Andrew Carnegie was mostly self-taught and had a deep appreciation for learning

One of the interesting facts about Andrew Carnegie is that he was mostly self-taught and had a deep appreciation for learning. Due to their poor class, Carnegie and his brother were not allowed to attend school. Together, this helped Carnegie see the significance of equality. He was still quite interested in education and reading, though. He would later study all he could about the ship and its routine operations while the family immigrated to the United States by ship.

Before taking a position as a telegraph messenger, Andrew Carnegie worked at a cotton factory in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (modern-day Pittsburgh). Carnegie read and taught himself how to translate telegraph signals by ear, making up for his lack of formal education by self-study. This latter talent led to Carnegie's subsequent promotions to the positions of clerk and telegraph operator at the age of 17 in the telegraph office. He was one of the few individual telegraphers who could instantaneously translate the code after teaching himself how to utilize the Morse code.

Carnegie's charm and sharp intelligence helped him quickly climb to the high ranks of the railroad and eventually found himself working as Thomas A. Scott's secretary. He acquired important management and investment lessons from Scott's guidance.