Lessons Learned from the Commencement Address of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is such an inspiration, indeed! Every word that comes out to his speech imparts bunches of learning and knowledge that marks a scar on whoever reads or hears. A lot of statement struck me. The first and perhaps the most important thing he said is “you’ve got to find what you love”. It is something that made me think of the things I do. Do I really love what I am into right now? Maybe I’m contented with what I am doing but I can’t really determine if I have the passion in it. The commencement address of Steve Jobs is one of the speeches that explain how possible we can achieve success if we just trust on ourselves and do our part to reach our goals. He mentioned three stories that elucidate his hardships and path as he takes on his journey to attain triumph. These stories bring different lessons that made me realize of many things.

The first part was about connecting the dots. Steve Jobs as I didn’t expect went through different hardship that include family desertion. His biological parent decides to put him up for adoption and abandoned him that led him to his new family. The parents who adopted him made sure that he will be in college and graduate soon despite of financial problems they still manage to give their best just to bring Steve Jobs on one of the expensive universities. Thinking of my mother, I should be good on my studies because it’s not easy to look for money and to send to school. Steve Jobs had no idea on what he really wanted to do with his life so he decided to drop out on a course that gives him no interest and drop in to something that caught his attention. These words made me confuse especially on making my decisions. The course that I am taking now is not the course that brings out on my skills. In short this is not my field. Somehow Information Technology gives me interest but when I first engaged in formal classes I found out that this is really not the thing that I love to do. Steve’s words made me think of dropping out the course that I am presently taking. I’ve got find what I love”. But by discerning I found out that I am starting to love what I am taking now and I can’t leave the course that I’m holding on. The only thing I must do and develop is the trust that I must put on myself. Like the trust that Steve Jobs had and the trust that I can pursue my studies and will graduate soon. I must have the courage and self-confidence in order to reach the peak of success. Right now, I may not know the purpose of enrolling to this course but soon I may be able to connect the dots and know the reason and purpose behind the hardships that I had and will undergo through. I must trust the dots that will somehow connect my future.

The second part was about love and lost. Hardship do really comes our way but like Steve Jobs, even if we will be down we must still know how to stand up again and continue the fight. I have failed two times in this college life. The first time disappoints me a lot. When I reach college I didn’t expect to fail. I wasn’t able to prepare myself on the kind of adversity that I will face. It was awful tasted medicine but I really needed it. I needed to fail to bring out more effort and to let me realize to give my best shot on whatever I am doing. I must not have the mindset of just passing the subject but I must strive hard to get good grades and to learn many lessons. I must not get easily discourage and I should not lose hope easily. I have to find what I really love and right now I am holding on the reality that I love the thing that I’m doing. I must have the passion because it is one of factors that can make you reach your goals in life. If you love what you are doing then it will not easily bring you down. Instead of being tired you will enjoy and it will bring out the best in you. But in case I realize it’s not, I must not give up, I must not settle and I should keep on looking until I will find it because the thing that will keep me going is the thing that I love to do.

The third story was all about death. Steve Jobs was diagnosed with cancer. It was definitely a very hard situation to accept. Death is something we can’t escape. It is something that enforces him to think of living each day as if it is the last day. And this could help a lot. In our daily journey, we have to think of giving our best. I was really struck with what he said. I realize that each moment is important. We don’t know maybe tomorrow or the next day we will be facing the destination we all share. I must treat each day as if it is the last day. We have given limited time on this earth so as long as I’m here I must know my purpose, do my best to reach my goals. I should not be afraid to take risks. I am afraid of rejections but I learned that I must face my fears and be ready on everything because the story of my life may end anytime and I may not have much time to do things that I must. Don’t live with results of others. Honestly, I am also conscious on other’s words and sometimes I do get affected easily especially if it hurts. But I learned from Steve Jobs speech, I must let the noise of others’ opinions to drown out my inner capabilities. I must have the courage to speak out and show what I can do. I must follow my heart and be who really I am and I what I truly want to become.

Steve Jobs inspires me in many ways. He let me realize many things. I know time will come I will be able to reach my goals. Also by the help of the people around me I already found what I love and I’m sticking to the anticipation of reaching the peak of success. I must stay hungry. I must stay foolish.

Steve Job's Commencement Address at Stanford

“You’ve got to find what you love,” Job says.
This is the text of the Commencement Address by Steve Jobs.
CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth to be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college. And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting. It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in the friends’ rooms. I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a weak at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you an example. Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating. None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards then years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.
I was lucky – I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents’ garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation – the Macintosh – a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating. I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down – that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public figure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me – I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over. I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together. I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for you lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As will all the matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.

