Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist, Bill Gates recently took to the 140 characters social networking site Twitter to offer advice to the new graduates getting ready for their journey ahead in life. The richest man in the world, who has been on the Forbes’ top spot for four consecutive years now, was able to pack his rich career advice in just 14 tweets, which can be considered a feet in itself.
Gates' 14 tweets, which some have even called a tweetstorm, offers students advice on how they can avoid making some of the same mistakes that he had made in his career. He also offered the newly graduated an inspiring pep talk about how in order to do well in their future, they need to surround themselves with good people, value family, and always believe within that if there are problems there is a way to solve them. According to Gates, if there is one graduation present he could give to each graduating student this year, it would be to read Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature. He feels that the book is the most inspiring book he has ever read and shows how the world is getting better.
The core of Gates' advice was to get into the science fields, especially artificial intelligence, biosciences and energy. According to him, one needs to use their talents to fix the problems in society and make everyone's life easier and better.
He signed off the tweetstorm by acknowledging that now is a great time to be alive, and everyone should try to make most of it.
Gates is a visionary person, who has worked extremely hard to be where he is today. According to people close to him, he doesn't believe in mere luck or God’s grace, but believes that those who employ intelligence and hard work on a regular basis are the ones who make it big.
1/ New college grads often ask me for career advice. At the risk of sounding like this guy…https://t.co/C68mjJ5g44
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 15, 2017
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
3/ Looking back on when I left college, there are some things I wish I had known.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 15, 2017
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) May 15, 2017
5/ I also have one big regret: When I left school, I knew little about the world’s worst inequities. Took me decades to learn.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 15, 2017
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
7/ Meanwhile, surround yourself with people who challenge you, teach you, and push you to be your best self. As @MelindaGates does for me.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 15, 2017
.@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
.@melindagates @WarrenBuffett 9/ If I could give each of you a graduation present, it would be this--the most inspiring book I've ever read. pic.twitter.com/P67BuvpELJ
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 15, 2017
.@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) May 15, 2017
.@melindagates @WarrenBuffett @sapinker 11/ That matters because if you think the world is getting better, you want to spread the progress to more people and places.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 15, 2017
.@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) May 15, 2017
.@melindagates @WarrenBuffett @sapinker 13/ This is the core of my worldview. It sustains me in tough times and is the reason I love my work. I think it can do same for you.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 15, 2017
.@melindagates @WarrenBuffett @sapinker 14/ This is an amazing time to be alive. I hope you make the most of it.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 15, 2017
[Top Image: Tukaramatthews]