Jackie Robinson spent two years at UCLA. Then he left without getting his degree.
He believed that no amount of education would help an African American get a job. He also wanted to earn money to help his mother. He became an assistant athletic director for the National Youth Administration (NYA). Then the NYA was shut down. Jackie’s next job was playing football with the Honolulu Bears. He played one season for them. He was headed back to California when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. That caused the U.S. to enter World War II.