My third story is about death.
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes. I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now. This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept: No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960’s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions. Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Thank you all very much

Purpose of Living

Knowing my purpose and what i am living for? is such a hard thing to depict. But i think I am really living for a purpose. Individuals are brought to earth not just by accident. We are made by His will. But as for now I can say i am living...

To worship and glorify our Creator.
To live in accordance to His words.
To spread the good news.
To help my family in providing our needs (soon)
To share my experiences and inspire others
To give love


This venture of life is a journey with a purpose. My ministry is my service to the faithful. And one of my mission is to serve for the unfaithful ones. For now, the reason why am i living is to know my greatest purpose. To know my biggest mission.

Personal Traits Test

Last week on our Techopreneurship subject our facilitator gave us our exam. It was all about testing our personalities and determining our characteristics towards technopreneurial skills. The test aims to depict an individual’s character, behavior, ideas and feelings. We answered a 32 question test which made us choose. Each item has 2 selections that we must discern as to what statement our personalities fit and accordingly it was scored based on a point system. I got 41 where it explains that I have somewhat entrepreneurial skills. I just chose the statement where I think I am fitted to. Our facilitator gave us a chance to review our answers and I changed some of my choices but I think it made me achieve zero points on some items. But I’m still contented with result of my test. Gladly, all of us in our section got scores which shows that we somehow have entrepreneurial skills. I know it would help a lot on creating a better career someday.

Each of us persons possesses different personalities. We have unique way on dealing with the situations around us. We have various ways on treating our comrades and family. We respond distinctively on things we experience and encounter. Some traits can help us to be better and some don’t. In the personality test I have encountered questions on such circumstances as:

Being criticized, if ever my opinions or ideas will be disapproved or criticized, I will be willing to accept it. Criticisms can sometimes aid us or break us. But instead of feeling bad or down, it will be a motivation for me to do better. I want to prove to that I can do better. I want to show that I am a fighter in a good way. Of course I also want to be appreciated by the things I do and with the efforts I exerted but in case I wouldn’t be able to meet their expectations I will be patient and humble enough to acknowledge their point. I am open to their ideas and very willing to be corrected in the things I did wrong. I must be an open minded person I order to be successful.

Encountering problems, problems really affect me and my life. Problems bother me and affects my daily activities but that was years ago. At my age I am now shaped into a strong individual by the help of the difficulties I have already encountered. Problems do really come on our way but maybe by this time I know how to handle and manage troubles and quandaries. I have experienced heavy problems that somehow I can say made me better and firmer. Problems such as the break-up of my parents, death of my father, failures at school, stress and pressures, conflicts with my friends and a lot more. I know these things build me and made me prepare for the possible setbacks and hardships that I will be encountering soon. Also, with the help of our Creator all things will be easy if I’ll just submit and surrender to him all of the obstacles that I will bump into.

Financial difficulties, I can say honestly this is a very hard situation since we live our lives by the help of money. When dealing with business, money engages a lot. It is one of the primary needs in getting involved with business. Personally financial problem is not unusual to me. I always experience financial problems and I think most people do. Perhaps in the future when I will encounter problems regarding money, as of now I can say I am not yet set to be able to handle that kind of situation. But the characteristic of being optimistic can help me solve this kind of problem at least. It was also mentioned in the test about having money or getting rich. Of course I really wish to be one someday. I am looking forward to be a great technopreneur and be an owner of my own successful business. I want to have a build my own house enough for my family to live in. I am determined to earn money to the deepest effort I can do. I want to have a bright future someday and help my family on the provision of their needs. I am willing to give time to attain these goals but spending my time to my loved ones is also important for me. Despite of being busy on business matters, I will make sure to still have time to spend with my family. I am a family-oriented person and get my inspiration from my family. I am a kind of person that needs attention from my family to have strength to face on my daily activities.

