Steve Jobs: Dropping Out Of College

In the article “Colleges Versus Their Dropouts: Who Comes Out On Top?” Natalie Sportelli states that most people believe the key to success is determined by their college diplomas, however, talented people can still achieve in their life without owning a college degree. The author illustrates his idea by demonstrating several famous people’s examples. For instance,  Bill Gates succeeded by earning 80 billion dollars. Another example is Lady Gaga who has an outstanding number of 41.6 million followers on twitter.

In the reading “The College Dropout Boom,” the author, David Leonhardt, describes the college admissions system as being ruthlessly meritocratic. When looking at the word meritocratic, one can visualize it as the construction of two parts: the word merit and the suffix “-ocracy”. The word merit can be defined as the deserving of reward for past actions and the suffix “-ocracy” is understood as a form of governing body. Therefore, meritocracy without context means a form of governing body which rewards deserving individuals based upon their past actions. From this definition, it is quite obvious why David Leonhardt used the word meritocracy to describe the college admissions system. According to Leonhardt, students are admitted into college

The article "Some Lessons from the Assembly Line" by Andrew Braaksma, gives you ride a through the life of a blue-collar worker and the importance of investing in yourself with a college degree. The author discusses how spending summers working as a blue-collar worker at a factory in his hometown, makes him appreciate the opportunity to attend college. The author explains what his life would be like had he not decided to obtain a college degree and add value to his life. I can relate to the author from my own personal experiences with my job and learning how valuable a college education could be. I have missed several opportunities to advance and move up with my company because I didn't have a degree. Now that I’m in school I can also

The main reason why we go to college is not because we want to, but because it’s a must. Nearing the end of your high school career, you are persuaded by guidance counselors and our parents to apply for colleges because it the “right thing to do”. In an essay “Are Too Many People Going to College”, Charles Murry wrote, his narrative is about someone who is trying to decide what to become an electrician or a manager. He compares how his life can benefit from becoming electrician, “the satisfaction of being good at what one does for a living (and knowing it),” vs becoming a mediocre manager, “to the melancholy of being mediocre at what one does for a living (and knowing it).” He explains that someone who still is growing and developing may not

“Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.” – famous comedian and writer, David Frost. The claim “It’s Not about You” written by David Brooks states that modern society has a prodigious advantage compared to previous generations when it comes to finding jobs and different styles of living after graduating from college. Of course Not only that, but young people today are exposed to several amounts of teachings and disciplines that are furnished by the elderly, in order to avoid the mistakes they made and fix the economic crisis they provoked. To finish off the argument, Frost gives the reader insight on why some people are more successful in life than others, by telling us that the path of success isn’t finding yourself and then following your dream, success is about finding what you want to do and then accomplishing what you want to do as an aid for society.

The speech “‘You’ve got to find what you love,’ Jobs says” by Steve Jobs (2005), states that no matter what obstacle may be in place, if one works hard they can pass it. Jobs was adopted until a working class family, who save every penny they had to send him to college. Even though Jobs managed to go to college, he couldn’t find something he enjoy yet. Instead of wasting his parent’s money on college, he decided to quit. He quit in order to find his dream that been hiding in the depths. One he quit, he started walking in class on classes, such as calligraphy where he learned about typography. Even

Jobs says he asks himself “If [he] were to die today would what [he’s] doing that day be worth dying for.” Jobs then says that “once the answer is no for too many days in a row, something needs to change.” I agree with this even though right now every day of my life seems like I would say no, it is really just because high school seems so repetitive and pointless that it is hard to find a reason to be motivated. But I can’t imagine the college grads he’s speaking to feel much different, but then you realize that this is the reason why he dropped out of college. He was attending a university and just didn’t see the point in attending all these classes that were unuseful to him so he changed that and dropped out and that was what he needed to do, because he obviously ended up reaping some very good benefits from that decision. Know he is saying that they need to do what they love and if they find themselves in a job that they can’t see a reason why besides the paycheck then they need to change even if it means taking a risk because just getting by and doing what you love is a far better life then dying with a large sum of money that you got from a job you

