Posted on 06/13/2005 6:32:43 PM PDT by Swordmaker
By JUSTIN M. NORTON
The Associated Press
Monday, June 13, 2005; 9:13 AM
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Apple Computer Inc.'s CEO Steve Jobs told Stanford University graduates Sunday that dropping out of college was one of the best decisions he ever made because it forced him to be innovative _ even when it came to finding enough money for dinner.
In an unusually candid commencement speech, Jobs also told the almost 5,000 graduates that his bout with a rare form of pancreatic cancer reemphasized the need to live each day to the fullest.
"Your time is limited so don't let it be wasted living someone else's life," Jobs said to a packed stadium of graduates, alumni and family.
Jobs, wearing sandals and jeans under his robe, was treated like a rock star by the students, in large part due to the surge in popularity of Apple's iPod digital music player.
A group of students wore iPod mini costumes over their robes and several students shouted, "Steve, hire me!"
Jobs, 50, said he attended Reed College in Portland, Ore., but dropped out after only eight months because it was too expensive for his working-class family. He said his real education started when he "dropped in" on whatever classes interested him _ including calligraphy.
Jobs said he lived off 5-cent soda recycling deposits and free food offered by Hare Krishnas while taking classes.
He told the graduates that few friends could see the value of learning calligraphy at the time but that painstaking attention to detail _ including mastering different "fonts" _ was what set Macintosh apart from its competitors.
"If I had never dropped out I might never have dropped in on that calligraphy," Jobs said.
Jobs also recounted founding Apple in his parent's basement and his tough times after being forced out of the company he founded when he was only 30.
"I was a very public failure and I even thought about running away from the valley," Jobs said.
Instead, he founded Pixar Studios, which has released enormously popular films such as "Finding Nemo" and "Monsters, Inc."
"It was awful tasting medicine but I guess the patient needed it," Jobs said.
When he was diagnosed with cancer, Jobs said his doctor told him he only had three- to-six months to live. He later found out he had a rare, treatable form of the disease _ but he still learned a tough lesson.
"Remembering you are going to die is the best way to avoid the fear that you have something to lose," he said.
Before the ceremony, a plane rented by the Computer TakeBack Campaign, an environmental group, flew over the stadium with a banner that read: "Steve, don't be a mini player _ recycle all e-waste." The group is prodding Apple to improve its efforts to recycle obsolete electronics.
__
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Is he wrong? Simple question; would Jobs have gone on to form Apple if he stayed in school? I think not.
How about Bill Gates? He dropped out, and didn't do too shabby with Microsoft.
And we have Michael Dell, dropping out of UT (Austin) and is barely squeaking by with Dell.
So, let's all tell these people how bad they are for dropping out; I dare say the least of them have exceeded the best of us.
Timing is everything, there's no substitute for hard work; and although education is important, sometimes all it takes is a good idea and some hard work.
Note that none of these work for someone else... they went to work for themselves. They didn't have to impress an employer with a sheepskin.
"although education is important, sometimes all it takes is a good idea and some hard work."
I'm not so sure modern "education" is so useful either.
Don't forget Michael Dell.
Sometimes the important thing is knowing what to ignore from your professors.
Yep, if you got a good idea and you're willing to work your a$$ off with a little bit of luck.............
He's just looking to boost the labor pool of people available cheap to clean the many bathrooms in his mansion...
So Michael Dell is like a college b-ball player who gets an offer for the pros and drops out to take it. Steve Jobs is a college b-ball player with no proven skills (yet) who drops out of college and then starts trying out for pro teams. How many could actually do the latter and succeed? Damn few.
Steve Jobs got lucky. No doubt his drive played a big part, but not everyone can follow in his footsteps. And if I understand his speech correctly, he never claimed otherwise.
Not quite... Jobs is a college b-ball player who drops out and FOUNDS his own pro team so he can play!
I wonder how many of his executives don't have degrees.
My son's best friends all went to Washington State University after they graduated from High School. The day after my son's graduation, he went to Marine Corps boot camp. For four years he was an exemplary Marine. He won honors as, "Marine of the Battalion", serving with the great 3/5. When he left the Marines, he went to work for a company driving a truck. Thirteen years later, he is with the same company, in an executive position, making far more than his friends who went to college to earn their Political Science degrees. So who got the better education?? And today, who is the better man, and father and citizen? I have watched the story unfold. He's my son.
"Timing is everything, there's no substitute for hard work; and although education is important, sometimes all it takes is a good idea and some hard work."
This appeals to me. I love stories about mavericks, and you'll notice that they all had hard times that LOOKED as if they were going to be failures.
The whole college track mentality wants nothing but a smooth glide up, and nothing too daring to upset that trajectory. But this fits with the majority of us because of our human desire for security.
"Note that none of these work for someone else... they went to work for themselves. They didn't have to impress an employer with a sheepskin."
I know there is a lot of responsibility in doing it their way, but the freedom! I liked this part:
"... his bout with a rare form of pancreatic cancer reemphasized the need to live each day to the fullest. 'Your time is limited so don't let it be wasted living someone else's life,' Jobs said"
"No doubt his drive played a big part, but not everyone can follow in his footsteps. And if I understand his speech correctly, he never claimed otherwise."
True. Most probably should do the college thing.
Thoreau's accusation--"The mass of men lives of quiet desperation"--stings, though. Do we have to always sit there while someone else takes the risks and gets the adventure? Is being comfortable, yet desperate, even a goal?
Success is largely determined by individual drive.
I don't think college makes anyone successful, unfortunately, many of our students think the possession of a degree will guarantee them success in life. Sorry, those days are long over.
That said, I think it would be interesting to look at Steve Job's Reed College classmates. I have a hunch.
Those who stuck it out to graduation will largely be middling successes, or at least in careers that feed their families. Some will be self employed and successful. A portion of the graduates will be bums living with/mooching off of their parents
The drop outs will consist of Steve Jobs, and a couple other lesser success stories. The rest of the dropouts will be in low to mid end jobs or scraping by in their own businesses, with probably the same portion of drop outs as graduates living/mooching off of their moms.
In the end success comes down to the person, not to the degree.
That said, I try to impress upon students the need to complete their degree. It's not difficult, and in a 21st century economy, people without some level of higher education are going to be increasingly limited in their opportunities.
Picture an American economy with dwindling agricultural and manufacturing sectors, and then explain to me where the ernest young man with a HS diploma or GED fits into that picture. While an individual may be a success without an education, I'd suggest that the BA or BS has become the modern High School diploma. When 30-40% of their age cohort has at least a four year degree, those kids left on the outside will get the shaft.
The world these kids were born into (1980's)does not exist anymore, and the cushy middle class is a historical footnote. You can either live in a mansion or clean the mansion. Those are your choices in the 21st century. The middle class neighborhoods are giving way to low-end slums and gated communities. There's numerous causes for this, and we can all argue about the root cause: the welfare state mentality, illegal immigration, irrational economic policies, but that's not the point. The point is the students deserve honest answers, so no, I don't recommend dropping out of college. If they're that talented, they'll be that talented after they finish school.
I'm not trying to scare students, I'm trying to get students to understand that the decisions they make today will determine many of their life choices in 2025.
well a bachelors degree today is the equivalent of a HS degree for the previous generation. Most people dont even use their degrees, it is more a measure used for salary calcualtion and to separate the rice from the husk.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.