I'm Crazy!

[dinowuff]

When I was around 16 years old I built my first computer based on the 8080 Intel processor.
When I was 17 years old I learned how telephone networks worked.
When I was 18 years old I had a computer with "Internet" access - That was in 1981. The first real PC was mass marketed in 1985.

I consider RFC's to be "good reads"

I graduated High School with a 2.0 GPA (The lowest you can get in the States and still Graduate)

Tried to get away from computers and technology in the early 90's (Was going to be a bar tender for the rest of my life)

BUT IT JUST SUCKS YOU BACK IN.

I am still in the IT world and will be until I die. And I still like it for the most part.

If that ain't crazy, I don't know what is.

[Egaladeist]

I wish I had the foresight to have gotten into computers when I was young...but I was too busy getting laid Now that I'm old and never get laid I see what I missed out on.

I graduated High School with a 2.0 GPA

That just means you're a geek not a nerd...some of the smartest people I knew growing up had bad grades in school...only because school, or most of it, wasn't in their field of interest.

[Panama Red]

When I was 16, I built my first hookah....

Barely managed to get past High School..mid 70's very trying times....

When I turned 20, I signed up for a long trip with the Navy (that is crazy), don't regret it at all...

I also wish I had taken a bigger interest in computers and found about $10,000 and bought MS shares...

Your not crazy dino....your committed.........

[imnogeek]

I didn't even take the computer related exams - there was no fun in that, we had the computers in our form, they were our domain, we peeked and poked and drew pretty pictures in ascii, we got detention for changing the error codes on Basic machines (syntax error = you made a boo boo) - fun nothing else!

... and here I am too

probably you need a certain crazynesss to do computers?

[Ally]

Because computers don't, well, compute with me - does that mean I'm sane ?

[Dogbert]

Because computers don't, well, compute with me - does that mean I'm sane ?

No, it makes you even more insane.

[Ally]

Because computers don't, well, compute with me - does that mean I'm sane ?

No, it makes you even more insane.

Well that wasn't nice

[dinowuff]

Because computers don't, well, compute with me - does that mean I'm sane ?

I think the only sane people are the ones that have the ability to "UN-PLUG" and stay that way.

[Harbinger]

I started programming in the 9th grade. I became too advanced for the classes offered by my sophmore year and began taking college courses. I became an Asst. Network Engineer for my school county my junior year. I taught the (second year) Advanced Computer Systems Technology Class at my school when I was a senior.

Three weeks before I graduate High School, I decided I was sick of computers. Now I'm medical, which is what I swore my entire life would be the last thing I would ever do. I guess I was right.

Life is funny like that.

[Timaxe]

Nice to see you around again Harb.

Over the years I learned about networking and programming. But it didn't really click until Napster came out all those years ago. Though I didn't use it, the model intrigued me and I did a bunch of research to find Gnutella, and got access to a web proxy node on the network as well as the networking software. It really helps to accelerate the learning process for how computers work, especially when you see potential business models hidden in there. But it was too risky for my liking.

Harb and I had fun with computers in 9th grade. We came up with interesting plans, and even occasionally managed to get people to carry them out for us. Probably the only thing we didn't do was make an Etherkiller from BOFH lore. Fun times. But by 11th grade I distanced myself from computers. I had moved and changed schools, and wanted to try something else.

But it pulls you back in. You can't escape it. And I don't think Harb can escape it much longer. I've been plugged back in. Now I'm waiting on Harb...he just needs to listen to the voices.

[Harbinger]

You wouldn't be too far off.

Instead of spending hours pouring over code, I spend hours reviewing and analyzing hours and hours of cardiac diagnostics. Particularly Holter Monitors, which is like a crude 24 hour Electrocardiogram. I feel this irony every time I comb through one.

[SirDice]

All sounds quite familiar..

My dad bought a C-64 when I was 12. He thought it was a good idea to let me play with it
Schools didn't have any computer related courses back then (about 25 years ago).
Started writing programs for my dad, he was an insurance salesman, to calculate interests and whatnot..
Normally he had to look everything up in little booklets, then he just entered some data and it'll just popup

Even when schools started offering interesting courses I was always way ahead of them..
Gets kinda boring when you know the answer even before the question gets asked.

Never actually finished any of the schools I went to of course, maybe I would have been doing something else if I did..

Got my first real job (after all the schools and the draft) working for a computer repairshop without ever having touched a wintel PC before, let alone repair one

[Timaxe]

Harb and I knew why a question was being asked, so we complied and didn't think too hard about it. We got shit done, and had way too much time to play around on the school network...

The one time we went overboard on class project we managed to get the better part of an inventory control/tracking system written in C during a lecture in our BASIC class...so yeah...I don't think we knew if it would actually compile until we were able to sneaker net it via floppy disk to a computer with VisualC++ installed... But if I remember correctly it compiled but it took a while to work out kinks with its CLI that accepted multiple length inputs...

But I eventually dropped out of the programming side. It was too much theory, and I wanted to apply it - and at the same time I didn't want to work in a programming sweat shop. So I went with mechanical engineering - at least they go outside, right? All I can say is that wasn't a good choice of study to avoid impossible to apply theory...the last time I saw a uniform load was 6 years ago on a military base...so yeah...no matter what isn't the same, it doesn't really change all that much - I just hope we get paid more now than back then.

[Harbinger]

Harb and I knew why a question was being asked, so we complied and didn't think too hard about it. We got shit done, and had way too much time to play around on the school network...

Hahahahaha! Wasn't that the damned truth? Who knew broadcasting messages over the entire network was prohibited? looooool! Never made that mistake twice! Or what about when we accessed Vincent's server space and trashed his science project before he printed it out on the due date? LOL! He nearly cried! That prick deserved it.

Good times.

[|3lack|ce]

Dear Dino

Move to northeast Texas for a year or three.

With 5 universities and 12 community colleges cranking out IT professionals as quickly as they can graduate them, IT CAN'T GET YOU! In fact, IT spits out more degreed professionals in this area than most areas dream of having on hand.

There's a reason I never did put that CNE to work - and never did bother with MCSE or updating anything, and a reason I'm working as a Hotel Manager..and have held such wonderful jobs as:

Construction Electrician, Convenience Store Clerk, Waiter, Taxi Driver (don't ask, it was a brief job), Electric Meter Reader, Medical Equipment deliverer/installer, Cable Installer (Eyup, I was a bona-fide Larry the Cable Guy!), and Long-Haul Trucker.

Just to name a few

I promise, after a brief time here you'll be BEGGING ON BENDED KNEE to go back home to your happy, safe IT BOFH job.