Initially, I had adopted the notion that college isn’t for me, simply because Bill Gate and Mark Zuckerberg were pretty much drop outs; yet they have created more job opportunities, and even employed individuals who held a

Occasionally, I sit back and think what if I hadn’t dropped out of high school. What if I had not joined the Army? What if that What if this. I was compelled to tell myself for every wrong turn, I made; it was my way to succeed in making the right turn. Life hurls a curve ball, and you have to maneuver yourself to catch it. With an unyielding mind and determination; the wrong turn can be the right one However, it is the way we were supposed to follow that curve ball with the anticipation of will I catch it, or will I drop it. Going back to school to obtain a degree will improve my quality of life, strengthen my self-esteem, and grant me knowledge to obtain exceptional opportunities.

Some people believe you can still have a successful life without attending college. Peter Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal, believes that entrepreneurial students would be better off leaving college. He believes this so strongly that he will “pay each of the 24 winners of his Thiel Fellowship $100,000 not to attend college for two years and to develop business ideas instead”(Source E). Mr. Thiel believes very strongly that going straight into business is a more successful path and that students should not waste their time getting a college education, something he finds the demand for “irrational”(Source E).

Nine years ago, I never could have imagined I’d be writing this essay. I was a senior in high school, and, like the rest of my classmates, I was apprehensive about the future. Unlike my classmates, I felt like I had missed the proverbial “you need to get your life together” message. I watched my classmates apply to colleges, their majors already decided and their future careers mapped out. While I was an above average student, I felt I lacked the decisiveness my classmates seemed to have. I did not feel passionate about a career or even a field of study. I felt defective. This was compounded by the financial strain I knew attending college would have on my family. It seemed wasteful to try to “find my passion” at school while squandering

For example, I am now a full-time wife, mother, and IT specialist. Before being full-time anything, I had more time to focus on school than I do now, but I chose not to. I, for one, cannot fathom why I opted for that route, as a result, I now realize how effectively furthering your education can be in this world of adulthood. Without a degree there is no promise of a steady career. Could you foresee yourself working minimum wage with two children up until retirement? I didn't think

Seeing my brother and sister having a good high paying job, living happy life, makes me realize what have I done with my life? Today, My topic For my I-search paper is what I want as a career and what do I have to do in order to get there. I didn’t know what major I was interested in when I first attended college. But before I know it next few years will quickly arrive. It is true, time really does fly; soon we will be the real world, living our lives, trying to make the best out of life. I know it is a long a process to have a good life, but in order to have it we have to make the right choices, be able to work and make the big bucks. Although people say that money is not the key for life and I agree for now, but it helps. Living in our competitive world, life is all about work, unless you have rich parents who can provide you what you need. Otherwise, yes money is the key. For me, finding a good, well paying job is very

The first time I heard this speech it was 1999; I was 14 years old about to enter High School and my oldest brother was graduating high school, to me it was a motivating speech and I hoped when I graduated high school my graduating class of 2003 would have something just as inspiring to live by. The last time I listened to Mary Schmich’s speech I was 26 years old finishing up a new chapter in life, soon to graduate college, about to meet the world with a new career and anxious for what the future would hold. Now here I am, 32 years old, established in my current career, taking a leap of faith at a new one, as I work on my degree at the UoPeople. Listening to this speech today, I have a new outlook on life, more life experience and I see it again in a new light. Therefore, in reading though Schmich’s speech there are many things that stand out to me, in reinventing myself and returning to school once again this line says it all, “Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't” (Schmich, 1997). I’m sure many of you can relate! Furthermore, one of the hardest things I ever dealt with came with an unexpected call around 4:00pm on April 2, 2004; although not a Tuesday, it allows me to relate to Schmich when she stresses not to worry, “Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday” (Schmich, 1997). I’m sure many of you can

Growing up, as Tim Urban stated in his article; Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy “, we were raised “with a sense of optimism and unbounded possibility” (par 6). Moreover, what our parents didn’t tell us, is that we have to devote most of our entire life to achieve those possibility. However, our parents’ generation - the baby boomers, born in the 50s, raised by our grandparents. Were raised to “build practical, secured careers” (Urban par 4) But another for them to get to stable career they have to go through hard time, bad decisions and loss of love ones.