How I got into computers.......

[SQLGuru]

I've been programming computers longer than most of the people I work with.....that's probably why I enjoy this site.

It all started back in 5th grade (1982-1983; age 10).  My mom was going to college to finish her degree.  One of the classes she was taking was an introduction to computers.  With three young kids at home, it wasn't very easy for her to do her lab work at the local college, so Mom and Dad went out and bought one of the same computers they were using at school.  It just happened to be the greatest computer ever invented -- the Commodore 64.  A nice green monitor, dot matrix printer, disk drive, and tape drive (which never really got used) also came home the same day.

I've always been the inquisitive type, so one day I picked up Mom's textbook and started reading (I love to read and in the 5th grade was tested at a college reading level -- as well as tested for Gifted and Talented, etc.).  When I got to the programming section, I was enthralled.  I could make the computer *DO* stuff.  And so I did.  Granted, nothing spectacular, but it began my love affair with digital boxes.

I began spending hours and hours on that Commodore.....this was long before I was connected to anything else, so who knows what I actually spent my time doing......but spend it, I did.  The local college had "Saturday Science" programs during the summer, so I participated in those (6th and 7th grade).  In 7th grade, they started a Computer class in the Junior High.....I signed up immediately (the only 7th grade class -- the rest were all 8th grade).  I excelled and even taught the teacher quite a bit.  (I even blew the curve on one particularly hard test.....I scored 100% and the next nearest grade across all classes was an 80%.)  This class was on Apple IIe's.  8th grade was spent as a teachers aid for that very same class.

I think it was around 9th grade when we got our 286.  In 10th grade, the G/T program offered Pascal.  Wow, such capabilities.  I learned quite a bit about good programming practices that year.  In 11th and 12th grade, I took more advanced Pascal classes (including Numerical Methods were we did things like Fourier Transformations and other things I didn't really understand at the time), but these classes were on a VAX.  Being the "experimenter", I even learned how to do some color tricks with the GiGi terminals that we had access to.

By the time I got to college, we had a 386SX, I had taken apart and reassembled my PC's multiple times, and my love of computers were firmly set.  However the parental push was towards Engineering.....so I compromised and started in Computer Engineering.  But after the first year, I figured out that I really loved the programming, so I switched to Computer Science.

I'm approaching my 36th birthday and I've been loving computers almost all of it.  I've turned that love into a career (14 years writing business applications), side work (consulting on the side) and a hobby (taking classes in video game programming) and I wouldn't change it at all.  I can "speak" many languages (C/C++, .NET, Java, PowerBuilder, T-SQL, PL/SQL, Pascal, Ada, Fortran, BASIC, several scripting languages, etc.).  I can build my own computer (from components, not the bare chips).  And I wouldn't change *ANY* of it.

Layne

[RedWolf]

Awesome story, Layne.  Thanks for sharing.  I love reading people's personal histories with computers.

I have a question though: Where was your school located (i.e. city, state)?  They seemed pretty advanced, especially if one had a VAX.

And what are you up to these days, programming wise?

[SQLGuru]

For 11th and 12th grade, I went to the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (www.lsmsa.edu).  It's a state sponsored boarding school for "exceptional" kids.  The school is located on / has access to the resources of  Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA.

As for what I do now, it's heavy database work (hence the SQLGuru moniker) in Oracle with either Java or .NET app side code.  In my side work, I do a lot of SQL Server development.

Layne

[holy calamity!]

I was kind of hoping that you were going to say that you learned to harness your mutant SQL powers at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters..

[Konata]

Like most important things in my life, I got so involved with my first computer experience I don't remember anything about it at all. I guess hellos just aren't as important as goodbyes to me.

I do remember the first computer I owned though. R.I.P.

[t3hfr3ak]

oh noes!!!

That is all X-Men needs... a computer programming mutant. ANYWAYS

Terrific history there I started on a 286 and programming DOS menus and such. It was fun stuff... :D especially when i figured out how to password it... boy were my parents mad But it was all in good fun, the big floppy drive was a tremendous feature as most of my games were on there, then when i bought a newer game i was trying to figure out why it was on a CD and i thought i bought music instead of a game... stupid me LOL. But I then replaced my big floppy drive for a CD-Rom and started playing Sam and Max ! wow I love old games Commander Keen FTW!

[RedWolf]

I was kind of hoping that you were going to say that you learned to harness your mutant SQL powers at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters..

Yeah, it would have gone along with his avatar, wouldn't it?

Like most important things in my life, I got so involved with my first computer experience I don't remember anything about it at all. I guess hellos just aren't as important as goodbyes to me.

Sounds like 1980s pop lyrics.  Are you sure you weren't a member of White Snake?

[Konata]

member  Snake

ROTFLMAO!