Book Summary: The Last Lecture

This book is based on Randy Pausch’s last lecture. He was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was told that he had months to live. Sometime after he learned his diagnosis, it was his turn to give a lecture as a part of the series called “Journeys” where selected professors were asked to reflect on their personal and professional journey. He accepted it knowing it would be his last lecture.

To quote Randy Pausch, “I knew what I was doing that day. Under the ruse of giving an academic lecture, I was trying to put myself in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach for my children. If I were a painter, I would have painted for them. If I were a musician, I would have composed music. But I am a lecturer. So I lectured.”

This lecture is also available on YouTube.

I read this book some 8 or 9 years back for the first time and again in August this year. I will try to make this post a reflection on the impact this book had on me back then and how it has changed my life.

Specific Dreams

When I was in grade school, a lot of kids wanted to become astronauts. I was aware, from an early age, that NASA wouldn’t want me. I had heard that astronauts couldn’t have glasses. I was OK with that. I didn’t really want the whole astronaut gig. I just wanted the floating.

This statement left a lasting impression and every dream/goal I had since then was as specific as possible.

At the time of the first reading, my dream of joining the Navy morphed into being a Marine Commando. When that didn’t work out and I had to study Engineering, I decided I would work in cybersecurity. It was the answer I gave when someone asked me why I joined Engineering. Back then, I didn’t know about all the sub-fields that existed inside cybersecurity, and as soon as I realized that I worked towards figuring out my exact specialization.

Having specific goals allowed me to be very focused on the type of work I was doing and the things I was learning early on.

Bringing Something to the Table

Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.

This statement left a lasting impression on me from my first read and since then I have made sure I always had something to bring to the table in every aspect of my life. To give an example of a simple habit that formed out of this insight and has helped me make a lot of friends and socialize better was to carry extra pens wherever I go. That has been an icebreaker in many places and has helped me make friends with people with whom I would have never talked otherwise.

All You Have to Do Is Ask

Actually, Dad, having been an Imaginer, I’ve learned that there’s a trick to getting to sit up front. Do you want to see it?

He said sure.

So I walked over to the smiling Disney monorail attendant and said:

Excuse me, could the three of us please sit in the front car?

Certainly, sir, the attendant said. He opened the gate and we took our seats beside the driver. It was one of the only times in my life I ever saw my dad completely flabbergasted. I said there was a trick, I told him as we sped toward the Magic Kingdom. I didn’t say it was a hard trick.

Sometimes, all you have to do is ask.

As this exchange suggests, asking for something is a low effort, high reward activity that I have wondered often why everyone doesn’t do it all the time.

When I was offered an internship in CloudSEK, I was a third-year student and no one has been allowed to do an internship for the entire final year until then. We decided to go ahead and ask for permission even though the chances of allowing me were slim. To our surprise, the principal didn’t need any convincing, he approved it immediately. If I hadn’t asked, I would have missed a life-changing opportunity.

Parting Thoughts

The three talking points of this blog are a minuscule sample of the lessons that you can get by reading this book. I found a lot of things I missed or didn’t care about during my first read now. This book has made me think and feel grateful for many things I have never thought of until now even though it was a re-read.

I firmly believe there is something for everyone in this book and would recommend this for anyone who is looking to pick up a book.