Four and a half decades following Apple's initial public offering, the firm's valuation now stands at $4.1 trillion; however, its ascent was far from uncomplicated. Steve Jobs navigated periods of extreme financial distress and was even removed from the enterprise he had founded, prior to his comeback and the initiation of Apple's revival. Yet, what sustained his efforts, he once shared with learners, was a straightforward professional principle: engaging in the tasks you are passionate about.
TL;DR
- Steve Jobs' passion for his work fueled Apple's rise to $4.1 trillion valuation.
- Jobs faced removal from Apple but returned to lead its revival and innovation.
- He advised young professionals to pursue work they love for true satisfaction and success.
- Jobs' early curiosity and bold outreach led to opportunities shaping his career.
“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,” Jobs said during a 2005 Stanford commencement speech.
“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking—and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
Many Gen Zers are apprehensive about what career to choose. Some are taking whatever gig they can get in today’s labor market, as roles are quickly being disrupted by AI, and once-lucrative jobs have fallen out of favor. But Jobs’ story is a reminder to young professionals that chasing a long, passionate career in what they love is the recipe for sustainable success. After all, they have a nearly 50-year career ahead of them.
The numerous roles Steve Jobs held and cherished
Jobs had a variety of prosperous enterprises to his credit, such as Pixar Animation Studios and the software firm NeXT, yet Apple remained his paramount creation. Guiding the organization through its numerous transformations, Jobs oversaw the development of products that shaped entire eras for many years. The Baby Boomer generation queued up to acquire the Apple II computer back back in 1977; by 2001, Millennials were transferring their music libraries onto the iPod classic; and throughout the 2010s, members of Gen Z received their initial iPhones.
Presently, Apple appears to be an unstoppable entity, occupying a prominent position at No. 4 on the Coins2Day 500 list and having distributed sold more than 3 billion iPhones. However, its ascent was far from smooth; despite being a co-founder of the industry giant, Jobs was compelled to depart by the then-CEO John Sculley in 1985, which destabilized his professional path.
The businessman recollected how he turned a difficult circumstance into an advantage, navigating one of the “most creative periods” of his career by Establishing NeXT and revitalizing Pixar Studios. Nevertheless, even he found it impossible to escape the powerful draw back to the “best thing that ever happened to [him],” Apple. He rejoined the struggling firm as its chief executive in 1997, continuing in that capacity until a mere two months prior to his death in October 2011.
“Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith,” Jobs said. “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.”
Jobs' passion for his profession propelled him to billionaire status.
Even though he left behind an estate valued at approximately $10.2 billion when he died, Jobs indicated that his aspirations were not connected to his bank account. One reason Apple evolved into a trillion-dollar innovator might stem from his dedication to its offerings—a perpetual passion for gadgets that began when he was an enthusiastic youngster, eager for chances.
“I was worth about over $1 million when I was 23, and over $10 million when I was 24, and over $100 million when I was 25,” Jobs told PBS in 1996. “And it wasn’t that important, because I never did it for the money.”
The iPhones found in countless back pockets and MacBooks spread across numerous desks may not have materialized without Jobs' dedication to his work. At the tender age of 12, he took a bold step to pursue his interests; Jobs located the telephone number of Hewlett-Packard cofounder Bill Hewlett in the directory, and called him up for a favor. The young boy required extra components to construct a frequency counter, but he received much more than just a few fasteners.
Hewlett presented Jobs with an opportunity at the renowned technology firm, a stepping stone for his subsequent triumphs that would shape the sector. Jobs embarked on his journey toward distinction, solely due to his bravery in taking a chance.
“I never found anybody that didn’t want to help me if I asked them for help. I always call them up,” Jobs said in a 1994 interview, archived by the Silicon Valley Historical Association. “I’ve never found anyone who says no, or hung up the phone when I called. I just asked.
“Most people never pick up the phone and call. Most people never ask … You’ve got to be willing to crash and burn with people on the phone, with starting a company, with whatever. If you’re afraid of failing, you won’t get very far.”
