New Yorkers Born in These Months Are More Likely to Become CEOs

New Yorkers born in May, July, or November (that's me) have something fun to brag about. Those are the most common birth months among Fortune 500 CEOs. Resume.io studied the leaders of the 500 largest companies in America. Among the CEOs whose birth months were available, almost 10% were born in each of those three months.

April Is the Rarest Month

April had the fewest CEO birthdays. Only 4.8% of the CEOs in the study were born during that month. December was next to last at just under 6%. Being born in a certain month doesn't decide your career but it's interesting to see when the people that lead our  biggest companies were born.

New York Schools Made the List

Several New York colleges have helped educate today’s top business leaders. Nine Fortune 500 CEOs attended Cornell University. Eight went to Columbia University. The list also included graduates of Syracuse University.

Most CEOs Do Not Have an MBA

You might think most top CEOs have a master’s degree in business, but that is not true. More than half of the CEOs with known education records did not have an MBA. Nearly half studied engineering or computer science. That was more than the number who studied business, finance, and economics combined.

Many Worked Their Way Up

Four out of five Fortune 500 CEOs were promoted from within their own companies. Only 20% were hired from outside. This means working hard, and earning trust at one company can sometimes lead to the top job.

Get our free mobile app

Reaching the Top Takes Time

Most CEOs did not find quick success. The average person in the study became a CEO at about 52 years old. For most workers, that means spending around 30 years with your company. Your birth month does not control your future. For New Yorkers dreaming of a corner office, experience and hard work matter much more.