Bill Gates is a businessman, author, software developer, and investor. He also founded Microsoft. So did Bill Gates go to college?
It is arguable that Gates is one of the most influential people in the history of personal computing because he was one of the founders of Microsoft and was a key developer for the company.
Because of his achievements with Microsoft, Bill Gates is now one of the wealthiest individuals in the world. He has been at the top of the Forbes billionaires list for more than twenty years, and as of the year 2022, it is projected that he has a net worth of more than 106,2 billion dollars.
There is no denying the influence that Bill Gates has had on the rest of the globe, but how did he first get his start? When did he last enroll in college? Or how about high school in college?
In this blog post, we have made it clearer, the educational background of Bill Gates and how it has contributed to his rise to prominence as one of the most important men in todays world.
Did Bill Gates Go to College?
Yes, Bill Gates received his diploma from Lakeside School in 1973. Lakeside School is a prestigious private high school located in Seattle. As a senior in high school, Bill Gates excelled in the classroom, and as a result of his achievements, he was honored with the title of National Merit Scholar. He went on to become one of the most successful businesspeople in the world.
In spite of the fact that he eventually became an academic superstar, Gates was first unenthusiastic about the strict policies of Lakeside. Lakeside Institution in the 1960s was as preppy as it gets; it was the kind of school that required its students to wear uniforms and refer to their teachers as “masters,” amongst other customs.
In the end, however, Lakeside proved to be essential in laying the groundwork for Gates’ future accomplishments. It was at Lakeside that Bill Gates got his first taste of what would go on to become his lifelong passion: computers.
In addition to this, it was at Lakeside School that he became acquainted with Paul Allen, a fellow student who would later join Gates at Microsoft as one of its original founders.
A public computer was available at Lakeside. Today, public computers are found in many schools, but in the 1960s, they were only found in a select handful. One of them just so happened to be Lakeside School.
Both Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Gates’ buddy and the co-founder of Microsoft, were immediately enthralled by the opportunities presented by the computer. At one point, in order to achieve their goal of having Gates enrolled in a class with only female students, the two guys resorted to hacking the system.
Even today, Bill Gates holds fond memories of his time spent at high school. In fact, in a speech he gave in 2005, he went so far as to say: “If there had been no Lakeside, there would have been no Microsoft.”
Did Bill Gates Graduate College?
No, Bill Gates did not graduate from college even though he started attending Harvard University in 1973 with the intention of studying law there. It was 1975 when he made the decision to leave college and work full-time for Microsoft instead; he never went back to school after that decision to complete his education. His undergraduate career was cut short.
Despite this, Gates’s time at Harvard was just as important to his overall growth as his time at Lakeside School.
While still a student at Harvard, Gates produced the first official product of Microsoft, which was called Altair BASIC. It was an interpreter for the programming language BASIC that was designed to run on the Altair 8800, which was one of the first personal computers that was sold commercially.
Take a look at this picture of the Altair 8800, which was the first product that Bill built for Microsoft while he was still in college:
Gates withdrew from Harvard University during his junior year in order to devote his whole attention and efforts to the development of Microsoft.
They had the long-term goal of making personal computers more of a household object, rather than a complex devices that only a select few people could use and comprehend. This concept was developed in collaboration with Paul Allen. In the year 2022, it is reasonable to conclude that he was successful in achieving his objective.
Even though Bill Gates did not earn a degree from Harvard, the institution was nonetheless crucial in his growth as an entrepreneur and software developer; these are two qualities that are fundamental to who he is as a person.
What Has Bill Gates Said About College?
Gates has long been a supporter of higher education, despite the fact that he did not complete his schooling. Here are some of the most noteworthy comments that Bill Gates has made about the higher education system in the United States as well as his own time spent at Harvard:
- In one of his notes, Bill Gates highlighted the fact that college graduates ultimately have a statistically greater chance of finding a better job, earning a higher income, and even living healthier lives than those who do not have a college degree.
- In 2018, when delivering a speech to the students of Harvard University, Bill Gates mentioned that he wished that he had been “more sociable” during his time as a student. Even though everything worked out for Bill Gates in the end, he makes a strong argument for the significance of engaging in social activities. Nowadays, the ability to network effectively is more important than ever, and college is the ideal time to develop such abilities.
- In a different one of his notes, Bill Gates forecasted that by the year 2025, a higher school certificate would be required for more than 66 percent of occupations in the United States. This figure was used by Gates to illustrate why there needs to be a change in the educational policies in the United States.
- In another one of Gates’ notes, the businessman forecasted that by 2025, more than 66% of American occupations would require a college degree. This figure was used by Gates to illustrate the need for a change in educational policies in America. Simply put, too many people are unable to complete their college degrees at a time when there is a growing need for skilled labor.
Read also: Did Elon Musk Go to College?
Many aspiring young businesspeople try to rationalize their decision to drop out of school by pointing to successful people like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. On the other hand, Bill Gates does not extol the virtues of dropping out of college; rather, he has consistently urged others to continue their education and earn a degree.
Therefore, even if Bill Gates has earned the reputation of being the most successful college dropout in history, it is essential to keep in mind that his background is one of a kind and that he does not necessarily encourage others to follow in his footsteps. Despite this, Bill Gates demonstrates to us that it is entirely possible to achieve a high level of success without ever having attended college.
Summary
To Answer Your Question, Did Bill Gates Attend College? According to the information at hand, we are able to deduce that Bill Gates attended college for a total of two years.
After that, he decided not to continue his education and instead founded Microsoft. Even though he did not graduate with his class, he was awarded a significant number of honorary doctorates.
Despite the fact that he did not graduate from high school, he stressed the significance of getting a good education. In addition to that, he assisted a large number of pupils in graduating.
You can get the answers to any questions you still have about Bill Gates and his life by scrolling down and reading the frequently asked questions.
