I am Me, no excuses, just Me

It all started many years ago when at the age of 10 a neighbor gave me a book on computer programming. I read it and was hooked. I asked him how I could do it and he gave me a stack of punch cards and a punch and told me to go at it, so I did. Back then there were no personal computers,
so I had to send my program to IBM to run it. They did and 2 weeks later I got the results, syntax error on card 28. That was when I learnt my first lesson, check your code!!! I was hooked. That was over 40 years ago. I never planned to make computer programming my job, it was my hobby.

This was the 70s, I was a warden at a sports complex, ran a mobile disco and played field hockey. All the time I carried on learning to program. By the early 80s small personal computers came out and I got a Sinclair Spectrum. It saved programs and executables to cassette tape and I had 8K of memory. I wrote text-based adventure games which I shared with my friends. This was all good until one of my friend's sister recorded the top 40 over my game!!!

At my high school I was the only one that could program their computer and I set up their computer lab. I got their first O Level in computer science (actually got 2 of them because I helped a girl with her coding). By then I was into building circuits like traffic lights etc.. and that led me to joining the RAF as a n Air Radar, Air Communications Technician. My start date got delayed, I'm half Irish and this was back in the days of the troubles. Eventually I joined and went of to basic training and was bored, very bored, so 3 weeks later I left. My Dad was very supportive and pulled a few strings and got me into the local college to a BTEC course in Computer Science. I loved it, build a coffee machine using a robot arm, wrote a dating program that paired all the girls with me, and basically sailed through the course, almost getting kicked out after the first year for only attending 36%, they required 40, but I got all distinctions so they let me stay and I got everyone through the course.

By this point I realized that computers were the thing I was best at so I accepted a job with Barclays Bank as an operator with the aim of becoming a paid programmer. After 2 years of learning everything about their operations they sent me on a 6 week programming course, on week 4 the instructors had to go for a week long meeting and the person they had take over wasn't very good so I took over teaching the course. By the time the instructors got back we had all finished the course!!! 

So that is how I got into programming. I loved Cobol programming and thrived at Barclays, but eventually moved back home for a girl and changed jobs. That was my second lesson learnt, don't let anyone influence your career, only you can do that.

I bounced around learning loads of languages including Model 204, a 4th generational language with a relational database bolted onto it. But Cobol was the main language I used, eventually APS, a Cobol generator and I became a consultant and travelled around Britain and even a little Europe. Eventually, and almost by mistake, I took a contract with a TX company, CardSystems. I thought I would be working in Holland but instead came to Dallas. I would go home every three months and my wife would come out for 2 weeks every 4 week. I eventually got my H1B (had to live in Holland for six months for that), then my Green Card (which at that time was Pink). I moved with CardSystems (now Pay By Touch) to Tucson and this was where I learnt C# and Dot Net. I was already pretty good with SQL. I wrote the world's first Virtual Terminal. One of their clients asked me to write him a Web Based Payment Gateway which I did and he bought it from me.

Anyway, several years later I ended back in the Dallas area (I am a huge Cowboys fan). My kids got into Scouting, and I took it to the next level running their week long day camps. That taught me how to plan and execute the plan. It was fun.

I never plan to move jobs but I have to keep learning, keep being passionate about what I do. My last job made me realize that I didn't feel that passion any more so when they let me go, I decided that I needed to take a step back and focus on Me again. I currently shop for people and deliver the shopping. It is relaxing and pays the bills. I still program, but it is for Me. Some day maybe the right role will come around with a company that wants me and is doing something that means something. Until then I will write my blog, continue to learn and go shop.

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