History has shown that there are people, whose skills have set them apart from the rest. There are several professions that individuals excel in and one of them is business. It entails an idea, a company, and a man of few, who are in charge. Steve Jobs is thought to be one of such men. He was an entrepreneur and a businessman who changed the world of technology and mobility.
Steve Jobs was born on February 24, 1955 in San Francisco. His parents were two university students and were unable to support a child and so they set him up for adoption. Steve was adopted by Paul Reinhold Jobs and Clara Jobs. Paul was a mechanic, buying and fixing broken cars and then selling them. He worked in a garage and so he set up a small work area for Steve. As Paul was somewhat involved in the vehicle electronics, he taught Steve the basics and right away Steve showed great interest at age five or six. He proved to be very intelligent because Clara Jobs taught him how to read even before he went to school. In school, Steve was a rebel and was not interested in formal education. He often played pranks and was thought of as a troublemaker (Gilliam 15). But his interest in electronics continued and grew. He attended several electronics clubs in a number of schools that he changed over the years, due to his behavior. When his family moved to Los Altos, California, to change schools because of Steve, he found a friend by the name of Bill Fernandez. They had a common interest in electronics and Bill introduced Steve to another one of his friends—Steve Wozniak. Wozniak was five years older and in high school. He was also very much consumed by electronics and has won several awards. Jobs and Wozniak became friends very quickly and often worked together in the garage, sharing ideas and experimenting with parts.
As Steve was very determined in everything he did, using his persistence and intelligent talk about computers and future possibilities, he convinced Bill Hewlett, one of the owners of Hewlett-Packard, to give Steve some computer details for free. Hewlett was surprised by Steve’s intelligence and gave him a job on the assembly line. It was a minor job of putting in screws but Steve’s ability to pave way for his dreams was seen throughout his life with no room for setbacks. At that time he was thirteen (Imbimbo 27). At fifteen Steve bought a car with the money saved while working at the electronics store on the weekends. The bargaining skills he acquired from his father while selling cars and his knowledge of electronics became very useful for him during his whole life. As Steve got older and went to college, he encountered the same problem as in school and so he went off to search for the “meaning of life” in India. There he realized that to make something great out of an idea there must be action and so he decided to pursue his meaning in life by returning home and resuming his passion for electronics, which happened in 1974 (Doeden 16). When he worked at a company called “Altair” he was thought of as the very impolite and impatient person who often insulted co-workers because they could not understand something or complete a job fast enough. In 1975 he reunited with his friend Wozniak and saw the machine that he had built. Jobs was fascinated by it and proposed to create their own company. In 1976 Jobs, Wozniak and Ron Wayne, who was their design artist, officially signed the papers and Apple came to life. Their first model was called Apple I and was made by Wozniak. By the end of their first year in business, they have sold 150 units of Apple I. In 1977 Apple II became a model of mass sales. While at Apple, Steve was always thought to be separate from the rest of the team, he pursued his own ideas and paid great attention to details, which many times created problems by delaying the product for the market. In 1985 Wozniak resigned from Apple and Jobs is replaced as chief executive.
But this did not discourage Steve and this is where determination kept pushing him towards success. In 1986 he starts another company called NeXT. His computer and software are successful but too expensive and so in 1993 he is forced to close the manufacturing plant and focus his efforts on the software only. In1996 Apple realizes that Jobs is the “missing link” and he returns. Steve is consumed by his work, focusing all his attention on the search for ideas that must change the world. He visits different departments to see their progress and spends countless hours working on the new technology. In 1998 the world is introduced with iMac, a computer with easy access to the internet, in 2001 the iPod comes out. Steve continues to work hard, often being impatient, searching for a breakthrough. Even though in 2003 Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he recovers and puts much effort into that, which revolutionized the world. In 2007 Steve Jobs introduces the iPhone. This device united several previous inventions in one: easy internet access, the cell phone, and the iPod. Steve Jobs is known for his originality in designs, innovation and persistence. Even though he was sometimes impatient towards his co-workers, his perfectionist nature and attention to detail made him the person he was. His ability to quickly change decisions was one of his great strengths (Elliot 47). His entrepreneurial skills can be traced to his childhood and have lasted all his life.
Works Cited
Doeden, Matt. Steve Jobs: Technology Innovator and Apple Genius, Minneapolis, Minnesota: Lerner Publications, 2012. Print.
Elliot, Jay. ILeadership: The Steve Jobs Way, New York, New York: Vanguard, 2011. Print.
Gilliam, Scott. Steve Jobs: Apple & Ipod Wizard, Edina, Minnesota: ABDO, 2008. Print.
Imbimbo, Anthony. Steve Jobs: The Brilliant Mind Behind Apple, Pleasantville, New York: Gareth Stevens, 2009. Print.