Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

I tore right through this book. It takes you on John Wood's journey from being a Microsoft executive on a backpacking trip to the founder of Room to Read, which has affected the lives of over 3 million children in eight 3rd world countries.There are fun stories of John's personal history, he showed signs of determination and entrepreneurship from a young age. Then there are tales of Microsoft, it was fascinating to read of the discipline and perspective that was expected at Microsoft, and of the personalities (especially Steve Ballmer, the current CEO). There are also glimpses of John's very human side.John builds communities to make his vision so successful. To raise money, John targets rich communities around the world: San Francisco, Chicago, New York, London, etc., and finds volunteers who live in those cities to fundraise for him.At the receiving end, when Room to Read provides funds for a library or school they mandate that the community bear half of the cost. Locals provide volunteer labor to build the building, haul the materials through mountain passes, etc. This means that locals have "skin in the game" and become committed to the success of what is being built.John Wood has figured how to be a conduit of money from wealthy donors around the world directly to the poorest children. He has met this need better than any government. Seeing how John brought his talents to Microsoft and to Room to Read, and has done fantastically at both was fun.A poignant point for me is that John is just like successful people you've met at college, graduate school, or in the workplace. What he did differently is that he went off the beaten path and did something "game-changing." Yes, he had over a million dollars from stock options that he was able to use to support himself, but so had 10,000 other people who had worked at Microsoft.Hopefully John will write a sequel, and bring us along as he meets and addresses the challenges as his organization grows. Ok, now it's time for me to go write a check ;-)

Like a 2-out single that sparks a multirun bottom-of-the-ninth comeback, John Wood's story is most exciting due to the couldn't-have-seen-that-coming factor. What started as a vacation turned into a small idea, which exploded into one of the coolest charities I've read about. In fact, I was so inspired by this story that I wrote to John Wood immediately after I was finished (requesting a job because we know where Sp... ah.. my company.. is headed).But what is the story?In Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, John Wood is on a small sabbatical (in Nepal) from blossoming Microsoft. There, he discovers the country's intense need of books, libraries, and schools and its childrens' more intense desire to learn. He promises to return with books (on top of the pictured yak). What follows is an absolute eruption of giving from John's friends and family. Funding and providing books for one library soon turns into John leaving his killer position at Microsoft to work on his charity full time. Now, Room to Read (the charity) is present in seven countries in Asia and Africa building libraries, schools, and funding education.Not just a success story...Perhaps the part I enjoyed most about the book is that it does not only talk about how his charity started, but it discusses entrepreneurship, management theories, and other business ideas. It seems that business lessons learned by John apply strongly to successful for-profit organizations as well. Perhaps what stands out the most is how lean, focused, and passionate his company is.Anyone can do itAs long as you've, you know, worked at a skyrocketing tech company, have millions of dollars of stock options, and the ability to quit receiving a salary for years at a time and still travel to third world countries. Admittedly, the author talks about how anyone can get involved, but it sure makes following your dreams easier when you've got the money to do so."It will make you want to quit your job."Well, I was warned (Jeff) before I started to read that it would make me want to quit my job. It's true, a social improvement job is a lot more appealing than SQL. Leaving Microsoft starts out interesting and only improves. It is not a particularly difficult read, either, so that, coupled with how much fun it is to see Room to Read succeed makes this a rather quick read. At best, you'll be inspired to "dive in" (the author's words); at worst, you'll be entertained for a couple hours' worth of reading.Leaving Microsoft to Change the World Rating: 84 / 100Writing Style: 7 / 10Finish-the-chapter-before-bed Factor: 8.5 / 10

I don't know what I was expecting but this beat everything I could have imagined. Great story.

I ran across this book by accident, and I never heard of John Wood or his organization “Rooms to Read.” But wow, it’s a story worth reading. It touched my soul.I wish I had his courage. This guy knew his current life style wasn’t working, so he did something about it without any real security to fall back on. Not only did he leave a well-paying position at Microsoft, but he also left the love of his life. She wanted to follow her heart in the corporate world, and he wanted to do service work in Nepal, which would give him the opportunity to help some of the poorest people in the world with an education. They still loved each other, but their desires and choices put them in different parts of the world. He just knew he had to be true to himself.Many of his friends and family thought he was crazy and would regret making this decision, but he knew it was the right thing to do. John always wanted to purchase one of those beautiful homes in San Francisco overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. But after seven years, with all of his success at “Rooms to Read,” he shared that he still didn’t have a life’s partner, nor could he afford one of those beautiful homes overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Nevertheless, he knew, he was right where he belonged.I wish he had shared more about the staffing and training of those who taught and worked in these schools and libraries, but I’ll still give this book a five star rating.

As someone working in tech I find this book inspirational. John is a wonderful author and I can definitely recommend this book. Just be careful, you might quit your job to save the world…

needed for class, good enough condition that I was expecting.

As lições de vida presentes nesse livros são de muito valor e vou sempre utilizá-las no meu dia a dia. Gostei muito da ordem cronológica dos fatos. Lendo esse livro você percebe como é importante fazer o que nós amamos e ainda mais quando o que nós amamos melhora a vida de várias pessoas.

An inspiring true account of a senior Microsoft executive who got fed up with pushing sales and decided to do something much less financially rewarding but completely worthwhile for others' benefit. It changed his life for the better, and those of many others.

Ce livre m'a fait pleurer. Moi, masse informe de plus de 100 kilos. 1,93 de suffisance, j'ai pleuré en le lisant.L'humain dans ce qu'il a de meilleur, de plus touchant.