JOBS - Blogs - Black Business Women Online

JUNIQUES BRINGS YOU JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Posted by Rickey on October 9, 2013 at 6:58pm

Hello community, Make sure you add to your must read our monthly newsletter Happy New Month, http://www.juniques.ws/hnm

There is a lot of online business development for some companies that are determined to be "game changers" in their industries.

Mobile Messaging and Blogging is here to stay and Empower Network plans to play a major role in being a service provider.

info http://www.jmcc.me

You Get Paid Fast, a one time only payment company, offering software, and lead development system is changing how payment to members are being done. It infinity line , 4 level, payment system has hundreds joining daily.

info http://www.doitnow.info

Juniques Multi Cultural Connections introduces new silver coin rebate program. Paid Membership can receive 4 silver coins per year. Having Silver Coins in your asset portfolio is a smart financial move

info http://www.jusmcc.us

Offering 800# quote service ( USA and Canada) is proving to be very helpful for work at home individuals who really like to just provide a service and get paid. Now for no fees, a person can offer 800# quote for companies that pay them to promote.

info http://www.mybusinessaz.com

Art and Sports Fundraiser. ( USA and England ) Donald Brown, renown sculptor, has put together a great fundraiser for any organization. By providing his award winning sculptors and prints in a no fee affiliate program has open the door for many cash strapped organization to generate money for their organization.

info http://www.gotherenow.org

Juniques Marketing, recognizes and accept, people do not like to sell. Advocate of No Rejection Marketing and providing the communication tools to only speak with those who want to speak with you. Many services are free. info http://www.ihateselling.org

JMCC WILL CONTINUE TO BRING YOU JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Somebody Needs to Tell the Truth About Private vs. Public Job Creation

Posted by SAM on September 26, 2012 at 2:45am

There is a lot of discussion about the role of Government in creating jobs in the United States. Some say that the Government should relax regulations so that private companies and small businesses can have more flexibility in creating jobs. Others argue that the Government should do more to create jobs in the various governmental entities.

But no one states the reality, and that reality is that much of the business that corporations and small businesses do is with the Government. A lot of it is local, much of it is state, and a great majority is with the federal government. Who is GM’s biggest customer? Who’s buying Boeing airplanes? Who’s the largest purchaser of Apple, Dell, and Hewlett Packard computers?

On the municipal level, contactors jump through all kinds of hoops to qualify for city street and sidewalk contracts. Auto dealers break their necks trying to get contracts for new police cars and city vehicles. Private trash haulers generally need contracts with municipalities to stay profitable.

The Small Business Administration, a federal government entity, provides resources for individuals to start or grow their small businesses. In 2011, the U.S. Government spent
$535 billion dollars in contracts with 23% of that total targeted towards small businesses.

Once a small business is up and running, for many, it is imperative that they are able to obtain contracts with local, state, and federal governments. Consider the rise in the number of small businesses providing health care to the elderly. Most of those businesses rely on payments from Medicaid and Social Security.

So the truth is that Government is the great sustainer of jobs in this country. Without government investment, both private and public sector jobs would dry up.

There is a lot of discussion about the role of Government in creating jobs in the United States. Some say that the Government should relax regulations so that private companies and small businesses can have more flexibility in creating jobs. Others argue that the Government should do more to create jobs in the various governmental entities. But no one states the reality, and that reality is that much of the business that corporations and small businesses do is with the Government. A lot of it is local, much of it is state, and a great majority is with the federal government. Who is GM’s biggest customer? Who’s buying Boeing airplanes? Who’s the largest purchaser of Apple, Dell, and Hewlett Packard computers? On the municipal level, contactors jump through all kinds of hoops to qualify for city street and sidewalk contracts. Auto dealers break their necks trying to get contracts for new police cars and city vehicles. Private trash haulers generally need contracts with municipalities to stay profitable. The Small Business Administration, a federal government entity, provides resources for individuals to start or grow their small businesses. In 2011, the U.S. Government spent $535 billion dollars in contracts with 23% of that total targeted towards small businesses. Once a small business is up and running, for many, it is imperative that they are able to obtain contracts with local, state, and federal governments. Consider the rise in the number of small businesses providing health care to the elderly. Most of those businesses rely on payments from Medicaid and Social Security. So the truth is that Government is the great sustainer of jobs in this country. Without government investment, both private and public sector jobs would dry up.

