creators.

The national average for degree completion of undergraduates is 64%^[4]

Earnings of Top Creators by Highest Educational Attainment

Just having a higher education degree won’t necessarily lead to big bucks in the creator economy. In fact, we’re seeing that for creators the more you study, the less you might earn!

• The average earning for a top creator with a high school degree is $15M.

• The average earning for a top creator with a bachelor’s degree is $10M.
• The average earning for a top creator with a master’s degree is $5M

Highest Educational Attainment	No of Top Creator	Average Earnings of Top Creators#	Median National Annual Earning[2]
Less than High School [High School Dropouts]	2	$13M	$35,470
High School*	10	$15M	$41,790
College Dropouts	9	$26M	–
Bachelor’s Degree	24	$10M	$66,610
Master’s Degree	3	$5M	$80,180

The study excluded two creators, Dream and Michael Le, as their educational histories were not available.

^#Gross earnings calculated between June 2022 and June 2023

*Includes those creators who were home-schooled

High School Dropouts

• Emma Chamberlain with earnings of $20M and Josh Richards at $5M are notable high school dropouts among creators.

Creators with highest educational attainment as high school

• 9 creators have their highest educational qualification as high school.
• Jake Paul leads in earnings among the 10 creators who stopped their education at high school, with estimated earnings of $34M.
• Average earnings of these creators is $15M

Creators who are college dropouts

• 9 creators are college dropouts
• Mr. Beast leads in earnings among the 9 creators who are college dropouts, with estimated earnings of $82M.
• Average earnings of college drop outs is $26M

Creators with highest educational attainment as Bachelor’s

• 24 creators have the highest education degree as bachelor’s
• Rhett & Link lead in earnings among the 24 creators whose highest educational level is college, with estimated earnings of $35M.
• Average earnings of college drop outs is $10M

Creators with highest educational attainment as Master’s degrees

• 3 creators completed their Master’s degrees: Christina Najjar (Tinx), Mark Rober, and Drea Okeke (Drea Knows Best).
• One, Mikayla Nogueira, dropped out of her Master’s degree to become a full-time influencer.

Home-Schooled Creators

• 10% of the creators (5) received their education through homeschooling.
• Ryan Kaji from “Ryan’s World,” who is just 14 years old, is currently being homeschooled.
• At national level^[5], 2.8% is the number of homeschooled children

Their journeys illustrate that success is not solely defined by formal education but by passion, creativity, and relentless dedication. While some creators hold advanced degrees, many have achieved the pinnacle of their fields through alternative routes. This demonstrates that the traditional path to success is not the only way; one can achieve one’s dreams by following one’s passion and working diligently.

Methodology

For our analysis, we utilized Forbes’ Top 50 Creators 2023 report to examine the educational backgrounds of the creators. We consulted sources like Wikipedia, Wikitubia, and other relevant websites to gather academic information. We got the educational records of 48 creators out of 50. The rates for the national average are taken from the official website of the National Sector for Education Statistics and US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Annexure

