If I Had to Do It Over…

I never planned to be a writer. And yet here I am. I kinda wish I’d approached a few things differently along the way.

I never planned to be a writer.

When I entered college in 1975, I had no plan at all. I had a vague interest in electronics, and seeing that on my application, the University of Washington saw fit to put me into College of Electrical Engineering.

It was there I encountered what would become my career’s passion.

Engr 141

I’ve often told the story that Engineering 141 — Introduction to Fortran Programing changed my life.

A required class for all engineering students at the UW, it was the first time I’d used a computer of any sort … and it was love at first sight. Things just clicked. I walked out not only with a perfect grade, but with the giddy realization that people would pay me to do this.

They’d pay me to have fun.

Over the rest of my college career, the roots of what twenty years later would become Ask Leo! were sown as I helped friends with technology and worked the local help desk from time to time, often for free.

The real world

My first job out of college was with a small company that got smaller over time — unintentionally.