7 Essential Skills and Qualities You Need to Land Your Next High Paying Job

Posted by Zhana on February 13, 2012 at 10:30am

I have loads of articles, blogs, audios, videos and websites to help you with your job search.

http://tinyurl.com/868b272

Plus go here for my free job search consultations:

http://www.blacksuccess1.com/jobsearchconsultations.htm

Here's to your success!

New Year, New Job

Posted by Zhana on January 11, 2012 at 2:30pm

Looking for work? The new year can be a great time to look for a new job.

I've got lots of resources to help you in your job search. To read more, see New Year, Njew Job?

Are you Chasing Pavements?

Posted by Diane Griffi on January 16, 2011 at 2:30am

This morning while driving to a client’s site, I heard a song by the artist Adelle. In the song she is singing about chasing pavements.

Chasing Pavements?

I pondered on this title for a moment, and then it hit me that, I have often felt that I have been chasing pavements by looking for ways to market my EBooks guides, and my security consulting business.

Have you ever felt that you are just going around in circles, to find that it leads no where?

Am I wasting my time, trying to educate people that by having a government security clearance would guarantee you to make $5,000 – $10,000 more?

Should I give up?

What am I doing wrong?

How can I get the word out about this fabulous e-Book guide on the Step by Step e-Book guide on getting high paying secure job with the federal government or government contractor, by learning the insiders secret’s to getting a security clearance?

http://www.getasecurityclearancejob.info/

As I continue to listen to the song, I realize that artist is singing about Love, and then I realized that Chasing Pavements can apply to any area of you life.

I would Love to get people back working, wouldn’t YOU!

Aren’t we all Chasing Pavements for something?

As I proceeded to walk to my client’s office, I realized that I am chasing pavements, and I will continue to do so, as long as there are million people out of work. I pledge to do my part to help as many people as I can, and continue to chase pavements.

What about you? Will you help me to spread the word about my blog, my eBooks and my security consulting business?

One push of a button is all it takes

.

If you were out of work wouldn’t you want someone to help you?

$19.95

That all it cost

$19.95

Do you want a Government Security Clearance?

Order NOW!

http://www.getasecurityclearancejob.info/

Let’s stimulate the economy and get folks back to work.

Leave a comment………………………… I live for them……………………….

Remember to help me pass on the word about my e-book guide, by forwarding my blog through your social media channels and as always,

Leave a comment………………………………………

I Live for them…………….

Happy New Year

Source: Artist – Adelle

website is http://www.securityfirstassociates.com/

blog is http://yougetwhatyoumeasure.com/SecurityFirst/wordpress/

Make Lemonade out of Lemons?

Posted by Diane Griffi on December 4, 2010 at 4:21am

Due to a terrible accident, I found myself sitting in traffic instead of enjoying the wonderful Holiday Tour at The White House with some of my CMI colleagues.

As I turned around to make my drive back home, I found myself crying and pouting like I was a 5 year-old. I felt I had let Nell Merlino, and the rest of the Count Me In Group down. I am sure you have heard the phrase “When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.” This ageless proverb has long served as a beacon of hope and comfort to grieving souls worn by life’s most complex and heart-wrenching difficulties.

Why am I thinking about Lemons?

While driving back home, tired and cold, I received a telephone call and at first I hesitated to answer it, and then a voice inside of me said go ahead, you have nothing better to do.

I answered the phone with a bit of attitude and said, “This is Diane, how may I help you?” The deep, masculine voice on the other end responded by saying, “Maybe we can help each other.” I immediately changed the tone in my voice and hung on every word the caller was saying. The caller started by stating he would like to start an affiliate program to help sell my book and, since he deals with military bases throughout the U.S., he would also like to introduce my company to some of his clients.

