Bill Gates Book: Source Code

Bill Gates fascinated me when I was a kid. I remember him topping the rich list almost every year. I also loved using his company's software. I have fond memories of using it in my early computer classes.

I read a biography of Bill Gates by Michael B. Becraft and it was a good insight into one of the key figures in the modern computer industry. I was looking forward to reading the autobiography titled Source Code because I feel that stories and experiences are best told from the source.

The book was enlightening, it covered Bill Gates' childhood and also the events that led to the creation of Microsoft. You could tell from the book that he wanted to be a nerd. This confirms my view that those who are good at computer science are usually the ones who seem to be nerdy. I also liked the insight into how Bill Gates focused on having a successful company. He mentioned that the goal when they started was to grow, be recognized, and make a lot of money. I also read how a lot of factors came together that led to Microsoft. The first was the private high school he attended, which exposed him to computers at an early age, something that was not common at the time and could be considered a privilege, second was his time at Harvard, where he also had access to computers that few could use at the time.

One of the things I took away from the book was his work ethic. You could see that Bill Gates' success also came from having a strong work ethic. In the early days, he would work long hours for days on a project. He was also always eager to see a project through, even when his partners were no longer motivated. The ability to stay motivated even when the road gets rough is very important if you want to succeed. Taking calculated risks is also something you cannot shy away from. As the company was taking shape, he had to drop out of Harvard to focus on the company, and to me that was a risk he took that was necessary and paid off in the end.

I look forward to the next two memoirs. They will be about his time at Microsoft and, finally, what he is doing in philanthropy.

Thanks for stopping by.

JaySays.