Power Profile #3: Albert Einstein
August 15, 2007 – 12:01 am | by Carl Zetterlund
Power Profiles showcase successful people who you can learn from. If there is any golden rule to follow, take advice from people who already there.
Albert Einstein if one of those rare breed of scientists that was managed to jump into main stream pop culture. “Einstein” is commonly used to call someone a genius. This isn’t even a phenomum just in the United State. It’s around the world. He has published more than 50 scientific papers. The most famous of these is the general theory of relativity. He has also written non-scientific books. He was voted as the Time person of the century beating out Gandhi. A poll of prominent physicists named him the greatest physicist of all time. Now that’s quite an accomplishment.
So why should you care? I mean… he could have had a gifted mind from birth. It’s not like you can get one of those online. Some people even say he was autistic. However, there was one quality of Einstein that is learnable.
He always persevered despite of the world. For example, Einstein had speech difficulties early on. He did not speak a word until the age of 4 years. He did however finish as a top student in elementary school. Early on, he built models and mechanical devices and showed a talent for mathematics. However, he was then sent to a progressive school, which emphasized rote learning (repetitive drilling). He was not a fan of this and ended up dropping out. Keep in mind that progressive schooling now is the opposite of rote.
He did not give up as he tried to apply directly to ETH Zurich (university). However, he couldn’t pass the test. This forced him to complete high school and enter through the traditional method.
Following graduation from college, he tried to find a teaching job. He spent 2 years trying with no success. He finally received a job working at the Federal Office of Intellectual Property, which is the patent office. He was not particularly interested in his work, but it paid his bills.
He then published four papers in 1905. These papers would eventually be known as tremendous achievements. However at the time, they were not noticed by most physicists as being important. Those who did notice rejected them completely. He had also applied for a job as assistant professor of mathematics where the job required the submission of a thesis paper. Einstein submitted his special theory of relativity paper and the university of rejected it (the most famous scientific paper).
So now he was almost 40 years old. He still hadn’t given up on his ideas even though nobody wanted to give him any support. Then something magical happens.
In 1919, Britih astronomer Arthur Eddington claimed to confirm Einstein’s prediction of gravitational deflection of starlight by the sun while photographing a solar eclipse. The leading British newspaper, The Times, printed a banner headline that read “Revolution in Science - New Theory of the Universe - Newtonian Ideas Overthrown”. This news then spread around the world.
And just like that, Einstein was shoved right into the star light. Now everyone was on the Einstein bandwagon. He then lived a celebrity life. He would have to tell people on the streets that they were mistaking him for Professor Einstein because he would constantly get stopped. He was also involved with many influential events in history such as the creation of the atomic bomb. This was ironic since he was a pacifist.
So what can we learn from Einstein? You shouldn’t necessarily give up on first attempt. Be different and be bold. Take action that makes sense to you. Sometimes the world just isn’t ready to accept your ideas just yet.
I’ll end this with some interesting facts about Einstein. He retained a faculty appointment at Princeton University. When asked to name his salary, he requested $3000. He ended up with $10,000. He also had his pension reduced from $7500 to $6000. He bought a modest house, walked to work, and never owned a car. He also was vegetarian.
Carl
P.S. The insight Einstein had was unbelievable. His greatest works were published in 1905 when he was only in his 20’s. He also had fascinating opinions on education, peace, war, liberty, and much more. I highly recommend you check out his book, Ideas & Opinions
