Yahoo Finance Bill Gates offers 14 pearls of wisdom for young graduates
When the world’s richest man and one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history offers some career advice, it’s best to listen up.
Bill Gates never got a college degree, but in a series of Twitter exchanges he offered his best tips for young graduates to get ahead in life.
The Microsoft boss turned philanthropist said said artificial intelligence, energy and biosciences are “promising” fields where new graduates can make “a huge impact”.
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Gates, estimated to be worth some $86 billion, said people with skills in those sectors will be in the most demand in the future.
“It’s what I would do if starting out today,” Gates said.
2/ AI, energy, and biosciences are promising fields where you can make a huge impact. It’s what I would do if starting out today.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 15, 2017
However, he was also keen to stress that intelligence and careerism was not the be all and end all.
Gates, who famously dropped out of Harvard in 1975, said he now realised intelligence is “not as important as I used to think”.
4/ E.g. Intelligence takes many different forms. It is not one-dimensional. And not as important as I used to think.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) 15 May 2017
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And, for a man who has been instrumental in building a global business, he also urged young people today to tackle inequality wherever they found it.
6/ You know more than I did when I was your age. You can start fighting inequity, whether down the street or around the world, sooner.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 15, 2017
He said it took him “decades” to learn of the world’s worst inequities.
“You know more than I did when I was your age,” he wrote. “You can start fighting inequity, whether down the street or around the world, sooner.”
Gates expanded on his advice and views in a post published on online media channel Mic.
“I did not see it [inequity] up close until my late 30s, when Melinda and I took our first trip to Africa,” he wrote.
“It blew our minds that millions of children there were dying from diseases that no one in rich countries even worried about.
“We thought it was the most unjust thing in the world. We realized we couldn’t wait to get involved — we had to start giving back right away.”
.@melindagates 8/ Like @WarrenBuffett I measure my happiness by whether people close to me are happy and love me, & by the difference I make for others.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 15, 2017
Gates and his wife established a foundation in 2000 to channel much of his wealth into charitable causes and to encourage the various wealthy connections he had developed over the decade to contribute.
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It is believed he has donated at least £28bn to the foundation.
.@melindagates @WarrenBuffett 10/ @SAPinker shows how the world is getting better. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. This is the most peaceful time in human history.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) 15 May 2017
Gates also touched on his connections in the Twitter thread. He notes he has been friends with fellow billionaire Warren Buffett for 25 years.
“Surround yourself with people who challenge you, teach you, and push you to be your best self,” says Gates.
.@melindagates @WarrenBuffett @sapinker 12/ It doesn’t mean you ignore the serious problems we face. It just means you believe they can be solved.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) 15 May 2017
In a final piece of advice, Gates encourages all graduates to read The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker.
“It is the most inspiring book I have ever read,” he says.
.@melindagates @WarrenBuffett @sapinker 14/ This is an amazing time to be alive. I hope you make the most of it.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) 15 May 2017
