Steve Jobs, things you might not know #1
After I read “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson. I found it worthy to share parts of his life that shape him to be the one and only one “Steve Jobs” we know. Walter was asked by Steve Jobs himself to write about his bio, so I believe that it is true. I will summarise important parts and turn it into timeline so that you can walkthrough his life. However, it is definitely better if you read the book yourself. Let’s get started.
Adoption
1946 — After World War II
Paul Reinhold Jobs married Clara Hagopian.
Paul dropped out from high school, became mechanic and joined coast guard. Clara’s parent flee from turk when she was 2 years old. She had married before she met Paul.
1952 — Paul & Clara moved back to San Francisco
They wanted to have children but Clara suffered from ectopic pregnancy. (could not have a baby). They were looking to adopt children.
1954 — Joanne Schieble was in loved with Abdulfattah “John” Jandali
Soon after, she got pregnant. However, here father did not accept Abdulfattah.
Joanne Schieble was from rural Wisconsin family. Abdulfattah was a muslim teaching assistant from Syria.
1955 — Joanne traveled to San Francisco to arrange the adoption
Her will is that the child must be adopted by college graduates. Paul & Clara signed a pledge to pay the boy’s college education because they did not have a college degree. They named the boy “Steven Paul Jobs”
1956 — Joanne & Abdulfattah had a daughter named “Mona”
Childhood
1961 — The family moved to Mountain View, California
Jobs was very closed to his father. He learned a lot from him ex. negotiate electronic components, fixing cars. Jobs also like his house, designed by Eichler. Jobs said that Eicher gave him passion for making nicely designed products for the mass market.
Jobs met Larry Lange, a HP Engineer, He made Jobs talk to a carbon microphone. Jobs was surprised and challenged his father that microphone did not require an amplifier. He won and realized that he was smarter than this parent. He felt shame for having that though. He discovered how much his parents loved him because they accommodated and valued Jobs’s education a lot. Jobs grew up with the sense of having been abandoned but also felt special. It was the important of his personality.
Elementary School
Before Jobs started elementary school, his mother had taught him how to read. Jobs felt nothing is interesting in school, so his did a lot of pranks with his friend Rick Ferrentino.
3rd Grade
Set off explosive under teacher’s chair, he was sent home 2–3 times. However, his father did not punish Jobs, instead he told the teacher “Look, it’s not his fault. if you can’t keep him interested, it’s your fault”
This is what Jobs thought about the school “The school was at fault for trying to make me memorize stupid stuff rather that stimulating me.”
4th Grade
A women teacher, Imogene Hill, bribed Jobs to solve math problems in return with giant lollipops plus $5. Steve accepted the challenge and handed back in 2 days. After a few months, he no longer needed the bribes. He said “I just wanted to learn and to please her”.
Steve scored at the high school sophomore level, so he skipped 1 grade.
High School
He entered Crittenden Middle in high school, but he often bullied. He forced his family to moved to Cupertino-Sunnyvale school district which is better and safer. The guy lived next door taught Steve how to be a good organic gardener. That was when Steve began to appreciate organic fruits & veggies.
1968 — He questioned God & started practicing the tenets of Zen Buddhism.
This is from the book, he told the author “The juice goes out of Christianity when it becomes too based on faith rather than living like Jesus or seeing the world as Jesus saw it. I think different religious are different doors to the same house. Sometimes I think the house exists, and sometimes I don’t. It’s a great mystery.”
At that time, Paul working at Spectra-Physics (made lasers for electronics). Jobs was fascinated by the need for perfection and he was very interested in electronics.
9th Grade — Jobs was at Homestead High.
He did prank involved electronics by wiring his house with speakers (can be used as mic). He built a control room in his closet. He could listen what was happening in other room. Eventually, his father found out and really mad at him.
Jobs spent many evenings at Larry Lange garage. Lang turned jobs onto Heathkits and he believe that he could build anything. Lange also got him onto HP Explorers Club. “I was in heaven” Jobs said. The place where he saw the first desktop computer (9100A) HP was developing.
Jobs called HP CEO for some parts he need on his project in Explorer club. He got an offer from the CEO for a job and started making money. Apart from the job, he went to electronic flea markets to negotiate and then sell valuable chips & components to his manager at Halteck.
Jobs bought his first car and then traded up to a red Fiat 850 with his father’s help.
Junior year
Jobs began smoking marijauna, listened to music a lot and read poems & shakespeare. Jobs took a class with Mr.McCollum.
He met “Stephen Wozniak”
To be continued.
