Carly was a Brownie but did not become a Girl Scout due to her family's frequent moves. She attended Channing School, in London. She later attended five different high schools, including one in Ghana, graduating from Charles E. Jordan High School in Durham, North Carolina. At one time she aspired to be a classical pianist. She received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and medieval history at Stanford University, in 1976. During her summers, she worked as a secretary for Kelly Services. She attended the UCLA School of Law in 1976, but dropped out after one semester. She worked as a receptionist for six months at a real estate firm, Marcus & Millichap, moving up to a broker position. When she married in 1977, she and her husband moved to Bologna, Italy, where he was doing graduate work; there she did English tutoring to Italian businessmen.