Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple Computer, Inc., visited campus on June 12th to give the graduating class of 2005 a commencement speech. Jobs connected with the audience by sharing personal experiences and life lessons with the class of 2005.
Jobs started his speech by thanking the audience and claiming Stanford is one of the finest universities in the world.
“I’m honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. Truth be told, I never graduated from college. This is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation.”
Jobs tells three stories in his speech. The first story is about connecting the dots. Jobs attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon, for only six months before he dropped out; he stayed around for another 18 months or so before he really quit. Connecting the dots meant connecting all of his experiences and pursuing his passions. By dropping out, he no longer had to take the required classes that didn’t interest him, but now he could sit in on classes that looked more interesting. He trusted everything would work out if he followed his curiosity and intuition. If Jobs had not dropped out and sat in on one of the classes that interested him, personal computers might not have the typography they have today.
The second story that Jobs shared was about love and loss. Jobs expressed that he did exactly what he loved until he got fired. Jobs indicated how devastated he was when he lost his job at Apple, which was the main focus of his adult life. Even though he was so down from being rejected by Apple, he still loved what he was doing. Jobs then decided to start over. He did not know it then, but being fired was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. He was starting over, which allowed Jobs to begin the most creative period of his life. The lesson of this story is if you haven’t found what you love yet, do not settle.
The third story Jobs shared was about death. He started with a quote he read when he was 17: “If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you will be most certainly be right.” Whenever Jobs remembers that he will be dead soon, it helps him make all the big life choices. Remembering that you are going to die helps you avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. Jobs emphasizes making sure that you are living the true you.
The graduates of Stanford were so thankful to have someone so influential on campus. Jobs sharing his personal experiences of dropping out, connecting the dots, love and loss, and death shared some light for the recent graduates of Stanford as they start this next journey of their life.
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