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Claudia Mendoza

Dr. Rita Lawrence

English 101

31 March 2019

“You’ve got to find what you love” Jobs says – 2005 Commencement Address at Stanford

University.

“You’ve got to find what you love”, Steve Jobs’ powerful speech that inspired the audience as he

shared three inspirational stories about how he was able to turn failure into great success.

The first story is about “connecting the dots”. Jobs’ story is about reflecting back into life’s

decisions and difficulties – being given out for adoption when he was born, dropping out of

college and taking a calligraphy class made a difference in his life and contributed to his success.

In his speech, Jobs talked about the importance to “trust that the dots will somehow connect in

your future”. He stated that trusting always worked out for him and made a difference in his life.

Jobs second story is about how he started his own company at the age of twenty. Jobs recalls

how devastating it was to get fired from the company he created and how he was able to take it

as an opportunity “start over”. In his third story, Jobs talks about “death” and his battle with

cancer. Jobs used this story to encourage the audience to “have the courage to follow their heart

and intuition” as time is very limited.

As a student, every story shared by jobs is worth meditating on. I am 35-years-old, and I have

given up school a couple of times due to different reasons. Jobs’ stories inspire me to continue

my journey on trying to find my purpose in life.

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Jobs’ tenacity as a human being is remarkable as he was able to move on from getting fired from

the company he created. I believe most people fall into depression and end up their lives when

events like these happen; yet, Jobs was able to capitalize on it and use it as on opportunity to

“start all over again”.

Steve Jobs is best known for his magnificent technological contributions to society -the creation

of the McIntosh computer, the iPhone and all Apple products. Jobs was not known as a person

who lacked his basic necessities when he was in college, nor as a child who was given into

adoption at birth. Jobs was not known as the guy who failed and got fired. Jobs is known for his

greatness and the innovation of his products.

Jobs’ speech at Stanford University is indeed, an act of encouragement from a normal human

being who was able to break stigmas. Many cultures impress the idea that a person’s destiny is

shaped by their environment; however, Jobs was able to convince many of us that our destiny is

actually shaped by the events, the decisions we make over time, and our ability to deal with

failure.

Steve Jobs was an effective leader who inspired a revolution in the technological field and social

paradigms. Jobs’ speech at Stanford University is a small demonstration of a giant who has been

able to inspire and challenge many of us to follow our heart.

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Work Cited

Stanford University. “Text of Steve Jobs’ Commencement Address (2005).” Stanford News, 12

June 2017, news.standford.edu/2005/06/14/jobs-061505/.

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