There are some forces that could have held Gershwin back, but they did not. He did not graduate from high school. But in his day, many people did not graduate from high school. He went straight to work for on Tin Pan Alley, in the sheet music business. Now if he had gotten a job at a shirt factory, it could have been a different story, and it may not have worked out so well for him. Also, Gershwin would have liked to have attended a music conservatory, but he did not, but this did not hold him back. He learned about piano in private music lessons instead. Gershwin had a number of critics, but this did not hold him back either, but it could have.

His early death, which was such a tragedy, may have been the only thing that prevented him from accomplishing even more than he did.