Nice story about getting into computers in the 80s
https://madned.substack.com/p/a-teenagers-guide-to-avoiding-actual I thought this was a nice story because I got into IT roughly the same way. I was supposed to be a veterinarian not an IT person.
A great read! Bruce NJ On Thu, May 20, 2021 at 2:30 PM Christian Liendo via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
https://madned.substack.com/p/a-teenagers-guide-to-avoiding-actual
I thought this was a nice story because I got into IT roughly the same way. I was supposed to be a veterinarian not an IT person.
On 5/20/21 2:28 PM, Christian Liendo via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
https://madned.substack.com/p/a-teenagers-guide-to-avoiding-actual
I thought this was a nice story because I got into IT roughly the same way. I was supposed to be a veterinarian not an IT person.
News paper route, burger joints, security guard ... got my first job on computers because I was so far ahead of the EE class (8085) that my friend and I were being a bit disruptive with our discussions of material that wasn't for a few more weeks. The Prof sent me off the the college computer department where they were beginning to setup Apple II computer labs and IBM PCs (dual disk, DOS 1.0). When I graduate (Associates Degree) I got a job because I took in my hand built EPROM burner and assembly listing for my Atari 800. Beat out several graduates (BS) from the head EEs Alma mater. After that I just fell into jobs. Not sure how I ended is QA other than I'm good a breaking things. BTW, I love these kinds of stories, keep them coming. -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry@linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies
Wow! $20 an hour in 1982? I was making 15.50 and I thought it was a king's ransom. Bill S. -----Original Message----- From: vcf-midatlantic [mailto:vcf-midatlantic-bounces@lists.vcfed.org] On Behalf Of Christian Liendo via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2021 2:29 PM To: vcf-midatlantic Cc: Christian Liendo Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] Nice story about getting into computers in the 80s https://madned.substack.com/p/a-teenagers-guide-to-avoiding-actual I thought this was a nice story because I got into IT roughly the same way. I was supposed to be a veterinarian not an IT person. -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus
The early 80’s were a great time to be a kid with computer knowledge, as many small businesses were getting computerized, which created a demand for those skills. I got my first IT job at an accounting firm in 1981 at the age of 16 by virtue of owning a home computer for two years and taking COBOL and RPG programming classes in high school on a system 38. Never looked back. On Thu, May 20, 2021 at 6:46 PM William Sudbrink via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
Wow! $20 an hour in 1982? I was making 15.50 and I thought it was a king's ransom.
Bill S.
-----Original Message----- From: vcf-midatlantic [mailto:vcf-midatlantic-bounces@lists.vcfed.org] On Behalf Of Christian Liendo via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2021 2:29 PM To: vcf-midatlantic Cc: Christian Liendo Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] Nice story about getting into computers in the 80s
https://madned.substack.com/p/a-teenagers-guide-to-avoiding-actual
I thought this was a nice story because I got into IT roughly the same way. I was supposed to be a veterinarian not an IT person.
-- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus
Tell me about it. I was working as an animal health tech for a veterinarian and going to college to be a vet. I dropped Animal Health when I found out how little Veterinarians actually made. I then worked for a store that specialized in the Commodore Amiga. Thats all we did. I actually have a Commodore Repair Training Cert. Those days were crazy. Then I worked at a company that did Mac and SGI publishing and Video, then that changed into an ISP. I do miss the Amiga/SGI days, I had a lot of fun. On Fri, May 21, 2021 at 1:38 AM Dean Notarnicola via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
The early 80’s were a great time to be a kid with computer knowledge, as many small businesses were getting computerized, which created a demand for those skills
Joining the party late. I did use this theme to tie together stuff I wanted to dispaly at a previous VCF. http://www.pdp8online.com/shows/vcfe16/display.shtml http://www.pdp8online.com/shows/vcfe16/vcfe16.shtml Was a fun time.
