Age is not an indicator for successful careers. While some played in their 20's and enjoyed their youthful vigor, other women such as JK Rowling, Oprah Winfrey, and Ellen DeGeneres began achieving their dreams when they were young and in their 20's.

According to a post from Elite Daily, "In the wake of a recession in which Gen-Y is more educated and yet still struggling to find jobs, these ladies prove that hard work, dedication and panache pay off."

In regards to Oprah's life, she has been noted to place great emphasis for growth and development. She is considered as one of the richest women in the world. However, she did not reach that pedestal without commitment and dedication for her job and career.

She got fired in her first media gig but it did not hinder her from pursuing her dreams. "She moved to Chicago in 1984 to host AM Chicago for WLS-TV, and it became so popular, they renamed it The Oprah Winfrey Show. The rest is history," according to the same report.

Another well-famed figure is the author of the infamous "Harry Potter" books. Although she has attained success, it was not an easy journey for her. As an author she got 12 rejections, but it did not prevent her from continuing on writing.

She kept on and was known as the great author of the "Harry Potter" series with 400 million copies sold, bagging the title as UK's best-selling living author. According to Rowling, "It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all. In which case, you fail by default."

Even Ellen did not succeed in her first try as well. She was not able to maintain her shows and some of her shows were cancelled but it did not prevent her from stepping up and nurturing her career.

Her big break finally came when "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" debuted in 2003. Moreover, the host was also known to venture into the tech industry and invested her resources to further expand her horizons, according to a separate report from Jobs & Hire.

It is undeniable that women struggles with a lot of hurdles as they aim on advancing the corporate ladder of success but just like JK Rowling, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, these ladies demonstrated that hard work, perseverance and panache do eventually pay off.