Listen up, young adults: The world’s most successful entrepreneur has shared the industries he thinks are best for new professionals wanting to start companies.
Bill Gates, a Harvard University drop-out who co-founded Microsoft, is the world’s richest man with a net worth of more than $86 billion. He joined another billionaire, investor Warren Buffett, on stage at Columbia University this winter to discuss their hopes for the future in front of a student audience.
One student asked the businessmen, “…If you were to do it all over again, you’re in our shoes, what industry would that be in? Where would you start your own business today?”
Buffett told the student he’d do the same thing because he’s still having fun all these decades later. Gates mentioned a few different areas in science where he believes today’s students could have a big impact:
Computer Science
Gates said if he dropped out of Harvard today, he’d still focus on computer science, but now because of artificial intelligence. “The work… is at a really profound level,” he said. Gates shared his excitement over the incredible milestones, including in gaming when Google’s DeepMind beat a human professional at a strategy game.
“Anything connected with that, I think, would be an exciting lifetime career,” he told the Columbia students.
Energy
“We have the imperative to have energy that’s reliable, cheap and clean,” Gates said, “And no system available today can provide that.”
New professionals could have the opportunity to be a part of profound innovations in energy.
Biology/ Health Care
Gates has become more familiar with medicine and medical needs across the world through his foundation.
“We are going to figure out obesity, cancer, even things that are very hard like depression, because the mind is even more complicated than other parts of the body,” Gates said. He mentioned how fast innovation is moving in the development of new vaccines and drugs.
Lucky for us, Gates streamed the full event on his Facebook fan page. The first-year Columbia Business School student asks his question about today’s most promising fields at approximately 36:07 in. Check it out:
[arve url=”https://www.facebook.com/BillGates/videos/10154249999681961/”/]
Gates and Buffett also discussed their work ethics and other topics for the business school audience. One of Buffett’s pieces of sage advice? Don’t fear failure.
[h/t: Fortune]
About the Author
Haley Otman is a news and features writer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she roots for the University of Michigan Wolverines. A former broadcast news producer, Haley has 10 years of writing experience and has worked in both journalism and public relations. More.
