Watch Michael Dell's "10 Rules for Success" for inspiration. Now think about what you want to achieve most in life. How will you know when you've succeeded? 

Career

Watch Michael Dell's "10 Rules for Success".

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Read articles, watch tutorials, or take a class and learn how to choose the parts you'll use, how to buy them and how to put them all together. Get creative and customize it for your own use!

Learn how to build your own computer!

Chief Executives

Determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations within guidelines set up by a board of directors or similar governing body. Plan, direct, or coordinate operational activities at the highest level of management with the help of subordinate executives and staff managers.

Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Enterprising

Second Interest High-Point

Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Conventional

First Interest High-Point

Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Social

Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Artistic

Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Investigative

Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Realistic

Third Interest High-Point

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Management Occupations

Top Executives

Direct or coordinate an organization's financial or budget activities to fund operations, maximize investments, or increase efficiency.

Confer with board members, organization officials, or staff members to discuss issues, coordinate activities, or resolve problems.

Analyze operations to evaluate performance of a company or its staff in meeting objectives or to determine areas of potential cost reduction, program improvement, or policy change.

Direct, plan, or implement policies, objectives, or activities of organizations or businesses to ensure continuing operations, to maximize returns on investments, or to increase productivity.

Prepare budgets for approval, including those for funding or implementation of programs.

Direct or coordinate activities of businesses or departments concerned with production, pricing, sales, or distribution of products.

Negotiate or approve contracts or agreements with suppliers, distributors, federal or state agencies, or other organizational entities.

Review reports submitted by staff members to recommend approval or to suggest changes.

Appoint department heads or managers and assign or delegate responsibilities to them.

Direct human resources activities, including the approval of human resource plans or activities, the selection of directors or other high-level staff, or establishment or organization of major departments.

Preside over or serve on boards of directors, management committees, or other governing boards.

Prepare or present reports concerning activities, expenses, budgets, government statutes or rulings, or other items affecting businesses or program services.

Establish departmental responsibilities and coordinate functions among departments and sites.

Implement corrective action plans to solve organizational or departmental problems.

Coordinate the development or implementation of budgetary control systems, recordkeeping systems, or other administrative control processes.

Direct non-merchandising departments, such as advertising, purchasing, credit, or accounting.

Deliver speeches, write articles, or present information at meetings or conventions to promote services, exchange ideas, or accomplish objectives.

Serve as liaisons between organizations, shareholders, and outside organizations.

Nominate citizens to boards or commissions.

Interpret and explain policies, rules, regulations, or laws to organizations, government or corporate officials, or individuals.

Make presentations to legislative or other government committees regarding policies, programs, or budgets.

Refer major policy matters to elected representatives for final decisions.

Administer programs for selection of sites, construction of buildings, or provision of equipment or supplies.

Direct or coordinate activities of businesses involved with buying or selling investment products or financial services.

Direct or conduct studies or research on issues affecting areas of responsibility.

Attend and participate in meetings of municipal councils or council committees.

Organize or approve promotional campaigns.

Conduct or direct investigations or hearings to resolve complaints or violations of laws or testify at such hearings.

Represent organizations or promote their objectives at official functions or delegate representatives to do so.

Prepare bylaws approved by elected officials and ensure that bylaws are enforced.

Review and analyze legislation, laws, or public policy and recommend changes to promote or support interests of the general population or special groups.

10-key calculators

Desktop computers

Laptop computers

Personal computers

Personal digital assistants PDA

Smartphones

Universal serial bus USB flash drives

Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat

AdSense Tracker

Atlassian JIRA

Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge

ComputerEase Construction Accounting

Database reporting software

Databox

Email software

Enterprise resource planning ERP software

Exact Software Macola ES Labor Performance

Extensible markup language XML

Fund accounting software

Graphic presentation software

Halogen e360

Halogen ePraisal

HCSS HeavyBid

HCSS HeavyJob

Human resource information system HRIS

Infor SSA Human Capital Management

Intuit QuickBooks

Listserv software

Lyris HQ Web-Analytics Solution

Microsoft Access

Microsoft Dynamics AX

Microsoft Dynamics GP

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft FRx

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Publisher

Microsoft SharePoint

Microsoft Word

Nedstat Sitestat

Norchard Solutions Succession Wizard

Online advertising reporting software

Oracle E-Business Suite

Oracle PeopleSoft

Oracle Siebel Server Sync

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor

Relational database management software

Sage 50 Accounting

Structured query language SQL

Web browser software

Founder/CEO

<p>The Roadtrip Nation team head out to San Francisco, where they interview Chris Fink, product designer of Ideo Design and Tim Brown, CEO, Ideo Design. Next they meet with color consultant Beatrice Santiccioli, virtual CEO author Randy Komisar, Queen Bee of Buzz Marketing Yahoo Luanne Calvert, Clif Bar founder Gary Erickson and visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren.</p>

