Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard ...
... So what ?
One of the most bandied-about pieces of biography in the world is the fact that Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and the richest man in the world dropped out of Harvard University.
So what if he did ? And let me explain why I ask this question ...
In comparing India and the US, there is obviously a large difference in living standards. However, this is quickly being bridged as the educated in India experience a surge of upward mobility.
Lets consider two fictional characters - Raja Hindustani from India and John Americana from the US.
Raja is a student at IIT, Kanpur and is a brilliant computer scientist with a great idea.
John is a student at Stanford U and is a brilliant computer scientist with a great idea.
If both of them forget about their idea, and decide to play it safe, their lives would look very similar - John would work for Google and make 120,000$, Raja would work for McKinsey India and make a Price-Parity adjusted 120,000$. They would live in luxurious apartments, holiday in exotic spots and drive nice cars.
If they decide to build on the idea, that's when there is a huge deviation between their projected biographies.
John would drop out, find a cheap, but comfortable apartment and drive a Toyota Corolla and spend a few years working hard at his concept. If it was a success, great and if it isn't, that would be ok as well - He could go back to school.
Raja would drop out, live in a one room shack in the periphery of a slum, use public transport and in general, have an extremely tough life. If it was a success, great but if it isn't, that would be a freaking tragedy, no education, no money, no job.
So, I ask again, so what if Gates dropped out of Harvard - He could always have gone back there if Microsoft has not taken off, and his sacrifice was not too bad - He still had all the basic necessities - Good food, safe housing and wearable clothes.
This is when I admire guys like Narayanamurthy, who gave up a safe, if boring life and staked everything they had on an idea.
And again, artists in the US who project themselves as being "struggling" etc need to stop drinking their $4 Lattes if they wish to be more credible.
One of the most bandied-about pieces of biography in the world is the fact that Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and the richest man in the world dropped out of Harvard University.
So what if he did ? And let me explain why I ask this question ...
In comparing India and the US, there is obviously a large difference in living standards. However, this is quickly being bridged as the educated in India experience a surge of upward mobility.
Lets consider two fictional characters - Raja Hindustani from India and John Americana from the US.
Raja is a student at IIT, Kanpur and is a brilliant computer scientist with a great idea.
John is a student at Stanford U and is a brilliant computer scientist with a great idea.
If both of them forget about their idea, and decide to play it safe, their lives would look very similar - John would work for Google and make 120,000$, Raja would work for McKinsey India and make a Price-Parity adjusted 120,000$. They would live in luxurious apartments, holiday in exotic spots and drive nice cars.
If they decide to build on the idea, that's when there is a huge deviation between their projected biographies.
John would drop out, find a cheap, but comfortable apartment and drive a Toyota Corolla and spend a few years working hard at his concept. If it was a success, great and if it isn't, that would be ok as well - He could go back to school.
Raja would drop out, live in a one room shack in the periphery of a slum, use public transport and in general, have an extremely tough life. If it was a success, great but if it isn't, that would be a freaking tragedy, no education, no money, no job.
So, I ask again, so what if Gates dropped out of Harvard - He could always have gone back there if Microsoft has not taken off, and his sacrifice was not too bad - He still had all the basic necessities - Good food, safe housing and wearable clothes.
This is when I admire guys like Narayanamurthy, who gave up a safe, if boring life and staked everything they had on an idea.
And again, artists in the US who project themselves as being "struggling" etc need to stop drinking their $4 Lattes if they wish to be more credible.
Comments
Hi Mr. V, thanks dude. And apparently my fiancee (and her family) love my blog :-)
In the case of Raja, he is most probably a run of the mill average guy from a middle class family who cannot afford to support him forever or risk failure. You'd be surprised by the number of kids in affluent Indian familes who drop out of school to continue the family business or start a small business.