As the richest individual on Earth, Microsoft founder, programmer, and philanthropist Bill Gates is hounded for advice on a daily basis. So, from time to time, he drops pearls of wisdom for those looking to follow in his footsteps. On Monday, Gates wrote an essay full of great advice for the graduating class of 2017. In the essay, Gates shares what he wish he knew in college and what he’d do if he was graduating today.
Bill Gates never graduated college, he dropped out of Harvard after just two years. But if he was graduating today, there are three fields he believes are full of opportunity: artificial intelligence, because “we have only begun to tap into all the ways it will make people’s lives more productive and creative”; energy, because “making it clean, affordable, and reliable will be essential for fighting poverty and climate change”; and finally, biosciences, “which are ripe with opportunities to help people live longer, healthier lives.”
In his essay, Gates also shares what he wishes he knew while in college. “For one thing, intelligence is not quite as important as I thought it was, and it takes many different forms,” Gates wrote. “In the early days of Microsoft, I believed that if you could write great code, you could also manage people well or run a marketing team or take on any other task. I was wrong about that. I had to learn to recognize and appreciate people’s different talents. The sooner you can do this, if you don’t already, the richer your life will be.”
Gates also laments that he never truly understood inequality until later in life. His perspective on the world was forever changed after a trip he took to Africa with his wife, Melinda, in his 30s. “We were shocked by what we saw … It blew our minds that millions of children there were dying from diseases that no one in rich countries even worried about,” Gates wrote. “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.”
Here’s Gates’ essay in full:
