Many in the business community view being a college dropout as a mark of distinction. After all, several of the most affluent executives—Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Larry Ellison—did not complete their degrees, and they readily acknowledge this fact.
TL;DR
- Lauren Antonoff, a college dropout, spent twenty years in tech before returning to UC Berkeley at 52.
- She found her studies refined her outlook on flexibility and focusing on distant objectives.
- Antonoff believes thriving students forge their own paths, similar to how CEOs lead.
- Completing her degree led to her becoming CEO of Life360, a family location app.
Lauren Antonoff also once carried that distinction. Following a fire that destroyed her apartment while she was a student at the University of California, Berkeley, and subsequently missing the completion of her degree, she successfully entered the tech industry, dedicating almost twenty years to Microsoft and subsequently holding a senior leadership role at GoDaddy. Having established a career without the certification she was supposed to possess, Antonoff took satisfaction in demonstrating her independence from it.
However, following a quarter-century in the field, Antonoff felt weighed down by what she perceived as “unfinished business.” Consequently, in 2022, during an infrequent pause in her professional life, she found herself in a UC Berkeley classroom once more—this time as a 52-year-old student alongside peers who were half her age. Antonoff's itinerary was packed with studies in rhetoric, political science, and even biotechnology.
She confessed to Coins2Day that returning to her studies wasn't a groundbreaking change for her professional path, yet it did refine her outlook on flexibility and maintaining concentration on distant objectives, particularly when circumstances veer off course.
“There are probably some people who approach college from like, ‘I’m going to do the assignment and do what I’m told,’” she told Coins2Day. “But the students I think that really thrive are the ones who forge their own path.”
As the chief executive of Life360, a family location application valued at over $5 billion, she observes distinct similarities between managing a classroom and leading a corporate executive team.
“That’s a lot of what CEOs do is look at the range of possibilities, figure out what the options are, and pick a path,” she added. “And pick a path knowing that you can’t know the future, knowing that you don’t get to know if you’re right until after and being the ones to shoulder that responsibility.”
Antonoff acknowledged that charting one's own course can occasionally be a luxury and require patience. However, she stated that incremental progress can build momentum.
“I’m a big believer in finding your way in the world,” Antonoff said. “That’s not just about getting a job; if you don’t have a job, start something. If you don’t have a job, go volunteer someplace. In my experience, being active and working on problems that you’re interested in—one thing leads to another.”
The key to achieving 'peak levels of accomplishment'
As a child, Antonoff believed she had a clear vision for her professional path: civil rights advocacy. While attending UC Berkeley, her intention was to major in rhetoric and political science before proceeding to law school.
However, after acquiring her initial MacBook for academic writing, she discovered an unforeseen interest in technology, prompting her to inquire further. This inquisitiveness guided her to the Berkeley Mac User group, where she came to understand that technology could transcend a mere pastime.
Her advice for Gen Z echoes that early pivot.
“Do what you love,” she said. “I think it’s very hard to reach the highest levels of success if you don’t have the energy and the passion. I think when you are excited about something, it sort of fuels those creative juices and those insights that allow you to chart the future and bring people along with you.”
In December 2022, Antonoff successfully completed her degree, earning a B.A. From UC Berkeley. By May of the subsequent year, she was appointed COO of Life360, eventually ascending to the CEO position within two years.
