General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: This message was self-deleted by its author [View all]MineralMan
(147,084 posts)I was a writer. I got that first PC clone because I was writing a book of woodworking and other home projects and insisted that the publisher buy me a PC so I wouldn't have to write on an IBM Selectric. The publisher agreed and the entire book was done digitally.
However, I took my first computer programming class in 1963, using FORTRAN and an IBM 1620.
I fell in love with the PC. That book was the end of my woodworking project and home repair article business. I took a year off, based on the proceeds of that book and dove into the world of PCs in the mid-80s. I switched to writing about PCs and software and went from there. I started creating niche software for MS-DOS and switched to programming for Windows as soon as I could. Then, I produced niche applications to fill holes in commercial software availability. At the same time, I wrote reviews and columns for computer magazines, based on what I had learned. The combination of writing and tech knowledge served me very well for many years.