We chatted a little longer about how one would go about getting a government security clearance and the terrible unemployment rate, and I really started to feel a little better. We are women, we are use to disappointments in life, right? After the conversation ended, I realized several things:

Nell and the Count Me In group will be there as long as I need them.
I can sign up for The White House Tour anytime.
I can send President Obama and Michelle the questions I had about the unemployment rate by email.

So, “Count Me In” while I make lemonade out of my lemons—with a slice of chocolate cake, tonight!

Diane Security First & Associates

www.securityfirstassociates.com

Are You at Risk of Losing Your Business?

Posted by Diane Griffi on August 10, 2010 at 9:41pm

Are You at Risk of Losing Your Business?

I am happy to announce that my company is being featured in INC. magazine in the article about "Are you at Risk of losing your Business".

Are You at Risk of Losing Your Business?

All too often I receive phone calls from frantic business owners who have a once trusted employee or freelancer threatening to leave the company or behaving in a way that indicates something is very wrong. Yet the business owner is fearful about parting ways for a number of reasons, including the fear of competing against a once green part timer for future business. The solopreneur has trusted said “employee”, taught he or she everything about the business, and, oh-oh, Sally is no longer happy being paid an hourly wage and threatens to go out on her own. What valuable contacts, resources and information might Sally be taking with her?Applicant pre screening is one way you can find out who a person is, before they become a part of your team. Ask yourself what does e-mail lists, business information, customer contact lists, employee records and financial information all suddenly have in common? Answer: They are the Top 5 things stolen by freelancer, bookkeepers, even employees after leaving a job or when the job is completed.

To see the complete article go to:

http://www.inc.com/marla-tabaka/are-you-at-risk-of-losing-your-business.html

If you like the article please help me out by leaving a comment on INC's website!

Thanks

Diane Griffin

President

Security First & Assoc.

866-661-5211

www.securityfirstassociates.com

World's Foremost Internet Wealth Advocate Reveals Proven System For Generating Income Online

Posted by Intisar "Superstar" Pierce on March 27, 2010 at 2:30am

For Immediate Release:
WHITNEY,TX - Stephen Pierce, who went from being bankrupt and homeless to running a multi-million dollar business the past ten years, announces the release of his Infinite Internet Income Workshop. As a Certified Accelerated Innovation Trainer, Pierce travels the world and coaches CEOs and other corporate executives. He's also a Certified Coach and works one-on-one with individuals who want to pursue their dreams and set up their own home-based Internet business.

Thanks to his travels toSingapore, Australia, India, Malaysia, Dubai, South Africa and other countries, he's helped thousands of people around the world set up their own successful online business as a result of his coaching and inspiration. "I created the Infinite Internet Income Workshop because making more money doesn’t have to mean working more hours. It’s not about working harder… it’s about working smarter and using leverage."

Thanks to theinternet there is unprecedented opportunity to make money from home, even during difficult economic times.The Infinite Internet Income Workshop will literally change the way you think about making money and help you take concrete steps to ridding yourself of debt and start living a healthier, wealthier life. It shows people step by step how to create an online business and gives members the tools they need to get their websites up and running in hours, with no computer skills required.

In these 3 extraordinary days you will learn…

How anyone with a computer and Internet connection can make more money starting immediately.
How to build automated income machines that pump in cash daily to increase your income.
My step-by-step system for success.
Mental strategies to overcome obstacles and excel in the face of challenges.
How to build websites that pump in cash daily and create long-term passive residual income for you and your family.
How to eliminate your fears and embrace your financial freedom.
How to start making $100 a day in 14 days.
How to make quick chunks of cash on the Internet in 3 days or less.
And tons more!