The Open Road

You gotta be yourself, if you wanna conform, if you wanna be part of something then that may be fine for you. But I wouldn't have done well in a place I had to conform, cuz I would have always been resisting. I still do it today, people say CEOs you gotta go play golf. I don't wanna play golf. >> [LAUGH] >> I'm not gonna go play golf. 

Individualism

You Gotta Be Yourself

We're like it too, but >> I can definitely relate. [LAUGH] >> We're really interested in your story, just like what Steven was saying, you broke out of the mold yourself. What prompted you to be pre-med when it seemed like your passion was computers and technology? >> Well, actually, kind of like you, I came from a family of doctors. My father's a doctor, my older brother's a doctor. My parents were pretty open about, look you can do whatever you wanna do. They didn't say, you have to be a doctor. It's just kind of the thing that seemed like the right thing to do. And they weren't really happy when I decided to drop out of college. That was sort of a big no, no. >> Was that a phone call of, I'm not going back? >> Well, you know, we sort of had this time where we talked about it for a while and they told me they thought it was a very bad idea, you know, and you gotta get your priorities straight, you know, >> [LAUGH] >> And you know? [LAUGH] What's gonna become of you, you know,? >> [LAUGH] >> And all that kind of stuff. And eventually, I just decided that there was no way that they would accept that I was gonna drop by the college so I just did it without telling them. [LAUGH] And I also knew that yeah, if the company didn't take off, I could go back to college. >> Yeah. >> So it's not like college was not gonna be there in another six months or year, if I decided I wanted to go back. >> That's true. >> You gotta be yourself. If you wanna conform, if you wanna be part of something, then that may be fine for you, but I wouldn't have done well in a place where I had to conform. Cuz I've always been resisting, I still do it today. >> Yeah. >> People say, you know, CEOs you gotta go play golf. Well, I don't want to play golf. >> [LAUGH] >> I'm not gonna go play golf. >> I want one of those. >> [LAUGH] >> Scribble what you want. >> Yep. >> [LAUGH] >> [SOUND] [APPLAUSE] 

Interview

I came from a family of doctors, and they weren't very happy when I decided to drop out of college. We talked about it for a while, and they-they told me they thought it was a very bad idea, you know, and-and, "You gotta get your priorities straight," you know? [roadtrippers laugh] "What's gonna become of you?" You know, and all that kind of stuff. And eventually, I just decided that there was no way they would accept that I was gonna drop out of college, so I just, I just did it without telling 'em. [laughs] You gotta be yourself, you know? If-if-if you wanna conform, if you wanna be part of something, um...then, then that may be fine for you, but, uh, you know, I-I wouldn't have done well in a place where I had to conform 'cause I would have always been resisting. 

Michael Dell Highlight

Now, when you're starting a new business, you have incredible opportunities to fail. If you can learn from that, and you can synthesize the information, then you can possibly create something really, really valuable, really special. Which, fortunately, I was able to do. But it doesn't always work out that way. &gt;&gt; Yeah, were you nervous about it? &gt;&gt; I wouldn't say I was nervous, I was more intense and naive. But actually, that turned out to be more of a strength. Because the great thing about the technology world is that there are so many things that are changing all the time, not being kind of bound up by the past and by the conventional wisdom can be extremely helpful. 

Opportunity

Intense and Naive

You had a chance to say something to our students and stuff. And you could say something to kind of inspire some of us that are trying to figure out what we're gonna do, what would you say? &gt;&gt; I would say don't be afraid to fail. If you spend the whole first part of your life trying to get all the answers, in school. Yeah, you can learn some valuable things in school. But get out there and experiment, and fail and learn, and iterate based on the experiences you have and go for it. And when you go for it, you kinda learn what you're capable of, what the potential is, what the opportunities are. But you can't be afraid to fail, cuz that's when you learn. 

Michael Dell

Founder/CEO

Videos

Michael Dell

Milestones

Education

Career

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

My work combines:

Entrepreneurship

Technology

Accomplishing Goals

Interviewed By

The Open Road