Apple CEO Tim Cook has some profession recommendation for current school graduates — and it is not about out-working rivals.

Instead, it is about making a profession — and a life — out of what drives you. At Gallaudet University’s graduation ceremony in Washington D.C. on Friday, Cook stated he thinks younger individuals can lead significant careers in the event that they’re guided by values, ethics or causes that inspire them to make a distinction.

“I recognize that leading a company and leading a good life are not the same thing, but I know in my heart that staying true to who you are and what you believe is one of the most important choices you can make,” Cook stated in his speech, which was translated into American Sign Language. “It will help you form better relationships. It will help you find more satisfaction in your work.”

It’s a lesson, the tech titan stated, that he realized from his 24 years at Apple. By prioritizing his personal beliefs — particularly concerning sustainability, privateness and accessibility — he has developed methods to steer the corporate whereas feeling personally fulfilled in his life exterior the workplace.

In reality, Cook — who joined Apple in 1998 and have become CEO in 2011 — stated a “sense of meaning” is what initially drew him to the corporate.  

“Our purpose has always been to create technology that enriches people’s lives,” Cook stated. “That’s why we work hard to make technology that is accessible to everyone, why we fight to protect the fundamental right to privacy and why we are constantly innovating to help protect the environment and leave the world better than we found it.”

Cook’s prioritization of accessibility possible resonated with Friday’s viewers. Gallaudet University is “the only university in the world where deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing students live and learn bilingually in American Sign Language and English,” in response to the college’s web site. And it is not the primary time the college and Apple have collaborated: A 2020 initiative gifted the entire college’s college students and school with MacBook Pros or iPad Pros. Last 12 months, an all-deaf crew labored with the corporate to create Apple Map Guides to highlight companies and organizations that assist the Deaf group.

On Global Accessibility Awareness Day in May 2021, the corporate launched new companies and apps for deaf and arduous of listening to customers, like an interpretation service that lets prospects talk with AppleCare and retail representatives through the use of signal language.

At the time, Cook made his intentions clear with a tweet, stating “everyone should have the tools they need to change the world.”

The sentiment seems to have foreshadowed Cook’s graduation deal with, the place the CEO concluded the speech by wishing the graduates luck, achievement and which means of their careers to return.

“When you imagine your future and the winding path that is laid out before you, remember that the question you should ask is not what will happen, but who will I be when it does?” Cook stated. “I hope you be good stewards of the planet we inhabit and participants in the fight to make it better, more equal, more accessible.”  

Sign up now: Get smarter about your cash and profession with our weekly publication

Don’t miss:

Apple CEO Tim Cook is anti-mindless scrolling: ‘I think it’s unhealthy in your psychological well being’

Steve Jobs used his trip time to bombard Apple staffers with telephone calls, says iPod’s creator — right here’s why