"My entire life changed the moment I gave myself permission to succeed," says Pierce. "With the Infinite Internet Income Workshop I have the opportunity to help others see that they, too, can succeed financially beyond what they have ever imagined." For more information about Infinite Internet Income Workshop, visit http://www.YouCanBeAVirtualMillionaire.com

Pass this on its true I just join its free Earn Cash for socializing with others

Posted by Workathomemomblogs on December 8, 2009 at 10:31am

Pass this on its true I just join to try no credit card needed or bank account you can start making money now today I just made some cash just by being on the site check it outEarn cash just by socializing Check out this its on the news all over .Free,Free You will not believe what I saw on the news you get paid just by getting your friends and family to join the social network its free you do not get paid here on fb but they pay you for getting friend to join you I just joined today they paid me .03 just after getting in 3 seconds freeEarn cash just by socializing

Airline Cuts

Posted by Dana Hickles on September 5, 2009 at 1:30pm

Tuesday, September 1, 2009, 12:39pm CDT | Modified: Wednesday, September 2, 2009, 7:35amAMR to cut 921 flight attendant jobsDallas Business JournalAmerican Airlines Inc. said Tuesday that 921 flight attendant positions will be eliminated, effective Oct. 1. The move will help the airline reach its previously announced goal of cutting 1,200 flight attendant jobs by the end of the year.The airline had delayed the cuts to allow time for flight attendants to accept voluntary leaves. In a statement, American said the reductions include "449 voluntary options, 224 involuntary overage leaves and 228 furloughs.”Flight attendants who volunteered to accept leaves saved 279 jobs from ending up on an involuntary furlough list, the airline said. With a two-month involuntary leave, 244 flight attendants will preserve their jobs while also allowing other flight attendants to continue flying.After accounting for the overage leaves, travel separations and modified flying schedules, the airline still had to eliminate 228 flight attendant positions to reach its goal of cutting 1,200 positions by October.American announced in late spring that the carrier would make the cuts to help keep the airline's operational expenses in line with the business demands of the current economy.Southwest Airlines Co. will cut 42 round-trip flights but add another 32 round-trip flights for schedules that run from Jan. 10 through March 12.The changes will mean a loss of 10 round-trip flights during the early 2010 travel period, Southwest said. A spokesman for the airline said 92 markets will be affected by the changes.The only adjustment in North Texas is the addition of one flight between Dallas and Houston, Dallas-based Southwest (NYSE: LUV) said.The airline says it's adjusting its flight schedule due to changing traffic patterns.Southwest uses optimization technology to help assess customer demand and add value, a spokeswoman for the airline said, noting that scheduling changes at Southwest occur throughout the year.

What Is Cash Gifting?

Posted by Gee Renee on May 26, 2009 at 12:00pm

Many of my friends are inquiring about Cash Gifting, and what it really is. To try and address this as succinctly as I can, let me first tell you what Cash Gifting is NOT.

Cash Gifting as it is known today is:

NOT an investment club,
NOT a business,
NOT a pyramid,
NOT a scam,
NOT MLM,
NOT illegal,
NOT a company or corporation,
NOT a commercial enterprise of any kind.

Yet, through the act of freely giving and freely receiving Cash Gifts, many are receiving via overnight courier as much as $10,000 weekly.

With Cash Gifting there are:
NO investments,
NO paychecks,
NO products or services to sell,
NO tapes or manuals to buy,
NO one MAKES or EARNS any money.
There is NO profit making benefit of any kind associated with this activity.

Are you intrigued? I know I was when I first learned about this amazing Cash generating system. If you would like to learn more about this activity that has financially blessed so many others; visit: www.ILeverageCash.com or www.Luke638Works.info. Leave me your contact information, and I will be in contact with you immediately.

Prosperity is Waiting…Go Get It,

Gee Renee

A Mother's Day gift to yourself!!