Time for friends, I love spending my leisure times with my friends. Chatting with them, creating and building a strong bind of friendship. I believe also in the saying that no man is an island which gives details that I alone cannot live without the help of others. With the supplement of the people around me I can do things easier. Someday possibly in my career as a technopreneur I will be needing the aid of others to have a more effective and efficient business. It doesn’t necessary mean that I will merely depend on their faculties but I must exert my efforts and will just need them for some assistance. In this way we can also benefit each other’s resources and expertise. To be a successful entrepreneur you are not just expected to be intelligent and skillful but you must also have a strong foundation on emotional aspects. This is an essential tool to be successful on the things you are doing. Having companions and good relationships with others can help you to surpass your problems in life. Like in my present condition, I am thankful for having a bunch of friends who are willing to offer their helping hands. They are also honest on telling me things that I must change for my own goodness. They also appreciate the good things that I do which inspires me and gives me motivation to do the best. Lastly they are also concern by giving their suggestions and share their ideas.

Accepting mistakes and be willing to do better. If ever I fail, I will accept my failure and look for ways to improve myself. Just like what happened on my Discrete Math subject last semester. I failed because I admit it was my fault. I seldom attend classes on the prelim period due to the time which was so hard for me to wake up. It was late for me to realize my shortcomings. I did better on the midterm and finals but it seemed that it was not enough to catch up. I got 5.0 and it was so depressing knowing that half of the class passed and I wasn’t able to be one. Last summer I enrolled in the subject again and exerted much effort to make sure that I will pass. Luckily because of the determination and by accepting the challenge to do better despite of the fact that I am new to my environment (referring to my classmates last summer) I still manage to pass. I’m so happy that I made it. I did not lose hope but as an alternative I enjoy learning the lessons from my mistakes.

With the test that we had taken, I realized that to be a good technopreneur you don’t just have to think of your business alone or technical matters. You don’t need to focus on producing money and becoming very rich. You must also consider your own life, think of yourself and not just only on your business. You have to be emotionally strong and have a good relationship towards others. You must also posses these kinds of personalities in order to be effective on your endeavors.

Emotional Stability, it is important that an entrepreneur have the stability because along the way they will meet problems. They must be firm in handling the stress and pressure from business. Not only from business matters also for their personal parts of their lives. Their problems that are unrelated to their business must not affect their performance. They must not be easily worn out and be discouraged but instead see setbacks as challenges and be their motivation to do better.

Charismatic this is one of the personalities that an entrepreneur must possess. They must be attractive to other clients. They must have good communication skills that can convince customers and clients. He or she must possess good interpersonal skills. Being good at dealing with others is a great help. It is not just intelligence but the way you interact with others.

You must be productive most of the time. “Time is gold as they say”. You should make sure that you will not waste any time. If there’s an opportunity then better grab it immediately. Also, as the saying goes “The early bird gets the early worm”. To be a good entrepreneur you should be productive always and be first in producing good qualities to be able to get the customers or clients first. You have to give time for your work and be sure to make a good result. You should know how to manage things especially time. An entrepreneur must be on the top of every innovation.

Entrepreneurs ought to be flexible on planning. They must think of good ideas not just one but lots of ideas. You should also have multiple supporting plans in order for you to have choices in case your first option will not work because if you’ll just stick to one, probably you will meet troubles for that. An entrepreneur knows how to think for good ideas that will fit the trend and will make them achieve more clients. They also must be competitive and be flexible for possible circumstances.

Optimism also plays a very vital role in managing a business. An entrepreneur must think positively in all aspects of his or her business. Entrepreneurs must foresee things in a positive manner. They must not be easily discouraged and hindered by the problems they will encounter for them to be progressive. A person must be optimistic in handling difficult situations for them to find out easily the solutions and for them not to be stressed easily with their work.

An entrepreneur must be passionate. He or she must love the things he or she is doing. An entrepreneur must have the passion for the business to be effective and successful. It is nice to have a business while enjoying it. You have to get involved to something that relates to your interests to have a fruitful result. If you love what you are doing then you will be determined enough to pursue things even if there will be barriers that would hinder along the way to success. Also as what I learned from a prominent technopreneur, he says, “People with passion can change the world for the better. This statement shows that we must have an outlook of considering passion as a big factor to great change and in achieving the triumph we all want.

Self confidence, you must believe in yourself and in what you can do. It is important to have the trust for yourself in order to pursue and defend your ideas. With the confidence you have you can also deal with other people effectively which may be a big help for your business. You should be the kind of person that would take risk because of you know you can do it. You must trust in your intuition and have to be prepared to lose something to have the possibility of gaining what you want or more.

With the things I stated above, Thus, our personalities contribute a big factor on achieving success. It is an aspect on being a good technopreneur. The daily situations we come across and how we are able to positively respond to those can be a step on molding ourselves to be strong enough in facing greater responsibilities ahead.

