Steve Jobs studied calligraphy through a course at Reed College.
Jobs enrolled at Reed in 1972 but dropped out after one semester. He continued attending classes that interested him, including a calligraphy course taught by Robert Palladino, a Trappist monk and lettering expert.
Years later, Jobs said the course helped inspire the Macintosh’s emphasis on elegant typography and multiple typefaces. The story is often used to explain how apparently impractical learning can influence later product design.
Calligraphy was not a computer-science qualification, and Jobs did not graduate from Reed. His account connected the course to the Macintosh, although the computer’s typography also depended on the work of engineers and designers at Apple.