After just one year at Stanford’s business school before joining Microsoft, Steve Ballmer reflects upon the knowledge and courses that were most valuable to him in the real world. He recalls that it came in handy to read a balance sheet and understand the basics of cost accounting. Courses of study that were particularly helpful include business policy and management of arts organizations, which, he says, is more akin to managing engineers and scientists than one would think. STVP’s Tina Seelig also asks Ballmer to reflect upon what he wishes he’d learned. In retrospect, if he could retrace his steps in academia, his desire would be to take more computer science classes.
