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Richest Civil Engineer Mexican Carlos Slim reveals the advice he would give his 25-year-old self



  • if he were to give his 25-year-old self advice, Carlos Slim, the founder of Grupo Carso, would say to be practical and have clear and attainable goals.

  • Slim was born on 28 January 1940, in Mexico City to Maronite Catholics from Lebanon.

  • He went on to study civil engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where he also concurrently taught algebra and linear programming.




In 2010, Carlos Slim Helú grabbed the title of world’s richest man from Microsoft founder Bill Gates. The first and so far only person from a developing nation to top Forbes’ World Billionaires list.






Though Slim was a civil engineering major, he also displayed an interest in economics. He took economics courses in Chile once he finished his engineering degree.


Graduating as a civil engineering major, Slim has stated that his mathematical ability and his background of linear programming was a key factor in helping him gain an edge in the business world, especially when reading financial statements.

Top Quotes of Carlos Slim


  1. Be optimistic, and not guided by your fears.

  2. Everything you do in your business must have a purpose to improve the business. You can only see that through the numbers. Make sure that you can measure the impact of your decisions.

  3. Don’t try to be and do everything yourself; rather, create alliances and partnerships with others.

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Early life 👶


Slim was born on 28 January 1940, in Mexico City, to parents both Maronite Christians from Lebanon.


Slim always knew he wanted to be a businessman and began to develop his business and investment acumen at a young age. He received business lessons from his father Julián, who taught him finance, management and accounting, teaching him how to read financial statements as well as the importance of keeping accurate financial records, a practice that Slim carries on to this day.


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At the age of 11, Slim invested in a government savings bond that taught him about the concept of compound interest. He eventually saved every financial and business transaction he made into a personal ledger book which he keeps to this day.


At the age of 12, he made his first stock purchase, by purchasing shares in a Mexican bank. By the age of 15, Slim had become a shareholder in Mexico's largest bank.


At the age of 17, he earned 200 pesos a week working for his father's company. He went on to study civil engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where he also concurrently taught algebra and linear programming.


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