The Homeschool View
Industrious Homeschoolers
By Hunter Fell

February 10, 2011

___Last week I wrote about famous homeschoolers and mentioned that I would tell you more this week. Since then, I’ve been asked if being homeschooled affects getting a good job; so, this week’s article will kill two birds with one stone, to use a rather clichéd expression, and address famous homeschoolers in the work force.
___Let me begin by assuring you that homeschoolers are not poorly received in the job market. In fact, we may have an unfair advantage as our schedules are more flexible, allowing us to work before other kids are out of school. In addition, I’ve been told that many employers appreciate the initiative and work ethic found in homeschooled students, so enjoy hiring them. With that said, it’s not surprising to find many entrepreneurs who were homeschooled, in some form, at one point or another in their educational journey.
___For instance, the food industry is riddled with these success stories, and I’m not just talking about me selling Smart Cookies. You might know a man named Harland Sanders (a.k.a. Colonel Sanders), founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. In addition, both Dave Thomas, founder of one of my favorite fast food places, Wendy’s, and Ray Kroc, owner of the world’s most famous fast food chain, McDonald’s, were said to be schooled at home at some point in their, often times brief, education.
___Newspaper industry greats (nope, not talking about me again) who also made their marks after having had alternative educational choices were: Horace Greeley, founder of the New York Tribune, Adolph Ochs, founder of the New York Times, and Joseph Pulitzer, newspaper publisher and creator of the Pulitzer Prize, putting me in good company … they had to start somewhere, right?
___Other industry success stories include Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, who was educated by his mother and grandmother, and whose daughter is homeschooled; Aaron Fessler, founder of The Allegro Group before going to Mail.com, and then founding Media Sentry, a company to stop media piracy; as well as, both Andrew Carnegie, the wealthy steel industrialist, and Soichiro Honda, creator of the Honda automobile company.
___Quite often, homeschooling becomes an avenue to focus on specialized training so it’s not surprising to find professional athletes and Olympic stars that are products of homeschooling including: Olympic stars Ryan Lusk – swimmer, Gabe Jennings – Track & Field, Jenny Keim - Diver & NCAA platform champion, and Marie Fjordholm - U.S. Senior National Gymnast Team; Wimbledon champs Venus and Serena Williams, and Laura Robson; Jason Taylor - NFL Miami Dolphins' defensive end; Tim Tebow, Heisman Trophy winner; Bobby Convey - Major League’s youngest soccer player; and Darrell Waltrip - NASCAR Racer and principal of Waltrip Academy where he homeschools his children.
___So, though not all homeschoolers become famous entrepreneurs, noted athletes, or industrial giants, homeschooling is not a deterrent to securing a good job and it does, as noted, produce its share of leaders in many occupations. If you have any questions or ideas for upcoming articles, feel free to email me your view at dillsburgbanner@dillsburgbanner.net.