"Pirates of the Silicon Valley"

1. What are the factors that contributed to the success and failure of Steve Jobs as a technopreneur?

When indulging oneself into a business you have to consider lots of aspects that would make such business effective. Especially when this business you are referring to has something to do with technology. In other term, it is called technopreneurship. Technopreneurship is a kind of business that involves innovative high technology on the product to be delivered. Technopreneur is the person who uses creativeness of technology as their business model.

In regards to this, last week we had a film viewing concerning the most prominent technopreneurs in the present generation in which the movie is entitled Pirates of the Silicon Valley. In the movie I have distinguished Steve Jobs as one of the world’s most successful technopreneurs. In fact, he was listed on America’s greatest business leaders of today. As I was watching the movie, I was amazed with Steve Jobs’ ability and facilities that made him achieve his greatest objectives but on the other hand he showed some negative sides that brought him some lost.

Some of the factors that I have noticed that contributed to the success of Steve Jobs are as follows:

While watching the movie, I kept on saying how I really admire their intelligence (referring to the antagonists of the movie). I suppose that it is actually one of the major factors that made Steve Jobs at the peak of success. Intelligence is a gift and is a general factor that runs through all types of performance. In Steve Jobs’ case I can consider intelligence as one of the dynamics of his success. I can see how he considers efficient factors. The way he decided to sell his products, his way of reasoning and convincing large companies is amazing. He also has the ability to foresee future demands of technology. He also thinks systematically in which he can incorporate elements and ideas to make a product or project effective. He was able to grasp the essentials in a given situation and can respond appropriately to them. Like when they copy concepts from a XEROX computer laboratory which leads out to their success as technopreneurs. Steve Jobs also uses his intelligence in making decisions especially when he doesn’t know what to do. His good skills on communication also aided a lot on his achievement. Even if he wasn’t dressed in a formal manner he still managed to get the approval because of the way he talks and uses his intelligence into implementation.

Passion and confidence was also present in Steve Jobs. He has the love for the job or the things he is doing. He gets involved with something that coincides with his interests. In the movie I can see how much he exerted efforts to finish the computers they made. Even if it seemed to be tiring and difficult, he never gave up. He continued on pursuing their goal and making sure of producing quality computers together with his colleagues. He researched better and putted forth much time on his job that simply shows his passion for what he is doing. Even if they started on a low hierarchy, it didn’t hinder them to pursue and achieve their interests and objectives. Steve Jobs also believes in his own ability that equipped him confidence to do his best. Self-confidence is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives, yet so many people struggle to find it and luckily Steve Jobs acquires this skill. It is really a vital factor to reach success. You have to do what is best and don’t just stick on good ideas. Believing on your works follows to the path of a fruitful result. This is a very striking statement form Steve Jobs “People with passion can change the world for the better”. With this statement we can view Jobs’ outlook of considering passion as a big factor to great change and triumph.

Lastly, innovation and hard work is significantly factors to Jobs’ accomplishment. Steve was being innovative in his business which leads him to ideas of better improvements for the computers. He kept tracks of new ways or better ways of doing things and apply those for the improvement of the quality of his products and of course for the efficiency of the operations. Like what happened in Job’s Lisa, Apple and Macintosh. Jobs was so rigid in making decisions and plans to come up with improvements for the demand of the industry. Hard work, it is undeniably a factor for Steve Job’s success. Before achieving his throne as a successful technopreneur he went through on exerting much effort and enormous amount of hard work on his passion for computers. Nothing in this world comes easily especially success. He worked hard from being a simple, ordinary person to a prominent technoprenuer throughout the world.

If Steve Jobs achieved triumph, he also had undergone failures. Some of the factors that contributed to the failure of Steve Jobs includes:

He has an attitude problem. He was really a hot tempered person. He gets angry easily. He has mood swings, even his friend Steve Wozniak observed quite changes from his attitude when they already founded their own company. The great effect of his attitude was on his employees. He didn’t allow them to have enough time to take a rest just to make sure of faster innovations for his computer. He didn’t give considerations. He initiated ways to create conflicts between teams of his company for some reasons. He was a self-centered person and didn’t consider emotions and opinions of others. His arrogance could also be a factor. These things ended up on some failures.