Academic Background of top 50 Creators

S. No	Name	Total Followers	Academic Background
1	Mr. Beast	YT Subscribers: 300M TikTok Followers: 98.6M Instagram Followers: 58.5M	Highest degree: High School Education: Greenville Christian Academy
2	Olajide Olatunji (KSI)	YT Subscribers: 24.1M TikTok Followers: 11.8M Instagram Followers: 13M	Highest degree: High School Education: Berkhamsted School
3	Jake Paul	YT Subscribers: 20.7M TikTok Followers: 17.8M Instagram Followers: 26.6M	Highest degree: High School Education: Westlake High School
4	Rhett & Link	YT Subscribers: 5.23M TikTok Followers: 4.6M Instagram Followers: 3.6M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: North Carolina State University
5	Charli D’Amelio	YT Subscribers: 9.19M TikTok Followers: 155.4M Instagram Followers: 43.9M	Highest degree: High School Education: Home-School
6	Logan Paul	YT Subscribers: 23.5M TikTok Followers: 18.5M Instagram Followers: 26.9M	Highest degree: High School Education: Westlake High School
7	Elliot Tebele (F*ckJerry)	TikTok Followers: 4.6M Instagram Followers: 133K	Highest degree: High School Education: York Preparatory School
8	Emma Chamberlain	YT Subscribers: 12M TikTok Followers: 429.3K Instagram Followers: 15.2M	Highest degree: High School Dropout Education: California High School
9	Matt Rife	YT Subscribers: 2.71M TikTok Followers: 18.8M Instagram Followers: 8M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: local University in Anaheim
10	Brent Rivera	YT Subscribers: 32M TikTok Followers: 48.1M Instagram Followers: 23.2M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: California State University
11	Khabane (Khaby) Lame	YT Subscribers: 9.73M TikTok Followers: 162.7M Instagram Followers: 81M	Highest degree: High School Education: Local School in Italy
12	Alexandra Cooper	TikTok Followers: 1.9M Instagram Followers: 3.1M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: Boston University
13	Mark Edward Fischbach (Markiplier)	YT Subscribers: 36.8M TikTok Followers: 1.9M Instagram Followers: 12M	Highest degree: High School Education: Milford High School
14	Sean McLoughlin (Jacksepticeye)	YT Subscribers: 30.7M TikTok Followers: 5.2M Instagram Followers: 7.8M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: Athlone Institute of Technology
15	Huda Kattan	YT Subscribers: 4.14M TikTok Followers: 9.6M Instagram Followers: 54M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: University of Michigan
16	Preston Arsement (PrestonPlayz)	YT Subscribers: 26.8M TikTok Followers: 10.6M Instagram Followers: 1.8M	Highest degree: High School Education: Travis Academy of Fine Arts
17	Ryan Kaji	YT Subscribers: 37.3M	Highest degree: NA Education: Home-Schooled
18	Dixie D’Amelio	YT Subscribers: 6.64M TikTok Followers: 56M Instagram Followers: 20.8M	Highest degree: High School Education: King School
19	Zach King	YT Subscribers: 36M TikTok Followers: 82.2M Instagram Followers: 29.5M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: Biola University
20	Drew Desbordes (Druski)	YT Subscribers: 1.78M TikTok Followers: 7M Instagram Followers: 7.8M	Highest degree: High School Education: Gwinnett High School
21	Chiara Ferragni	YT Subscribers: 157K TikTok Followers: 6.5M Instagram Followers: 28.8M	Highest degree: High School Education: NA
22	Bailey Sarian	YT Subscribers: 7.36M TikTok Followers: 2.9M Instagram Followers: 3M	Highest degree: High School Education: Paloma Valley High School
23	Addison Rae Easterling	YT Subscribers: 4.21M TikTok Followers: 88.8M Instagram Followers: 35M	Highest degree: High School Education: Calvary Baptist Academy
24	Adam Waheed	YT Subscribers: 17.9M TikTok Followers: 20.1M Instagram Followers: 9.4M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: Southern Methodist University
25	Josh Richards	YT Subscribers: 2.14M TikTok Followers: 25.7M Instagram Followers: 6.1M	Highest degree: High School Dropout Education: St. Mary Catholic Secondary School
26	Christina Najjar (Tinx)	YT Subscribers: 2.85K TikTok Followers: 1.5M Instagram Followers: 574K	Highest degree: Master’s Education: Stanford University, Parsons School of Design
27	Kaitlyn Siragusa (Amouranth)	YT Subscribers: 997K	Highest degree: High School Education: Local private school in Houston
28	Dani Austin Ramirez	YT Subscribers: 162K Instagram Followers: 2.3M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: The University of Texas
