My Personal Remembrance of Steve Jobs
Few people I’ve never met have had an impact upon me like Steve Jobs. He is a significant influence in my life. I said “is” because he will continue to be, even in light of his passing today.
My first exposure to computers—which would later play a central role in my minor contributions to society—came in elementary school. We had a lab of Apple ][s in our library. On occasion, our classes would have class time there, and all I can remember is LOGO. I sure liked to draw clever things with LOGO.
Later, I remember visiting my friend Andrew Joyce at his house. He had a bright, shiny Apple ][GS that we would play games on, and print posters using Print Shop. I remember thinking it was the coolest computer I’d ever seen, and that he was lucky that his Dad was a teacher, who had the computer for that reason.
In high school, I was under the impression that PCs that ran Microsoft’s operating systems were the superior choice. But I couldn’t put my finger on why enjoyed use the Mac I used in my computer graphics classes. I “knew” they weren’t “better”, so why did they feel so right?
In college, I bought my first Mac with money I had saved working for my parents over the summer in their hardware store. I didn’t want to. I still thought my Gateway PC was “better”. But I also didn’t want to wait until all hours for the Mac labs in the art department to open up so I could do my assignments.
I’ve never purchased a PC since. It took me only two weeks to get it.
When I was entering my senior year, I nearly landed my first job with Apple, as their Campus Rep for the University of Connecticut. In short, I did land the job, but since I was going to graduate in a year, the account executive told me, she would have to hire someone with more time left at the school. I almost told her I’d stay an extra year—please give me this job!
In 2002, I moved to Boston. The economy was in tatters after the Internet bubble bust and the September 11th attacks. I lived with my now-wife in Brookline, as she attended grad school at BC. I applied to job after job—tech, graphics, design, whatever. We lived off her stipend and some of my savings.
I seemingly caught a break and was tentatively hired at an awesome job with Independent Fabrications, a world-renown custom bicycle maker—but one that would start (and ultimately fall through) in the spring. I had to start earning money now, so I applied to my second job at Apple… as holiday help at the Apple retail store in Cambridge.
I got the job, was quickly asked to stay on full-time and promoted. Working for Apple was exciting, even though it was also working retail, and working retail in a mall. But, it was still awesome. It was every bit Apple. High standards. Class. Integrity. Going out of your way to do the right thing. I worked with an incredibly talented assortment of people, all ages from many walks. Some were Harvard students, some were musicians at night and this was their day jobs. Others, like me, were just trying to get on their feet as adults and figure it all out. We had one thing in common, our love of the Mac, and of making things on the Mac.
I keep in contact with several of the folks I worked with there. Many of them have gone on to great things. I often thought—both at the time and now—that Apple didn’t grasp the latent talent they had within their retail staff! Just our store’s talent would have been enough for a startup company. And we were working retail. In a mall. All because of Steve Jobs. He thought, “yes, we can have stores where the people did truly care and convey our values directly to the public.” He was called crazy. Retail had failed Apple in the past, through the filter of CompUSA and MicroCenter and other soulless entities. We had shown up to lend our talents to cause. It sounds stupid, and perhaps it was crazy.
I was so excited to walk the halls of the mothership at 1 Infinite Loop. I still have my security badge, and the excitement is visible in my photo. Apple gives all its employees who visit the main campus the same credentials that the guys who have been there 20 years have. Even if we were just visiting for two weeks of training. I felt respected.
I very much wanted to work for Apple, beyond the retail stores. It felt right walking around the campus, like I belonged there. Like a calling to help make the things that people use every day great. But, alas, California is not a fit for me for many reasons. Apple is very concentrated there, and aside from some marketing and retail, almost every job is an on-site one in Silicon Valley, or in Austin, Texas with the support group, Apple Care. When I returned to Boston as a newly minted “Mac Genius”, I kept my eyes and ears out for every local opportunity, especially at the Apple Market Center in Boston, where I participated in local small business strategy meetings. But alas, to continue to grow, I had to part ways with Apple. Fortunately for me, I found another organization that does important things within the design world that was local to my world.
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If I had never worked a day for Steve in my life, he would still be influential to me in the design realm. His quotes read like a designer’s bible. His unparalleled intuition, instinct, strategy, dedication and work ethic are all well-documented. But what made him truly unique was his taste and his bravery. His products and equal in the visible and the invisible. His good taste is the most influential for me, and is what I strive to emulate in my own work.
Whenever I make something, I often think, “what would happen if I showed this to Steve?” It never goes well in my head. He’s never impressed, and he often yells at me. That five-second fantasy dress-down often helps me step back and improve my work. I may never come close to making things as great as Steve. But I still benefit from his high standards. Later, I’ll explain my project to my real-life boss. He also has high standards. Luckily for me, he doesn’t yell nearly as much as imaginary Steve.
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Two weeks ago, I sold the last of the stock I earned as compensation at Apple. That made me sad. But the company’s growth over the past ten years literally helped buy my family a house. And for that, I am again, grateful.
Here’s to the crazy ones. Thanks for everything, Steve.
(please forgive any grammar issues, as I wrote this as a stream of consciousness an hour or two after I learned of Steve’s passing—from a breaking news alert on my iPhone)
7 months ago