To many people, a university degree is a must for success in this day and age. Even Christopher Lee, remember?
But, it really isn’t always the case.
In a recent interview for her new Netflix drama When Life Gives You Tangerines, South Korean singer-actress IU opened up about a major life decision she made when she was 19.
Yes, she decided not to go to university.
Now 31, the Korean star divulged that she’s never regretted her choice, and shared that what she went through was similar to Oh Ae-sun, the character she plays in the series.
IU, who graduated from Dongduk Girls’ High School in 2012, realised back then that she wasn’t cut out for studying, and felt that it’d be better if she just gave up attending university.
“Even though my parents were upset because of that, I think choosing to work hard on my career at that time was the right decision,” she averred.
She added that if she had to give up her dreams like Ae-sun, she’d be “very angry and sad”.
According to reports, the star initially came from a pretty well-to-do family, but they’d suffered financially after her mother became heavily in debt.
IU and her younger brother lived with their grandmother when they were kids, and they stayed in a cockroach-infested one-bedroom apartment for a year.
They reportedly only survived on potatoes and were also often bullied by their relatives.
Her road to fame was not easy either.
IU had apparently participated in more than 20 auditions to no avail, and was once even scammed by a fake entertainment agency.
She eventually debuted when she was 15, and propelled to fame thanks to her 2010 hit single ‘Good Day’.
She also became so well-liked in South Korea that she received the nickname “Nation’s little sister”.
After making a name for herself, IU spent three years clearing her family’s debt and even bought her dad his dream car.
Looks like it all worked out for IU in the end, even without a uni degree.