Washington DC (New York), 15th May 2023: Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Billionaire Bill Gates recently spoke at the convocation ceremony at the Northern Arizona University. The Harvard dropout Gates shares some pointers on knowledge he wish he had if he was a graduate.
During the speech, Gates jokingly said, “What does a college dropout know about graduation? Not much, personally, to be honest.”
He further added, “As I prepared for today, I spent a lot of time thinking about how you, as new graduates, can have the biggest impact on the world with the education you received here. That led me to thinking about … the advice I was never given on a day just like this one.”
Addressing the students present on the occasion he said that there are a few things that , “I wish I was told at the graduation I never had.”
Firstly he talks about how the decisions we take are not completely permanent and hence the pressure we are putting upon ourselves is not necessary. He said, “You’re probably facing a lot of pressure right now to make the right decisions about your career. It might feel like those decisions are permanent. They’re not.”
The millionaire recalls dealing with similar pressure as a student. When he co-founded Microsoft in 1975, he imagined, “I would work there for the rest of my life,” he remarked.
Next the billionaire businessman advised students to not be afraid to ask for help. He said, “At some point in your career, you will find yourself facing a problem you cannot solve on your own. When that happens, don’t panic. Take a breath. Force yourself to think things through. And then find smart people to learn from.”
Bill Gates also noted that One must remember that there is a life outside work. He said, “When I was your age, I didn’t believe in vacations. I didn’t believe in weekends. I didn’t believe the people I worked with should either.”
He further elaborated and said, “Don’t wait as long as I did to learn this lesson, Take time to nurture your relationships. To celebrate your successes. And to recover from your losses. Take a break when you need to. Take it easy on the people around you when they need it, too.”
