Ever since I started working with computers at the age of 12 with the Apple II C, I have been fascinated by the way everything works. The command line interface was a bit more than I wanted to know at that age, but I definitely wanted to learn how to make these dumb machines do all the cool stuff I’d seen and heard about. After 10 to 15 years of playing around with DOS and working with Windows 3.1 and eventually 95, I had decided that this was what I wanted to do with my life.
Computer technology became my hobby, but it was not a career. I didn’t even think it would be. So here we are, 25 years after my first experience with a computer, and I am now a CompTIA Certified Technician, holding my A+ and NET+ certifications and working on my MCSE, MCSA, and CCNA. After all these years, I finally made the switch. I had been in construction as a career for most of my working years, but always kept up with the newest computer technology. I like video games, and a gamer has to keep up if he wants to play the new games when they come out. I built my first game system back in the “Quake” and “Duke Nukem” days. As the graphics became more and more intense for gaming, I had to acquire more and more knowledge about new PC technology.
Another thing that happened around this time was that the distribution of viruses had become much more frequent. I had to learn how to remove them because having friends with computers means I’m automatically the first phone caller when a virus strikes. Getting to know them, as well as how to remove them, was a chore, but I managed to figure out a bit for myself. Of course, I had to read a lot and ask other people who knew more than I did, but most of it I learned through trial and error.
After many years of removing viruses, building systems for myself and a few friends, and after the housing market crashed a few years ago, I needed a new career path. The construction was dead in the water and my skills were being wasted. I decided to go to school. Now I have a semi-successful career and I’m working hard to keep going. I work at Area Office Machines – AAA Toner in Sarasota, FL as a computer technician. The work is great, the pay is too much and the guys I work with are crazy! So all is well at the moment, and I finally have a career that I love.