Forty-five years after Apple’s IPO, the company is now worth $4.1 trillion—but its rise was anything but smooth. Steve Jobs weathered near-bankruptcy and was even ousted from the company he had built, before returning and setting the stage for Apple’s resurgence. But what kept him going, he once told students, was a simple career lesson: doing the work you love.
“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 many jobs that Steve Jobs had and loved