29	Mark Rober	YT Subscribers: 54.3M TikTok Followers: 3.5M Instagram Followers: 2M	Highest degree: Master’s Education: Brigham Young University (BYU) University of Southern California (USC)
30	Dream	YT Subscribers: 31.9M TikTok Followers: 6.9M	Highest degree: NA Education: NA
31	Tyler Blevins (Ninja)	YT Subscribers: 23.8M TikTok Followers: 10.8M Instagram Followers: 12.3M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: Silver Lake College
32	Marques Brownlee	YT Subscribers: 19.1M TikTok Followers: 2M Instagram Followers: 4.9M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: Stevens Institute of Technology
33	Michael Le (JustMaiko)	YT Subscribers: 3.67M TikTok Followers: 51.5M Instagram Followers: 2.3M	Highest degree: NA Education: NA
34	Bella Poarch	YT Subscribers: 7.01M TikTok Followers: 94.2M Instagram Followers: 12.3M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: Local University in Texas
35	Nick DiGiovanni	YT Subscribers: 17.9M TikTok Followers: 12.9M Instagram Followers: 3.1M	Highest degree: bachelor’s Education: Harvard University
36	Mikayla Nogueira	YT Subscribers: 628K TikTok Followers: 15.7M Instagram Followers: 2.9M	Highest degree: Master’s Education: Bryant University
37	Brooke Monk	YT Subscribers: 7.05M TikTok Followers: 33.4M Instagram Followers: 5.6M	Highest degree: High School Education: Home Schooled
38	Madison Beer	YT Subscribers: 3.4M TikTok Followers: 20.1M Instagram Followers: 38.7M	Highest degree: High School Education: Jericho High School
39	Nick Kolcheff (Nickmercs)	YT Subscribers: 4.08M TikTok Followers: 1.4M Instagram Followers: 2.5M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: NA
40	Anthony Dawson (TooTurntTony)	YT Subscribers: 5.99M TikTok Followers: 20.3M Instagram Followers: 2.7M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: Western Michigan University
41	Aimee Song	YT Subscribers: 356K TikTok Followers: 117K Instagram Followers: 7.3M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: Academy of Art University
42	Alix Earle	YT Subscribers: 94.6K TikTok Followers: 7M Instagram Followers: 3.7M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: University of Miami
43	Drew Afualo	YT Subscribers: 10K TikTok Followers: 8M Instagram Followers: 1M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: University of Hawaiʻi
44	Kai Cenat	YT Subscribers: 8.52M TikTok Followers: 13.5M Instagram Followers: 10.3M	Highest degree: High School Education: Frederick Douglass Academy
45	Alan Chikin Chow	YT Subscribers: 48.8M TikTok Followers: 14.9M Instagram Followers: 1.5M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: University of Southern California
46	Vivian Tu	YT Subscribers: 782K TikTok Followers: 2.5M Instagram Followers: 2.5M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: University of Chicago
47	Monet McMichael	YT Subscribers: 428K TikTok Followers: 3.8M Instagram Followers: 1.3M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: Rutgers University
48	Olivia Dunne	YT Subscribers: 97.5K TikTok Followers: 8M Instagram Followers: 5.3M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: Louisiana State University
49	Drea Okeke (Drea Knows Best)	YT Subscribers: 69.7K TikTok Followers: 6.6M Instagram Followers: 415K	Highest degree: Master’s Education: University of Southern California
50	Dylan Mulvaney	YT Subscribers: 14.7K TikTok Followers: 9.6M Instagram Followers: 1.6M	Highest degree: Bachelor’s Education: University of Cincinnati

References

^[1]Forbes Top Creators 2023 (Forbes Top Creators 2023: The Richest On TikTok, Instagram & YouTube)

^[2]Median annual earnings of full-time tear-round workers 25 to 34 years old- National Sector for Education Statistics (Median annual earnings of full-time year-round workers 25 to 34 years old and full-time year-round workers as a percentage of the labor force, by sex, race/ethnicity, and educational attainment: Selected years, 2005 through 2022)

^[3]Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates- National Sector for Education Statistics (Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2019)

^[4]Undergraduate graduation rates- National Sector for Education Statistics (Fast Facts: Undergraduate graduation rates (40))

^[5]Home-Schooling rates- National Sector for Education Statistics (Fast Facts: Homeschooling (91))