Melinda Gates: Your Career Questions, Answered

The StoryMelinda Gates knows the ins and outs of being a successful career woman.Duh. It's Melinda Gates.

Exactly. But here's what you may not know...before she was a co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and writing her latest book “The Moment of Lift,” she was one of the few women MBAs at a small startup at the time. You may of heard of it: Microsoft. While a product manager, she worked on something called Microsoft Bob. According to Melinda, it was an “utter and complete failure.” But hey, the world has Comic Sans to thank from it.I have mixed feelings about Comic Sans.

Don't we all. But put those to the side and listen to what Melinda has to share about striving in your career. Starting with: be yourself. If you are able to do what you’re truly passionate about and be yourself at home and at the office, then that opens the door to be truly being fulfilled.

Interesting. I have some changes to make.

Well, she’s got some tips for that as well. When it comes to a career switch, the first you need to know is that you can learn just about anything. As a computer scientist turned philanthropist, Melinda had to dive into some biology … not exactly her background. If you set your mind to it, and spend a lot of time researching, you can do anything.

Even if I never really caught on to the whole “science” thing?

Especially in science. Melinda says that STEM (think: science, tech, engineering, and math) jobs are some of the best in our society and they are creating the future for our entire lives. So it’s incredibly important that everyone, especially women, has a seat at the table.

theSkimm

Melinda Gates knows the art of the career switch. She’s been a product manager , a philanthropist and now an author. In all of her career experience,she learned the value of being yourself and giving back. Watch what else she had to say here.