Bill Gates and Steve Jobs
Few weeks ago, a student asked me: “Who do you like, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs?” Occasionally, I receive a question like that and I often say that I respect both of them as pioneers of the technology industry but I do not really have an opinion whether I like one or the other. However, this time I answered that I respect Mr. Gates but I admire Mr. Jobs. He asked me why I made such a statement.
Earlier in the year, I read a newspaper article about the speech of Bill Gates at the National Governors Association. He said that the U.S needs to spend its education budget on areas that produce the most jobs. He said that it is about time for the U.S to reduce its education investments in arts, social science, and other areas that do not create jobs and students with degrees in these areas cannot find jobs. The U.S needs to invest more on technology and science to keep the economy growing, create more good jobs, and maintain its leadership position.
Three days later, when asked by a newspaper reporter about this issue, Steve Jobs said that technology alone is not enough. Technology has to combine with arts, with humanities, with all other areas in order to enrich the lives of people. He used the word to “make their hearts sing”, “make them see beauty in everything” to describe the benefits of this combination. He insisted that the foundation of Apple is not just technology but also design. A good engineering is important but what makes the difference is good artistic design. You can teach artists how to use software and graphic tools to create arts, but it is very difficult to turn engineer and software developers into artists. Our society needs arts as much as it does engineers and scientists.
When asked about creating jobs for the economy, Mr. Jobs said that what make people successful is how hard they work, their motivation and passion and the ability to learn from mistakes. It is about vision, commitment, ideas and willing to take risks. It has nothing to do with what they study. Anyone can be successful.
It is important to note that both Mr. Jobs and Mr. Gates did not finish college. However the two different views fascinated me. Of course, I know the reality. Today with high unemployment and difficult to find works, I am fully aware that students who study arts, literatures, and other areas will have difficulty in finding jobs. I also know that graduates in computer science, software engineering are in high demand. Most of my graduates at CMU have at least two to four job offers, several months before they graduate. I know that technology is the future and it is changing many things.
For many years, friends often ask me to advise their children when they finish high school. I always advise them “Study science and technology”. However, I also wonder what will happen if we have a society full of engineers and scientists? What will make our heart tremble? What will make us see the beauty in everything if our mind is full of logic? What will make us have sympathy for other if our mind is full of calculations?
Few weeks ago, a friend invited me to have dinner at his house. He asked me to advise his daughter who will finish high school this year. I asked her: “What do you like to study in college?” Without hesitation, the young girl said: “Music, I love music! I want to study piano”. I told her: “That is wonderful, if you have passion for it, study it, and I am sure you will do well.” The girl was very happy as I have confirmed her decision. Afterward, my friend seemed surprised: “We are hoping that you will convince my daughter to study computer science. We hope that she will go to CMU and study with you. What can she do with a degree in music? There is no job for it.”
I explained “What make her successful is not what she study but what she can bring to the world. Through music, she can make people sense the beauty and be happy. She can make the world a better place through her music. She can bring out the best in everyone then you and your wife have been doing a great job in raising children like that. The world is vast, it needs everything, every contribution to make it a better place. We need engineers but we also need musician too.”
Now you probably know why I have changed my mind about Mr. Gates and Mr. Jobs.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
