Bill Gates Everyone knows Bill Gates right? He’s like the Michael Jordan of technology. Sure, some people living under rocks or perhaps in other countries around the world are excused from knowing that. But for the rest of you middle class Americans, I’m sure you could spout out as much biographical info about him as the next guy. For example, most people know he is the richest man in the world. The amounts of money he has is hard to fathom. According to Forbes, his net worth is $72 billion. What does that even mean? It’s hard to say. Just know that he is richer than a lot of countries.
Claims to Faim But that is just one of his claims to fame. Looking at it one way, he is the reason your life is the way that it is – the reason society is the way that it is. This is because he is the father of the personal computer revolution. It’s difficult to make it through the day without coming in contact with a personal computer (or a decedent thereof). Naturally, if he didn’t, someone else would have by now. But the fact is, he did it! Microsoft is his baby. It’s everywhere and we all (well, most of us) love it. Another slightly less-commonly known fact is that Bill Gates is a college dropout. Young, restless kids who hate school love pulling this card out on college-persistent parents. “But mom! Bill Gates dropped out and look at him now!” Parents roll their eyes and reply, “But he’s the exception.” It’s the neverending conversation that will plague parents for generations. While it is true Bill Gates dropped out of college (Harvard to be exact) it’s important to remember that he is a genius and a hard worker. He scored 1590 out of 2000 on the SAT and had a well-developed business idea laid out before he dropped out.
Wise Decisions When asked what the wisest business decision he ever made was, he directly responded that the people he chose to work with were the key to his success. When it comes down to it, everything in this world is based on people. People run business, make decisions, and come up with ideas. Selecting the people that have the same vision, the same resolve, and the same drive as you is essential. But making sure there are enough differences within your cohort to allow for multiple perspectives, unique ideas, and
critique is just as important. Bill Gates was able to find the right people to work with. They have enough similarities and just the right amount of differences to make the plan work. Finally, now that Gates has basically conquered the world, he has turned the bulk of his attentions to philanthropy. Although some of his actions or practices have been questioned, it’s clear that his intentions are good. No matter what mistakes he made, so will the throngs of upcoming champions holding Business Degrees, Finance Degrees, and Management Degrees from Denver and everywhere else. After all, we are all human.