Steve Ballmer's son Pete built his career without connections

I majored in Computer Science at Stanford University with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction. Many people have told me I'm doing the same thing as my father, Steve Ballmer, but he wasn't a programmer. He was a businessman with a background in programming, but he never forced me to do it.

My dad always told my siblings to do something they were passionate about. He made it clear that he didn't have any particular expectations for our performance, but he would always repeat the message about working hard and doing your best. He would always say, “If you're going to work, work. If you're not going to work, don't work.” If you're going to do something, do it to the best of your ability.

I have had several internships

During the summer between my junior and senior years of high school, I did a software engineering internship at a small startup called Dashwire.

Then I did a software engineering internship at Expedia the summer after my freshman year of college. I didn't really like it. I wasn't a bad programmer, but I wasn't the best, and I realized I didn't like programming.

During my sophomore year of college, I heard a friend talk about an internship in product management, and the nature of the job appealed to me because it required analytical and creative skills, yet was also people-oriented.

The following summer, I did a product management internship at a startup called Travelnuts, and loved it. After my junior year of college, I did an internship at TripIt.

I never thought about not getting a full-time job after college.

During my senior year of college, my grandfather told me that I would inherit a six-figure sum when I turned 25. When I graduated from college at 22, I still didn't have that money and needed a job.

I'd done a bit of stand-up comedy in college and wanted to do more, but I knew my chances of success were slim. I didn't have a lot of material, and the material I did have wasn't very good, so pursuing comedy full-time would have been a very risky move.

My parents paid for my college education, so there was no way I wouldn't be able to get a full-time job after I graduated. There was no way they would pay for me to live in San Francisco and play open mics. My siblings and I have never asked our parents for a lot of money, and they have never given us a lot of money.

I applied to Zynga, the company that makes games like Words with Friends and Farmville, and was hired as a rotational product manager. I was excited to get a well-paying product manager job.

Working at Zynga was great: it was a really fun environment, smart people, great culture, always had happy hours with homemade beer, I respected my boss, and loved the nature of the work.

I think there are two ways to feel fulfilled from a job: you either enjoy the day-to-day work (it did for me), or you have a long-term sense that what you're doing matters. I knew I wasn't making a huge impact on the world by making the Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells game, but that was ok, because I wasn't expecting that from my job.

I got the job without any connections.

I feel it is important to say that I got all of my internships and jobs without using family connections.

But my dad went to Stanford. If he hadn't gone there, I don't think I would have gotten in, because while I had good grades, I wasn't particularly outstanding. I didn't want my family connections to affect my college admissions, but I also wanted to go to Stanford. There was no getting away from the fact that my connections had helped me, so I decided to make the most of it.

I think it's kind of pathetic that rich kids use their connections to get everything they have. My parents were rich, I went to a good school, and I was given enough to make something of myself.

I heard about the internship opportunity in high school from a friend of my mom, and my boss specifically told me I was the best applicant and that I wouldn't be given preferential treatment because of my family.

Although I wasn't completely qualified for the job at Expedia, my boss from my high school internship who transferred to Expedia praised me because he enjoyed working with me and I did a good job.

There were a few people at Expedia who made comments about my family members like, “Did he really deserve this job or was he only hired because of who his dad was?” It was frustrating because I definitely felt undeserved for the job but it wasn't my dad's fault. It was awful.

I didn't know anyone at Zynga before I got the job, so I got the job without any connections. After I started working at Zynga, my coworkers would say things like, “Oh, you're on a Mac,” but it wasn't that often. Nobody made me feel uncomfortable.

I've decided to focus on comedy in 2021.

Four years into my time at Zynga, I'd been promoted twice, our games were doing well, and I was doing well enough in product management that I felt I could come back and start over if I wanted to. I'd also inherited a fortune from my grandfather.

I was doing comedy on the side, performing at open mics after work, producing a few shows, and I went from my idea of ​​being a product manager who did comedy at night to being a comedian who worked as a product manager by day.

In 2021 I quit my job to pursue comedy full time. I am currently working as a paid regular at several comedy clubs in the Bay Area. I do about 5 shows a week and an open mic or two. I've also performed at a few festivals and produced the Don't Tell Comedy show.

It's not hard to write relatable jokes. I joke about gossip, pet dogs, red-green color blindness, high school, etc. These are all just part of the human experience.

My family background is still a part of my mindset, so I have a few jokes about growing up wealthy or inheriting a fortune. If I had fans who came to see me at a show, I'd be happy to do stand-up comedy about growing up the son of a billionaire, because I have a unique perspective.

My biggest fear is failure without excuses

It's sad that some people have to give up their comedic careers to make money in other jobs, but at the same time, they ask themselves: “What would have happened to my comedy career if I had to quit?”

There is no such option.

Money gives you the luxury of time and choice to pursue your passion, but it also means you have the potential to fail completely. At some point, you may plateau or stop making progress, and you'll have to choose to quit because you feel like you're not good enough.

I'm not saying my situation is tougher than being an unfunded comedian, but it would be really hard to fail that badly.

My dad said that by the time you hit 35, your career trajectory will be pretty much set. I'm 29 now, and the idea that I should have the balls crossed in the next five years troubles me.

Would I be a product manager again? Probably. But at the same time, even if it was fun enough, I don't know if I would choose to spend 40-60 hours a week working a job where I don't have to work for money.

I'm pretty confident in my comedy, so I'm full speed ahead as a comedian. I've been getting better and better and I don't see any reason why that shouldn't continue. As long as I keep honing my skills and pushing myself to the top, I'll keep going down this path.

If you have a unique experience growing up with money and would like to share your story, please email Jane Zhang. janezhang@businessinsider.com.