... and so it begins ....

I first got into computers in the eighties. I had a guy from Radio Shack come out to add an external drive to a computer. He was rude, inconsiderate and wouldn't tell me anything he was doing. So I watched carefully. I didn't see anything he was doing that I couldn't have done myself. After that experience I decided anything that needed to be done on the computer with hardware or software I'd just do myself. 

So I did, and very successfully. 

I picked up on computers like a duck takes to water.

The next few years were spent working for various companies either doing computer work or sales. I learned how to run an office. I learned how to buy products and from what wholesalers/distributors. I learned how to sell the products and I learned how to run a business. 

When I entered into the technical field as a full fledged computer technician it was still during a time when women were harshly looked down upon ... like, "a woman couldn't possibly be smart enough to know how to diagnose and repair computers" harsh. (How far we've come in the last 30 years!) I had people hang up on me when I answered the phone to provide them support. I watched people walk away when they came in with their computers and saw that I was their tech support. Funny how in the end those people still called and still had to talk to me or deal with me. While it wasn't easy I was finally accepted as a top-level Tech agent and they conceded to my help. Not only that but in the end they were pleased with the professional and efficient assistance.

As my skills improved and my confidence increased, so did my customer base. I was proudly one of the first businesses in Illinois that provided complete on site solutions from diagnostics to repair to sales and equipment installations. 

I evolved with the changes as time went on, getting certified with various manufacturers for printers, networking, wireless, laptops and even plasma, LCD and LED televisions. It's been a long, strange 30 year trip with highs, lows and in-betweens.

While I no longer am as passionate about my field as I once was, becoming a traveling technician has provided me with many friends, acquaintances and contacts I never would have had otherwise. It's been an experience rich in rewards and punishing in its demands, but over the years, as I look back on my paperwork, I see I've amassed thousands of stories to tell. Some are uplifting, some are sad,some are funny and others downright hilarious.

I'll never disclose personal information, locations or other identifying information. I respect the privacy of my clients. Part of this blog is intended to share these experiences while the more personal part is to not lose sight of memories in the hopes as I go through this new phase in my life I can learn and build my memory skills.

I hope you, the reader, enjoy these trips down memory lane as I delve deeper into a past full of enlightenment, fulfillment and changes.