OK. Time to throw my story into this ring... My first computer came as a surprise. When I was 15 years old, my parents surprised me with the notion that they wanted to get a home computer for me (or was it for the household?) Na... it was for me. 😎 I really only had operating experience with Radio Shack computers at the time because they were at the local mall. On most mall trips, when I ran out of quarters playing video games at the arcade, I went to Radio Shack to play with their computers until the manager kicked me out. So it was obvious to go to Radio Shack and look at their computers. As a snotty teenager, Radio Shack employees had little patience for those who came into the store to poke around on the computer systems on display and then not buy anything. However, when you bring your parents along, and they have blank checks they are prepared to write, the employees suddenly grovel over any whim you might have about a computer. Of course, the TRS-80 Model III and 4 were off the list due to their hefty price tags. So, the only other option was the Color Computer. This was 1981, before the CoCo 2 came around. So there I was, in temporary command of a mercedes grey Color Computer, with the employee hawking over me, making sure I understood everything about the system in order to be happy with what it had to offer. It was $499.00, and it came with nothing else. The cassette was extra. Software on cassette and cartridge was $29.99, $39.99, and up. It had 4K of RAM and that funky flashing cursor that traveled on a 32x16 display. The price kind of put my parents off. It was still a contender as an option, but they wanted to look around to be sure they were going to be getting a good deal. I wasn't aware of any other places to buy a computer. We did not have a Toys R Us in the area to see the Atari computers. There was a local department store called Mailman's that stocked the Atari, but I already knew they cost more than the Color Computer. My parents were the ones who found about and knew of a local dedicated computer shop called Computers Unlimited. So, we took a trip to that place. Remember, it is 1981, and I knew little about the computer industry, much less the consumer market. When we walked into Computers Unlimited, we saw quite a number of Apple II computers. They were a licensed Apple dealer. They were also a licensed Commodore dealer. There were a few PET computers on display. PET computers were unknown to me at the time. I played around with some of the Apple II computers while my parents talked with the salesperson about the various costs and configurations of the Apple line. After a while, my parents asked the salesperson if there was anything else that wasn't so expensive. Now you know, there is a time in everyone's life where something hits your senses just right that you swear you see a glowing light and hear angels singing. This was my time. In what could be perceived as a slo-mo film sequence, we all watched as the salesperson pointed his entire arm to a display that was on the other side of the room. The first thing I saw was a poster for a Commodore branded computer called the VIC-20. Well... that poster actually GLOWED in my eyes, and I could hear angels singing, because it called to me with its auspicious statement of a home computer that had 5K of RAM (25% more than the Color Computer had), full color display, and a price tag of only $399! Before the salesperson could even put his arm down, I was off in a dash and standing in front of the display model. I started working the keyboard, making it display the quintessential PRINT "HELLO" GOTO 10 program code. I found it to be far easier to use than the Color Computer, as I was easily able to correct my programming mistakes simply by moving the cursor around the screen and correcting the errors on the spot. Full screen interactive editing is what they called it. I couldn't do that on the Color Computer. I had to either re-type the entire line on the latter, or use an EDIT command. Too cumbersome... I was hooked! I had so much fun with the VIC-20 at that display. The screen size was weird at 22x23, but I could live with it. I was entertained with the notion that I could change text color on demand using the CTRL key, and I could make primitive graphics using the C= and SHIFT keys in association with the character keys on the keyboard. This was the one! There was no need to look further, nor go back to Radio Shack. So my parents bought me the VIC-20, a PET style C2N cassette recorder, a couple games on cassette (RACEWAY and VIC-21 Blackjack), a home finance program, and an issue of Transactor magazine, so I'd have some programs I could type in. I still own all of these items today. This was in October 1981. Needless to say, I spent the next few weeks indoors, and hardly played with my friends. I was too obsessed with having a home computer of my own, and seeing what all I could do with it. I learned a lot with that simple computer, which eventually led me into a career of computer programming.
