Do you want to study Business, Economics, Accounting or Marketing? For know that you are not alone! These areas are highly sought after, and even several famous people have taken courses in these fields at different universities, even if they have not pursued a career or even graduated. Now meet some of these celebrities who studied at business schools.

Kevin Costner – California State University at Fullerton

Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe winner, Kevin Costner is most famous for his film roles in films such as ‘The Bodyguard’, ‘JFK – The Question That Doesn’t Quiet’ and ‘The Man of Steel’. In addition, he was also a director, producer and musician. With so many things on his resume, it may even be surprising that he also holds a BA in Marketing and Finance from California State University in Fullerton.

During his childhood and adolescence in California , Costner always had a greater affinity for artistic activities and did not always excel on the more academic side of his school life. It is no surprise, therefore, that during the last year of college he rediscovered his artistic tendencies and started taking drama classes. After an unexpected encounter with the famous actor Richard Burton on a plane trip, Costner decided to take the acting world for granted – and the rest is history!

Mick Jagger – London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Credited as one of the most influential vocalists of all time, Mick Jagger is a rock icon who gained fame in the 1960s with the Rolling Stones. Jagger met bandmate Keith Richards in Dartford, his hometown in England. After that, the two moved to London after completing high school.

While Richards intended to start a band, Jagger decided to continue his academic education. In 1960 he enrolled at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in the Accounting and Finance course with the aim of pursuing a political career. However, in a short time Jagger joined forces with Richards in the music world and ended up not completing his course.

Cate Blanchett – University of Melbourne

Born and raised in Melbourne , Australia, Cate Blanchett is an award-winning actress (including the Oscars), known for her roles in films such as ‘Elizabeth’, ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ and the ‘The Lord’ trilogy of the Rings’. What not everyone knows is that her interest in acting only started during college, at the University of Melbourne , where she studied Economics and Fine Arts.

Upon completing the course, Blanchett soon left Australia to travel the world. After several movie leads and several roles in plays, Blanchett got his first major film role in 1997, in the film ‘A Corner of Hope’.

John Grisham – Mississippi State University

Best known for his hugely successful thriller novels, writer John Grisham (the sixth most widely read in the US) was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA. He worked in several jobs before attending university, spending time working in a nursery, as a plumber and in a road asphalt company. In that last job he almost got shot after a fight started by other people and, when he voted home, he decided that he was going to go to college and get a business degree at some of the US business schools.

Grisham moved a lot during his graduation and attended three different colleges before completing his studies. Finally, he graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in Accounting. After that he practiced law for 10 years, before his writing career took off with the success of his second book, ‘A Firma’.

Wanda Sykes – Hampton University

Raised in Washington, DC , Wanda Sykes’ mother worked as a bank employee and her father was a Pentagon employee. After completing high school, Sykes went on to attend Hampton University, Virginia, where he majored in Marketing. After graduation, he worked for a time at the National Security Agency, as a contracting specialist.

During this job, Sykes started doing stand-up and, in 1992, moved to New York , where he started to work for a publishing company. Fame came when she did the opening act for comedian Chris Rock. Soon after he joined the Chris Rock Show writing team, making frequent appearances on the program. Since then she has starred in several films and television shows and has been rated by Entertainment Weekly as one of the 25 funniest people in the United States.

Lionel Richie – Tuskegee University

A pop music icon, Lionel Richie is one of the top selling artists in the history of music. A key figure in the Motown era, he signed with Motown Records as part of The Commodores in the 1960s. 20 years later, he decided to pursue a solo career and has since sold more than 100 million copies!

Richie attended Tuskegee University on a tennis scholarship and studied economics. A devout Christian, Richie also considered studying theology and becoming a priest. However, he later decided that this was not for him and decided to pursue a musical career.

Ray Romano – Queens College

Born in Queens, New York, Ray Romano is an actor and comedian. Worldwide known for the series ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’, Romano graduated in Accounting at Queens College in Flushing, also in New York, where he studied Accounting. However, he did not finish the course and decided to go to the world of show business.

Benicio Del Toro – University of California, San Diego

Benicio Del Toro is a Puerto Rican actor, producer and director, known mainly for his role in the movie ‘Traffic’, for which he won a BAFTA, an Oscar, a SAG and a Golden Globe!

Born to a family of lawyers in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Del Toro moved to the United States at age 12, having attended high school there. Then he went on to attend the University of California at San Diego, where he studied business. Del Toro’s career could have taken a very different path had he not taken an extra-curricular theater course that convinced him to drop out of college early and seek stardom in Los Angeles.