Education and career beginnings
High school, colleges, and early jobs
andrew carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was born on November 25, 1835, in Dunfermline, Scotland. He immigrated to the United States with his family in 1848 and settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Carnegie began working at a young age, initially as a bobbin boy in a cotton factory.
Carnegie continued to work various jobs and eventually became a telegraph messenger for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. He quickly moved up in the company and gained valuable experience in the railroad industry.
Carnegie took advantage of the resources around him and continued to educate himself through reading and attending night school. He eventually became a personal assistant to Thomas A. Scott, the superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
In the late 1850s, Carnegie began investing in various businesses and industries, including the railroad, oil, and iron. He eventually founded the Carnegie Steel Company, which became one of the largest and most profitable steel companies in the world.
Carnegie's success in the steel industry allowed him to amass a great fortune, making him one of the wealthiest individuals of his time. Despite his humble beginnings, Carnegie believed strongly in giving back to society and became a prominent philanthropist, donating millions of dollars to various causes, including education and the arts.