13A – Reading Reflection No. 1 -

1.) What surprised you the most?

What surprised me the most, if anything, was how down-to-earth and relatable Jobs seemed at times. He didn't seem to be some creative genius during his entire life, like what you might hear about figures such as Albert Einstein or other scientists, and even found himself to dislike classes and at one point, even would leave classes he was in to take other ones where he could meet more girls, something that one wouldn't really expect from one touted as a genius or a tech leader.

2.) What about the entrepreneur did you really admire?

I really admired Jobs' openness to explore new opportunities and try out new things. I read about how he at one point travelled to India and essentially backpacked across the subcontinent. I feel like his tenacity to live and learn new things, as well as live a lifestyle filled with variance is what allowed him so much success.

3.) Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

One key example of adversity that Jobs faced was when he forced Microsoft to agree to not create graphical software for any other company besides Apple. However, when the Macintosh itself was delayed, Gates himself capitalized upon that and released his own graphical software, winning the rivalry between the two companies. Jobs could not do anything about that, but instead resolved to work harder and not let his company fade into obscurity as a result.

4.) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?

I felt that Jobs' tenacity and open-mindedness were two key traits that contributed towards his success. There were many points at which he found himself struggling with his mental health, whether it came to fitting in at school or finding his place in the world spiritually, but his drive to deal with both of those struggles by taking risks is what contributed to his success.

5.) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

Again, this has to be how normal Jobs seemed. There were sections of the text that described him playing the guitar and doing art projects, alongside struggling with classes he was in, all of which show a sharp contrast to the image of the innovative and brilliant graduate tech leader that we see depicted today.

6.) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

I would ask him what religions his pursuit of spiritual satisfactions ever led him to and what aspects about Hinduism led him to identify with that faith, as his travels across India led him to be exposed to a lot, and I'd love to hear more about that. Another question I'd ask would be whether he felt as if being adopted would have had any affect on his creativity and entrepreneurship. It's shown that Jobs had a natural apt for finding creative solutions to problems, and I'm really curious as to whether he felt that this was a natural part of himself, or something nurtured within him.

7.) What do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

I felt that Jobs really valued hard work. If he and his coworkers didn't work as hard to create their product and revolutionize the marketing for it, they would never have gotten off the ground. The reading discusses his adversity in great detail, and there were many points where I, were I in Jobs position, would have given up. I definitely share his opinion and feel as if it's entirely valid.