Given the choices in 1981, I could not even afford that. The TImex TS1000 seemed cheap to me and not worth the $99, which would have been my entire savings. So I decided I'd just keep bugging the librarian at school to use the terminal. I already had a Atari 2600 for games. I saw "computers" and gaming as separate at that time. I was 13/14 in 1981 Bill On Sat, May 29, 2021 at 11:10 PM Jeff Salzman via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
OK. Time to throw my story into this ring...
My first computer came as a surprise. When I was 15 years old, my parents surprised me with the notion that they wanted to get a home computer for me (or was it for the household?) Na... it was for me.
I really only had operating experience with Radio Shack computers at the time because they were at the local mall. On most mall trips, when I ran out of quarters playing video games at the arcade, I went to Radio Shack to play with their computers until the manager kicked me out. So it was obvious to go to Radio Shack and look at their computers.
As a snotty teenager, Radio Shack employees had little patience for those who came into the store to poke around on the computer systems on display and then not buy anything. However, when you bring your parents along, and they have blank checks they are prepared to write, the employees suddenly grovel over any whim you might have about a computer. Of course, the TRS-80 Model III and 4 were off the list due to their hefty price tags. So, the only other option was the Color Computer. This was 1981, before the CoCo 2 came around.
So there I was, in temporary command of a mercedes grey Color Computer, with the employee hawking over me, making sure I understood everything about the system in order to be happy with what it had to offer. It was $499.00, and it came with nothing else. The cassette was extra. Software on cassette and cartridge was $29.99, $39.99, and up. It had 4K of RAM and that funky flashing cursor that traveled on a 32x16 display.
The price kind of put my parents off. It was still a contender as an option, but they wanted to look around to be sure they were going to be getting a good deal. I wasn't aware of any other places to buy a computer. We did not have a Toys R Us in the area to see the Atari computers. There was a local department store called Mailman's that stocked the Atari, but I already knew they cost more than the Color Computer. My parents were the ones who found about and knew of a local dedicated computer shop called Computers Unlimited. So, we took a trip to that place.
Remember, it is 1981, and I knew little about the computer industry, much less the consumer market.
When we walked into Computers Unlimited, we saw quite a number of Apple II computers. They were a licensed Apple dealer. They were also a licensed Commodore dealer. There were a few PET computers on display. PET computers were unknown to me at the time.
I played around with some of the Apple II computers while my parents talked with the salesperson about the various costs and configurations of the Apple line. After a while, my parents asked the salesperson if there was anything else that wasn't so expensive.
Now you know, there is a time in everyone's life where something hits your senses just right that you swear you see a glowing light and hear angels singing. This was my time. In what could be perceived as a slo-mo film sequence, we all watched as the salesperson pointed his entire arm to a display that was on the other side of the room. The first thing I saw was a poster for a Commodore branded computer called the VIC-20.
Well... that poster actually GLOWED in my eyes, and I could hear angels singing, because it called to me with its auspicious statement of a home computer that had 5K of RAM (25% more than the Color Computer had), full color display, and a price tag of only $399!
Before the salesperson could even put his arm down, I was off in a dash and standing in front of the display model. I started working the keyboard, making it display the quintessential PRINT "HELLO" GOTO 10 program code. I found it to be far easier to use than the Color Computer, as I was easily able to correct my programming mistakes simply by moving the cursor around the screen and correcting the errors on the spot. Full screen interactive editing is what they called it. I couldn't do that on the Color Computer. I had to either re-type the entire line on the latter, or use an EDIT command. Too cumbersome...
I was hooked! I had so much fun with the VIC-20 at that display. The screen size was weird at 22x23, but I could live with it. I was entertained with the notion that I could change text color on demand using the CTRL key, and I could make primitive graphics using the C= and SHIFT keys in association with the character keys on the keyboard. This was the one! There was no need to look further, nor go back to Radio Shack.
So my parents bought me the VIC-20, a PET style C2N cassette recorder, a couple games on cassette (RACEWAY and VIC-21 Blackjack), a home finance program, and an issue of Transactor magazine, so I'd have some programs I could type in. I still own all of these items today.
This was in October 1981. Needless to say, I spent the next few weeks indoors, and hardly played with my friends. I was too obsessed with having a home computer of my own, and seeing what all I could do with it. I learned a lot with that simple computer, which eventually led me into a career of computer programming.
On Thu, May 20, 2021 at 2:29 PM Christian Liendo via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
https://madned.substack.com/p/a-teenagers-guide-to-avoiding-actual
I thought this was a nice story because I got into IT roughly the same way. I was supposed to be a veterinarian not an IT person.
Thanks for sharing Christian! I liked that story. The best part was the skinny, nerdy kid running away from the construction job. I actually did the opposite and got out of IT and into teaching which is my passion. But I did tutor someone in high school programming Pascal! I do like the quotes: “Do what you are passionate about, the money will come later.” or “Find a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” This was how I got into teaching. I took Taekwondo classes as an after work fun activity and it turned into a job. The problem was the boss was greedy, so the money didn't come, so now I'm going into public school teaching where the money is at least fair (not getting rich), but the point is to love your job, yes? The other two activities that I'm doing I'm passionate about, but they are volunteer jobs so they don't pay any money, so I'm still waiting for "the money will come later" for those activities.
On 5/21/21 9:46 AM, Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
“Find a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
I'd like to find the idiot who came up with that and make him do the paper work! ;-) -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry@linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies
I believe the point is that if you love what you’re doing it’s not work Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.
On May 21, 2021, at 12:39 PM, Neil Cherry via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
On 5/21/21 9:46 AM, Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
“Find a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
I'd like to find the idiot who came up with that and make him do the paper work! ;-)
-- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry@linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies
You don’t see the people doing lawn work, pushing lawnmowers and blowing leaves, doing paperwork but they also don’t get paid very well either. There is always a trade-off Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.
On May 21, 2021, at 12:39 PM, Neil Cherry via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
On 5/21/21 9:46 AM, Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
“Find a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
I'd like to find the idiot who came up with that and make him do the paper work! ;-)
-- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry@linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies
On 5/21/21 2:44 PM, Sentrytv wrote:
You don’t see the people doing lawn work, pushing lawnmowers and blowing leaves, doing paperwork but they also don’t get paid very well either. There is always a trade-off
Hehe, sorry I was just kidding but I have learned that the complex jobs do have a lot of 'paper work'. I try to automate as much as possible. -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry@linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies
Oh yeah no doubt I’m sick of doing timesheets in replicon and filling out preventive maintenance forms. Not to mention work orders and expense reports. But all of these things are to my advantage so I get paid well, now. I was happy back in 1981 82 making $5.75 an hour at the Brendan Byrne Arena and Giants Stadium.(union job) It wasn’t a glamorous job but it had its perks. I used to find a lot of interesting things cleaning up that arena, meeting people / artists and always was first online to get tickets for concerts. It had nothing to do with computers, but that was just a hobby at the time. Later on, things became more interesting because the company I currently work for, installed the audio systems in Giant stadium and the Byrne arena. Now neither venue exists. Such is life! Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.
On May 21, 2021, at 2:49 PM, Neil Cherry <ncherry@linuxha.com> wrote:
On 5/21/21 2:44 PM, Sentrytv wrote:
You don’t see the people doing lawn work, pushing lawnmowers and blowing leaves, doing paperwork but they also don’t get paid very well either. There is always a trade-off
Hehe, sorry I was just kidding but I have learned that the complex jobs do have a lot of 'paper work'. I try to automate as much as possible.
-- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry@linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies
participants (11)
-
Bill Degnan -
Bruce -
Christian Liendo -
David Gesswein -
Dean Notarnicola -
Douglas Crawford -
Jeffrey Brace -
jsalzman＠gmail.com -
Neil Cherry -
Sentrytv -
William Sudbrink