Last night as I was watching Survivor and flipping through Facebook, I saw several of my friends posting about Steve Jobs having died. I knew right away it wasn't a hoax, but that it was sadly, true. I couldn't help but think about all of my connections to Steve, our house is littered with his innovations; iPods, iPhones, iPad, iMac, iBook, even Pixar movies. Then I started thinking about how he really helped shape my career; all of my jobs as a grown up were Mac-based.
It all started when I was really young, like maybe 7 or 8. For whatever reason, mom sent me to computer camp one summer. It wasn't like in the woods or anything because that would be against everything computers stood for. But it was at some community college and I carpooled there with one of my grade school friends and his mom. That was where I saw my first Apple computer and learned what to do with "open apple" and "closed apple." At some point the closed apple fell by the wayside and then eventually the apple logo disappeared from the keyboard entirely and was replaced by the command symbol. I still call it the apple key. True, die-hard apple fans probably do the same thing without even realizing it.
The part time job choices in my small town were very limited, especially since I didn't have a car. So, I ended up working at our bowling alley and then our nursing home. The stories I could tell about the nursing home…whoa. Anyway, as soon as I moved away for college and came to the big city of Des Moines, I was overwhelmed by the job opportunities. I could have chosen anything, but was drawn to Kinko's. Many of my friends, including Lance, will say it was because Bill was working behind the counter. Regardless of what got me in the store, it was the technology that kept me there. Because it was a copy store, I of course started out making copies but kept finding myself being pulled to the computer room to learn and eventually help the guys in there. I stayed with Kinko's for years and became the Manager of their computer department. Desktop publishing was my thing for a long time, I really enjoyed it but would get irritated every time I called Kinko's help desk support line. They never seemed able to answer my question. That was when I realized I wanted to be on the other end of things. Designing was fun, but I had more of a technical mind and wanted to work "with" the computers, not "on" them.
Every job after that was specific to the mac and was in some form of technical support. With Advantage Computers, I was able to travel the country installing macs, networks, and software. With Target Corporation, I was the one who helped the über creative marketing department print. That was one of my favorite jobs…it allowed me to do my techy thing, while at the same time being surrounded by creative people. It was with Target that I got to experience my first ever MacWorld. I'll never forget seeing Steve Jobs deliver his keynote address, I was literally shaking with excitement. I've lost count of how many MacWorlds I've been to since, but I know with certainty that I have gotten the shivers every time. When I was sitting in the crowd watching Steve talk about his latest, greatest thing, I always had that feeling of camaraderie. I was with my people; I was where I belonged.
My dream job had always been to work at Apple HQ. It was a possible dream for many years while I was single, but once we got married and talked about roots and family, I knew I had to let that dream go. California was not an option for us. So, I started looking at the next best thing. I took Apple certification courses here in town so that I could become an extension of the Apple family. As a certified hardware and software technician, I was legally allowed to add the Apple logo to my email signature. That was a truly proud moment. Being Apple Certified also put me on Apple's radar and I was extended special, exclusive invitations. Each time I would receive an email from someone at Apple, my heart would do a little flip.
One time I was invited to a Beta class they were offering, and my job at the time encouraged me to go because Apple was going to foot the bill for the entire trip. I don't think I slept a night I was out there. I had, of course been to California many times before for work and conferences, but this was different; this was the Mothership calling me to them. Walking around the Apple campus was a dream come true, I was in awe the entire time. One day as I was leaving the cafeteria with my group of Beta testers, I saw Steve. He was sitting at a table, casually eating lunch with Jonathan Ive. I didn't know what to do, I felt like I can only imagine I would feel if I bumped into Tom Waits. I wanted to run up to him and scream, "I'm your biggest fan!!" But, it was Steve and everyone knows you don't do that to Steve. So, I very nonchalantly walked up towards the table and passed it by without so much as a "can I have your autograph?"
So, thank you Steve Jobs. Thank you for all you've given me in my career and in my home. You were a truly inspiring man and our generation was lucky to have you.
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