Posted by SONYA on May 7, 2009 at 2:13pm

Happy Mother's Day from the Freedom At Home Team!Are you a Mother who works hard to do the best possible for your family? Are you like many Mothers out there...looking for a way to supplement the family income?Our company has been helping Mothers all over the country for years. Mothers (and Fathers!) have been building successful businesses with our company and supplementing the family income, replacing a part-time, or full-time income and assisting others with building businesses, or saving with their health needs.Learn more about our benefit programs: http://www.MyBenefitsPlus.com/40585101Our team is the fastest growing team in the company and we have thorough training and tools to help you be successful.AND just recently we debuted our new commercial!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Watch it here! www.FreedomAtHomeTeam.tv~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~What we offer:* Daily and Weekly Pay* Free Training* Residual Monthly Pay* Bonuses option* Marketing websites* AD&D Insurance* Benefits Package for Entire HouseholdVisit my website to read about our company:http://www.FreedomAtHomeTeam.com/40585101 or Call me at 770-739-9970 so I can answer any of your questions!Our company has hundreds of Mothers who read an email (much like this) who talked to a team member about what we offer, researched our company through our websites and training calls and started a business which has made a difference in their family member's lives. Will you be the next one?I look forward to talking with you!Sincerely,Sonya Benbow770-739-9970Sbenbow@ameriplan.nethttp://www.Iboplus.com/40585101

Jazz Goes Green Local Businessmen Collaborate To Preserve Jazz And Develop Green Opportunities

Posted by Edwina on March 20, 2009 at 1:00pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 16 , 2009
PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Darrly Bundridge
(909) 466-4848
info@ultimatejazzfestival.com
www.ultimatejazzfestival.com

Jazz Goes Green Local Businessmen Collaborate To Preserve Jazz And Develop Green Opportunities

Riverside, CA - Two long-time local businessmen, Darryl Bundridge, proprietor of several business, and Sean Jones, CEO of SLJ Pro Audio Services, have joined together to create “Jazz to be Green”, a non-profit public benefit corporation, to help educate businesses and consumers about energy efficiency, green environment and green jobs opportunities while preserving the art form and legacy of jazz.

JAZZ TO BE GREEN presents its first inaugural Ultimate Jazz Festival in Riverside at Fairmount Park, August 22-23, 2009. The event will host a variety of jazz greats and emerging artists representing all genres of jazz from swing to classic, to be-bop to smooth jazz. The inaugural event includes a Go Green Fair with vendors, speakers, and activities that educate and bring awareness to the community about using energy wisely, environmental opportunities and responsibilities, and green jobs.

The City of Riverside was chosen as the best location for this event. Riverside’s rapidly growing community, cultural diversity, strategic and innovative commitment to high standards of “green” living, strong economic growth, and its Riverside Renaissance initiative makes the City of Riverside the perfect place for The Ultimate Jazz Festival.

Strategic partnerships with local businesses is a strategy JAZZ TO BE GREEN has employed to ensure a beneficial outcome for the City of Riverside. Local jazz enthusiast and CEO of eBiz Marketing, The Inland Empire’s emerging premier email marketing service provider, states, “Our media sponsorship of Jazz To Be Green Ultimate Jazz Festival was a no-brainer. Combining the overarching need for our world, and especially our state to be actively environmentally conscious and creating solutions with the need to preserve, share, and celebrate the precious art of jazz, is a win-win scenario for all.”

The Ultimate Jazz Festival missions to provide the Inland Empire with an Ultimate experience in Jazz entertainment by celebrating aspiring, new, and world-renowned artists while cultivating the region’s rapidly growing cultural diversity and educational and economical opportunities through the Art of Jazz. For more information or to get involved, please contact Darrly Bundridge (909) 466-4848, info@ultimatejazzfestival.com, or visit online at www.ultimatejazzfestival.com.

