If you visit this site on a regular basis, you may know we usually celebrate “Manly Monday” at the top of each week by giving a nod to something/someone manly. Yesterday was an anomaly; I posted an update to let you know why I went MIA. So, getting back on schedule, today’s pick is kind of a “Testicle Tuesday.”
I recently discovered Steve Jobs’ Stanford commencement address on Ted. I knew he was co-founder of Apple and former CEO of Pixar, but I didn’t know his background. Abandoned by his biological mother, he was raised by a working class woman who didn’t finish college and a high school dropout father. To quote Barry Switzer, some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple. That hardly sounds like Jobs’ story. To be sure, he has a level a privilege. At the same time, based on his words, I get the impression he didn’t have much handed to him very easily in life. In my mind, his success is therefore all the more inspiring. Watch the clip. Particularly, I’m interested in what he says about following your passions.
“You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future,” Jobs says in the video clip above. “You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart — even when it leads you off the well-worn path. And, that will make all the difference.”
Easier said than done. I often feel awkward when I talk to people with EXTREMELY linear career paths. You know the type: John Doe majored in XX, took an entry-level job in XX and is now the VP of XX at XX, Inc. They seem so put together as they march from A to B to C.
I’ve followed my intuition and made what I thought were “good decisions” with whatever limited amount of information I had. At times, I didn’t succeed at things I wished I had. In other instances, I’ve experienced successes at points I expected failure. Hardly a linear career path, I’ve taken high school students on educational excursions to Greece to learn about Homer, worked as a bartender in London, managed a film program where Roger Ebert taught, completed a stint at an American Embassy abroad and done other things simply because I thought they’d be interesting. It’s as if I go through life marching from Point A to B to π (3.14159…) to Q to 72. It’s all a learning process, and I’ve collected an expansive and eclectic skill set along the way. For example, I don’t know if I would’ve had the courage to stick in out in New York if I hadn’t survived living in London on my own. I’m not sure I would’ve felt comfortable pouring my private life into a memoir if I didn’t already have 5+ years doing it on Funky Brown Chick and elsewhere. It’s like that line in Desiderata, “[W]hether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” I instinctively know that, but sometimes it’s good to hear it again. So, thank you TED (and Steve Jobs) for the reminder.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I am hesitant to go and list the myriad of various jobs my life has taken me through. I prefer instead to pin my life as being successful, based on the happiness that I enjoy.
;)
In many fields, a degree is only considered to be good for a certain number of years. After that, your knowledge is obsolete. This is mostly true for fields which change rapidly, such as medicine and computer programming, but it’s becoming the case for other fields as well. For instance, a couple of years ago a PR job wouldn’t have considered social media, and now it’s pretty much a requirement. The only way to keep up is by continuing to learn.
I recently read an article that suggested that breadth of knowledge is becoming more important than depth of knowledge, as you can always pursue an interest to a deeper level more easily than you can cultivate a broad range of interests. For people like you (and me), who want to switch careers and continue to learn new things, that’s good news. The old A, B, … Z path may not be completely obsolete, but it’s certainly no longer the only way or even the best way to approach your career. There’s also been some research that suggests that incremental invention comes from having people from the same field, but revolutionary invention comes primarily when you have people with a mix of backgrounds.
So, as long as you feel good about each stage of your journey, you shouldn’t be too concerned if you don’t know “what you want to be when you grow up.” You’ve developed marketable skills, and in the worst case you could fall back on those.
- A (studied: writing, history, philosophy; worked: programmer; studied: business)
Thanks for the post, FBC, I needed to read that today!
There’s such a lot of wisdom, of philosophy, of entertainment in TED sessions. Where YouTube can be a timewaster, I regard any time on TED as an investment.
On career paths, give me someone with a varied background every time. More interesting, broader-minded, more tolerant of others. So many people are too insular, too quick to blow off people who aren’t like themselves. In today’s world understanding other people, other creeds, other nations is critical.
President Obama is a case in point.
dkzone: You bring up a really good point: happiness is found within, not with a particular job.
A: YES! :) You said –> “The only way to keep up is by continuing to learn.”
Original_Bro: No prob, Bro! Any time.
Guy Sez: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I. Have. The. Best. Readers. On. The. Whole. Fucking. Internet. Seriously, I really love reading the comments that you all write. Whether you agree, disagree or just say something goofy, it’s all refreshing to see what people post!
Fuck i still have no idea when my dots will join.. i just conduct myself hopefully with intent … i give, laugh, indulge and make mistakes.. but i love big and love the diversity of life…..
Tony
London
UK
I tried to join my dots once, and they turned out to be a picture of Richard Nixon. So, sometimes connecting your dots ends up being a disappointment.
Love what you have up here Twanna. And I feel you in many ways. I finally feel my dots starting to connect and all I have to do is keep an end vision in mind and I know that the rest will fall into place. People always think you need to have people on your side and behind you and supporting you but I’m seeing more clearly now that “If you build it, they will come.”
Exciting times we’re in, when people like Steve Jobs can be a testament to what success is and how it can be achieved.
Tony: Beautifully stated: “i give, laugh, indulge and make mistakes.. but i love big and love the diversity of life…..”
Baba Doodlius: I spit my tea out as I read that comment!
Miss Smith: It’s true what you say about support. Sometimes you have to be your first / biggest cheerleader. Once things work out, others will get on board.
Regards for this stuff. Often times, the very best research originate from the posts a person would not expect. Not too long ago, I didn’t give a whole lot of thought to posting comments on blog page entries and have left feedback even less. Looking through your valuable blog post, might inspire me to take action more often.