NO SAYS HOLLY TUCKER, 39, CO-FOUNDER OF NOT ON THE HIGH STREET.COM AND HOLLY & CO

I started my career when I was 15, working as an intern in an ad agency, before gaining my first full-time job at 17. I got the job of a junior account manager the morning I collected my A-level results. It meant I wasn’t only debt-free, but I was years ahead of the growing pains of being in full-time employment. When others were applying for jobs at 21, I’d already been promoted twice and was on a career path that led me to work for both the number one ad agency and number one publisher in the world by the age of 22.

Those precious early years built my toolkit for business that I came to rely on when establishing notonthehighstreet. com. I learnt the power of negotiation, people management, the importance of creativity and the sheer level of tear-jerking hard work that’s required to succeed.

My business partner, Sophie, didn’t go to university either. Society seems so weighted these days to hiring people with degrees that I’m sure we miss out on such talent. Now I’m on my next project, Holly & Co, where I’m driving awareness of the talented people who contribute to the creative economy, which is set to be 40% of the workforce by 2020. The future is about the unique characteristics of humans and not the cookie-cutter versions we seem to try and churn out of the education system.

The ‘University of Life’ gave me the courage to be different and succeed. I don’t think a degree would have done the same.