In addition, in the movie I have also noticed that Steve Jobs was a drug dependent and has vices in which is not exemplary. It is maybe one of the reasons why he had attitude problems. He also had problems regarding his family. Since he was adopted, perhaps it affects the way he treats her daughter where he seemed to be inconsistent and unpredictable. These are some of the things I observed as factors of his failure.

But despite of the failures of Steve Jobs he was still able to deal with it and find ways to continue his passion for innovating computers. He is still one of today’s successful technoprenuers which also serves as an inspiration to everyone.

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2. How do you see yourself as a technopreneur?


As a technopreneur someday is not an easy path to take on. It needs skills that would make you pass through a hard and tough road. To be an entrepreneur especially when it is technology based, it needs to be equipped with qualities such as passionate, innovative, hardworking and strong like Steven Jobs as an example.

I am taking up B.S. in Information Technology as my course. Since I am sensitive about technologies as one of my concern, it is really a challenge for me to engage in a kind of business someday which has something to do with technology. Seeing me as a technopreneur in the future is quite attainable. I always do see myself to be a businessman someday or should I say, I always want to be stable with my own business. My plan for my future after graduating school is to have an experience of working with the use of the knowledge and the facilities I grasped from my studies. After which is to build my own simple business that is fairly enough to provide the needs of my family. But I think rather than being contented of dreaming a simple future is to think of a bigger goal that will contribute and be benefited not just with my family but with everyone. I know to be in the shoes of Steve Jobs is impossible on my part because I know my capabilities of being an technopreneur but I can see that even if I will not reach the peak of Steve Jobs achievement, I can still be a good technopreneur with the help of the things that I will learn from my subjects and with the determination I am holding on. In the future I hope to see myself wearing executive attire, having my own office, roaming around the company or simply staying at home but as the leader or the owner of my own business. These things are far beyond my hands but I’ll be passionate enough with my dreams to be able to achieve it and be an efficient technopreneur in the near future.

As early as now, as a student I start simple technopreneurship way of business. In facebook, there are online shops that sell different products that seize the attention of some teenagers nowadays. It is an online shop that sells Korean products that are in trend now with the young people. Since Korean Pop songs and groups are somehow invading the minds of young ones, I get the chance to take advantage with the situation and have a simple business with the use of internet and community sites. I do reselling using my facebook and twitter accounts and sell the products gaining 30% profit. I know it is not a big money but I can’t sell it with the amount doubled because for sure it won’t sell. The products I resell include DVD and CD album of the KPOP groups, ballers, lanyards, pins, posters and such. Also, once I planned of having a blog that can earn money as well, but as I start blogging, I find it hard because I am not that skillful enough in those aspects. But I’ll try to learn and improve my abilities as far as I can. Luckily I’m willing to give efforts to develop my IT related skills (if I do really posses those kind of skills..LOL!).

Evaluating myself as a technopreneur I can see some positive characteristics that could supplement by some means for a successful business. I do posses some useful traits such as the following.

I really have a positive outlook on life. I see my problems as blessings from above. Sometimes I give up but not that straightforward. I seek solutions first and give my best try on solving whatever adversity I am opposing on. In a business, maybe I can be effective on this aspect since being a technopreneur needs to comprise the attitude of optimism because you will be experiencing risk taking. Having a positive outlook on life and sanguinity can increase the chances of surviving and flourishing your business especially when you are under hard obstacles and crisis. In this matter I can pass the standard of a technopreneur that must possess optimistic view on situations that will probably occur. This attitude is essential to be a good technopreneur.

I am also a serious person. Even if I’m cheerful and outgoing I am still flexible on the kind of mood that I must bear on. I’m serious in times that I must be. Given that a serious job is not that simple so you must also be serious on making decisions because serious jobs are no excuse. Aside from this, I am also passionate on my work. If I really do love what I am doing then I’ll be very hard working in making it successful. I also believe in passion behind business. Just like Steve Jobs, he had a great passion for what he is doing so he definitely succeeded in life. Even if he started as simple person he pursued his projects and So I am looking forward of holding achievements as an technopreneur because of being passionate on the things that I do especially when it comes to earning money since money is undeniably one of our most important needs to survive. Honestly I can’t see myself very creative, innovative, and intelligent but I do still believe in my abilities because for me it is the passion for your work or project that will make you excel. Another point is that once you will be passionate on your work, your employees will also be the same and will be inspired with the way you act as their boss. As a technopreneur I will be a sensitive employer which will consider the side of my employees. I will be a cool technopreneur that will not have a business of pure work but a business which incorporates enjoyment and learnings because for me the joy you receive from your work is much greater.