# # #

how to make a career change

Posted by jacqueline cahee casey on December 17, 2008 at 10:30pm

because of the half a million job layoff lossesmany of us have had to make major job changes career changesHow to make a career change, mycareer.comFlick through any lifestyle magazine and you'll read about people who have found fulfilment by downsizing their careers or realising long-held professional ambitions. Indeed, with sea and tree changes the order of the day, a new career often comes with the territory. But what should you consider before making a career change? And how do you make it happen?Annabel Rees, National General Manager of People Solutions, helps get you started:1. Check your motivationsBefore you dive into planning your career change, assess your motivations so you can be sure that you’re doing it for the right reasons. If you’re reacting to poor management, then you may want to forgo a career change and switch employers instead. Or, if it's a response to personal challenges or change, a rethink might be wise.2. Get brainstormingIf you’re having trouble coming up with career alternatives, then consider using brainstorming techniques and psychometric assessments for greater inspiration. It's common for people to generate a number of potential new careers before settling on the one that’s most suited to their skills, interests, and personality.3. Do your researchResearching careers online and talking to industry experts will give you a greater understanding of any professional qualifications, memberships or certificates that are required. And if you want to get to the grit beneath the glitter of your new career, shadowing someone in their job for a day will give you a greater understanding of what’s involved.4. Start preparing Solid preparation makes a successful career change more likely. To this end, consider polishing your resume and interview skills. This can be done in workshops where presentations, role plays, case studies and written quizzes will get you up to speed. Or, if you don't have time to fit a class into your busy schedule, look out for helpful books or articles.5. Plan your transitionOne secret to making a successful career change is to identify the steps required to make it work for you. This can be achieved using a career coach or your own initiative. Make a list of what you want to achieve and then use SMART goal setting to ensure that they’re specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.6. Take active stepsRemember, your career change won’t happen by itself. The best way to achieve it is through commitment, action and sheer hard work. Also, the more structured your career change, the greater your chances are of you pulling it off, so, where possible, follow your plan to a tee

8 Ways to Stay Marketing-Minded During a Recession

Posted by Karen A. Davis on December 12, 2008 at 6:00pm

By Karen A. DavisOkay, I admit it. Although I am typically quite optimistic, some days, this economy can really get me down. The building industry has taken a big hit in this recession we’re in. But, we know with time, this season of crisis will pass.So if projects in your office have slowed or if you’ve been laid-off, continue to work toward your goals, develop and review your personal and professional marketing objectives, and stay in top shape – physically, mentally and work-wise – so you’re ready for those new projects and deals coming your way.1. Stay on a regular work schedule. Wake up as if you have a number of clients to keep happy at the office. It’s easy to sleep in for a while and treat your first few days (or weeks) as a vacation, but you must remain on task: continuing to look for new projects or a new position.2. Don’t isolate yourself. Make regular appointments to meet with colleagues to discuss job and project possibilities. If you’re a designer, or if you specify products, make regular showroom visits to stay current.3. Boost your ego. Make a list of all of your skills and qualifications, even if they are not directly related to your profession or the services you currently offer. Next, develop a plan to articulate how these skill sets can benefit others. When you’re going after that next job or project, you don’t want to go in with the attitude, “How can you help me?” rather “How can I help you?”4. Learn new skills. Download free software such as Google SketchUp. Or locate live classes for other interests through Meetup.com or other social networking sites.5. Write about the things you know on a blog, whether it’s your profession or a hobby. Include a link to your site as part of your e-mail signature.6. Take advantage of free education. Many trade publication sites offer free webinars, training videos, and articles for continuing education units.7. Explore all the possibilities. What’s your passion? If you were not in your current profession what would you do? Determine how you can relate what you really love to what you do for a living.8. Volunteer. Nothing can make you forget about your temporary troubles quicker than helping someone else. Teaching a student math or a construction skill, or building a house with Habitat for Humanity can benefit your community as well as your resume.A recessive economy doesn’t have to mean idle time. Create a job for yourself and become the building industry professional you aspire to be.Karen A. Davis has over 20 years experience in the architecture, construction and facilities management fields. She is founder and president of Building Industry Resources, a company that provides business development and technical support services, and managing partner with KARMIS, LLC, a construction and facilities consulting firm. Ms. Davis is also a college instructor and author.

a great speech by steve jobs apples founder

Posted by jacqueline cahee casey on October 21, 2008 at 3:33am

excerpt of Steve Jobs' Commencement address (2005)this really inspired meThis is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.The first story is about connecting the dots.I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.My second story is about love and loss.I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. 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. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.My third story is about death.When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.Thank you all very much.

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Note: this page contains paid content.