The legendary director is the creative force behind several of the highest-grossing films of all time. Collectively, Cameron’s movies have earned nearly $9 billion at the global box office—a success that has slowly but steadily propelled his wealth into 10-digit territory.
This level of success once seemed unimaginable for Cameron. In his late teens, the Canadian native dropped out of Fullerton College, a California community college where he was studying physics. He was torn between two competing passions, science and art, but ultimately walked away from formal education altogether.
Instead, Cameron chose to chart his own path. He taught himself optical printing and special effects, and paid the bills by taking odd jobs as a truck driver and janitor.
That self-directed education soon paid off. Cameron was able to get his foot in the door in the film industry, and by age 30, he had his first big hit: The Terminator—a film that has since grossed more than $200 million worldwide.
Chasing curiosity—and deliberately choosing the unfamiliar—is a mantra Cameron has followed from his teenage years all the way through his decades in Hollywood.
Federer, for his part, has urged young people to look beyond narrow definitions of success and pursue work that feels meaningful.
“All of you have so much to give,” he told graduates at Dartmouth College last year. “I hope you will find your own unique ways to make a difference, because life really is much bigger than the court.”