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3. Would you take the same career path that Steve Jobs took? Why or why not?

In some way, I say yes. Since I am taking up an IT course, it will be an inspiration for me to follow Steve Jobs’ path. Of course I also want to be successful on my career. He just initiated from being a simple person and started his journey when he gets involved with a school project where he called William Hewlett of Hewlett-Packard to ask for some parts. Afterwards he met his friend and business partner Steve Wozniak a very talented and smart person, in fact as I can remember from the movie Steve Wozniak is an engineer. This situation serves as the start of the venture or the foundation for the APPLE to be built. Seeing this circumstance it is really possible for me and the others to be a successful technopreneurs someday. I would like to take Steve Jobs’ path especially with the reason that he basically started as an ordinary individual who had also undergone tough hardships before getting into where he is in present. He went through rough roads and financial scarcity which needed him to save the money he earned from doing sideline projects just to pursue their projects. He was amazing and I really want to be like him. He thinks well and is very clever especially when he saw Steve Wozniak’s potential and influenced Steve Woz to go into business with him. He never misses good chances and immediately grabs the good opportunities. In the movie I have seen them operating only on a garage and I think they were working on Apple I prototype that time. Being in Steve Jobs’ path is such honoring because he gives inspiration to people that has ordinary status in life. Before becoming a very successful technopreneur it is better for me to experience hardships to acquire knowledge and learning before immediately reaching the success. In a business you’ll be going through ups and downs. Thus, it is better to have a strong heart and confidence to survive in the world of business.

In the near future, after graduating if given a chance I hope to be in the world of Steve Jobs. The world of business incorporated with technology and will bring potential contributions in the world of Information Technology. Like Jobs I want to have my own company together with one of my close friends and start making innovations with the technologies. I want to go to different countries and explore. But still in the end I will build my own business in the country where I originated. I want to earn money and help my family in the provision of our daily needs. I want to be an inspiration to most people. Being at top of today is far so hard to achieve. It is very difficult to have a good career in the present generation. There are lots of hindrances that would block the way of opportunities and there are many skillful persons that will be so competitive. If given such chance to be in Steve Jobs, it would really be a privilege and nobility.

Having my course as a basis, it is a very appropriate career to choose technopreneurship as path of grasping triumph. Most IT related courses graduates nowadays go to work as call center agents. To think of struggling many years for studies, sacrificing time and efforts and ending up as agents is pathetic. Hope someday I would not be driven to be in the same place but I’ll be as successful technopreneur like Jobs and can certainly achieve my endeavors and plans for my future. I want to create jobs for others to be benefited. I want to employ people and help them to live. Having in the same career path with Steve Jobs can make me rich faster than being just an ordinary employee.

I want to take the same path with Steve Jobs and want to have some characteristics those he posses. His passion for work is the best because it is the thing that brought changes to the world as he said. Struggles have been on his way yet he manages to overcome and surpass all of those because of the passion he have for his work. He loves computers and technology as one of his priorities in life. His intelligence and skills also amazes me. He is also confident and consistent in his vision and goals. He always makes sure of producing quality products.

On the other hand, I don’t want to be unsympathetic and inconsiderate to my employees. In this part, I don’t want to be in the shoes of Steve Job’s. I don’t want to follow the kind of relationship he gives to his employees. For me, it doesn’t really fit the appropriate attitude that must be given to your workers. You might lose some of your aces or your potential employees for being so insensitive. Just like in the story Steve Jobs wants his human resources to work for almost 5 days per week without having enough time to rest and to sleep. If this will be happened your workers may possibly end up their work for you and will transfer to another company that has better way of treating their employees. When talking about the workers, my own point of view it is better if you, the technopreneur and your workers will both work hand in hand and would have a positive attitude towards each other to make a project or a business achieve its goals. Having enjoyment from working is very encouraging and will help the company to have a positive outlook towards working.

I don’t admire some of his behavior. I don’t like the way he act in front of his friends and workers. He lacks proper values that must be imposed as a technopreneur. He is self-centered and insensible. He only thinks of his success and not the condition of others. He’s hot tempered and gets angry easily. This shows unhealthy behaviors towards work. The way he treated his daughter in the movie not including the latter part is horrible. He is unexplainable if he’s willing to accept his daughter as his own or disregard her. If I’ll be on the career path of being a technopreneur and will have my family, they will be my greatest inspiration and moreover God for the success of my business.