While research suggests those who haven't completed tertiary studies are up against it in the jobs market, lack of higher education has been no barrier to success for some enterprising Australians who have bypassed university to run their own shows.
Queenslander Maddison Lawrence is among them.
![Maddison Lawrence runs an auto detailing business.](/web/20161123100105im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/v/f/l/5/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsrhkc.png/1479858693155.jpg)
Since leaving school in 2011, she has pursued a series of ventures in the automotive sector, including Slick Azz Auto Detailing, a car care company she founded in year 12.
Today, the business employs three staff and turns over about $250,000 a year.
![Peter Kanterelis](/web/20161123100105im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/r/h/z/q/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gsrhkc.png/1479858693155.jpg)
Lawrence recently scored an exclusive distribution deal with US manufacturer FlexiShield to bring its automotive paint protection film to the Australia market.
"I had good enough grades and was accepted into university for a business degree but I decided to put my life savings into starting my business, rather than paying university fees," Lawrence says.
"There was no job on the uni list that drew my attention and I wasn't the sort of person to do an admin job; I can't sit still. I think it was inevitable that I would turn something into a business as soon as I got the chance."
Enthusiasm and elbow grease count for more than a framed piece of paper, Lawrence believes.
"If you have a strong work ethic and drive you will never be short of opportunities and you will always be able to find people who want to help you on your way," she says.
"I have been very lucky to gather all types of mentors and that is where I have learnt most of my lessons and skills that I believe made up for the fact that I didn't attend university."
Research released last month by Anglicare Australia revealed more than 37 per cent of jobs advertised in May called for a bachelor degree or other higher qualification. Just 13 per cent of openings were for entry level roles requiring year 10 education only.
The report Positions Vacant? When the Jobs Aren't There showed 732,000 Australians were registered as unemployed, while an average of 168,896 jobs are advertised each month.
Entrepreneur and Shark Tank judge Steve Baxter says formal qualifications are non-essential, but nice to have, for those thinking of striking out on their own.
A high school dropout who spent several years in the army before co-founding Pipe Networks, a telecommunications company that was acquired by TPG Group for $373 million in 2009, Baxter gained his high-tech knowledge on the fly.
"Would I have preferred to have the education and maybe qualifications in the area?" Baxter says. "It would have made it a lot easier, to be honest.
"A lot of people I meet who've done formal education seem to know a lot more about the technology than I do. I, generally in my businesses, have taught myself what I need to know to do the task for the day whereas I imagine a formal education you get taught a broader range of skills … entrepreneurs will generally learn what they need to learn to get something done and not the full gamut."
His advice for youngsters tossing between higher education and a bright business idea?
"Do you have the skills to carry off this idea?" Baxter says.
"If the answer is no, I'd say go and get them, and it comes down to how they go and get them, be it formal education or bootstrapping your skills."
The latter approach worked for Lookup.com founder and self-taught IT consultant Peter Kantarelis, whose Sydney consultancy employs 17 staff.
Kantarelis dropped out of university in second year then spent five years working for Franklins supermarkets before turning his long-term passion for computers into a commercial venture in 2000.
Lookup.com operates as a one-stop IT shop for about 200 clients nationwide.
"In terms of education I'm constantly educating myself, with the likes of Google, with short courses at TAFE, short courses like Microsoft-certified courses," Kantarelis says.
"It's all about bite-sized chunks of relevant information, that's what I target when I look at learning now. When I'm looking at pursuing knowledge, I hone in and I look for what I need."
Like Lawrence, Kantarelis believes get-up-and-go is what gets aspiring entrepreneurs over the line.
"You've got to truly have a passion for the work that you do and you'll strive to get the knowledge that you need to pursue that," he says.
"The rest comes down to being human and treating people well, whether it's your customers or employees – there's no rocket science behind it."
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