Steve Jobs on Individualism

The idea of individualism is a concept that we are all supposed to say is this big life affirming concept.  And surely as I sit here it is.  Being an individual is not about being different than everyone else, but making your own choices on what to do, what not to do, and most importantly deciding for yourself who you want to be in this world.  If you watch his speech from Stanford's 2005 commencement you undoubtedly hear talk about innovation and creativity leading to success. The most important aspect of Steve Jobs is that he has plethora of copycats, in his company people follow his lead, use him as an example to determine their own lives and how to better their work, and in the world computer companies try to make things better than what he did, all at the same time coping his ideas. 

Of the things Jobs tells us in his speech we can start to gain inference into the way this man thought, I'd like to share a few example and my thoughts with you here.

Jobs starts off his speech by telling us that that day was the closest he'd ever gotten to a college graduation, because he had dropped out. 

Isn't that great, you all spent thousands of dollars to go to school, He dropped out and has made more money that you'll ever see in your lifetime! Now, I just made him sound like a prick, and that might not be a fair way to articulate what he actually said. A much nicer way to say it would be [as Jobs] "your graduation is the beginning of something amazing, your own life. My dropping out of college was something amazing, the start of mine."  This individual simply states he did what was best for him. Just as they are all doing what’s best for them.

Jobs tells us that his biological mother wanted him to go to college, a term required for her to sign the adoption papers, and he did go, but he also dropped out. Dropping out allowed him to free him from the rigorous classes that everyone was required to take, thus allowing him to make his own choices in the classes and subject matter that he applied himself to.  

To this point, I think many of us, in a liberal arts community such as Lawrence, can appreciate.  Any given major gives you dozens of classes to choose from, and also allows you to take classes in things you have no business taking, like an intro to government class, or a linguistics class, or... well you get the point.  And no one holds your hand, no administrator is harking that you have to take this class or that class, or trying to set you up for something that you don't express interest in.  I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have been asked what I want to do AFTER Lawrence, before we begin to discuss what I want to do AT Lawrence.

Steve Jobs idea of Individualism, based on this speech, is all about finding what you want to do, what you love doing, and doing it the best way you can.  Even if that’s not what or how or where other people think you should be doing it.