Dropping out of college doesn’t have to be a bad thing; it can actually be the start of a successful endeavor, writes Lindsay Ellis for The Wall Street Journal.

When Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard University to start Facebook — now Meta — he took a risk that ended up making him a billionaire.

With artificial intelligence taking the scene, two former University of Pennsylvania took a similar risk in the AI space, and are reaping the benefits of it.

David Zhi LuoZhang and Jeffrey Pan took a graduate-level machine-learning course last fall when they were sophomores. 

The course equipped them with the skills and knowledge to create Bronco AI, which synthesizes business data to aid executives in their decision-making. 

Upon getting their first investment, both took leaves of absence from Penn.

They’ve since signed several contracts, and now, Pan works on machine-learning technology while LuoZhang handles CEO cold-calling. 

Both made the decision to leave school to focus more on the business. 

“It’s hard to focus on your homework when you’re thinking about how you could run all the factories in America,” LuoZhang said.

Both have ambitions outside the classroom, and this new endeavor can help them achieve those ambitions. 

Read more about the two former Penn students utilizing AI and other success stories at The Wall Street Journal.

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Artificial intelligence has a role to play in most businesses.