Everyone knows engineers can’t write! I
is
an
engineeer!
But...
I Wish I Could Write!
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##### About 51 years and 5 months I'll put a caviot on that I've never had a job title *programer*, but I've had titles such a *Functional Analyst, Systems Analyst, IT Manager, etc.* That's just when I first started **Programming**.. I was about 25 at the time. I joined the Air Force right after High School and they made me an Aircraft Mechanic. I worked on numerous aircraft for about 9 years. Even left after 4 years and worked at a McDonald Douglas Aircraft plant when I discovered that being in a Union was not for me and rejoined the Air Force. Spent a couple short tours in Thailand/Vietnam. I only bring this up in that those 9 years I learned *logic*. All aircraft have *trouble shooting* manual to help you solve problems. I also worked on a goal to get a college degree. I was selected for an Air Force program that would pay for me to complete my Bachelor degree in two year and receive a commission. I was enrolled at ASU (Arizona State University) in the Engineering program in the fall of 1970. One of the first required course was FORTRAN. With key punching and all I made it through the course, but was more important is that I found I could use other facilities in the Computer department one of which was a GE Timesharing system that included BASIC. I was never really good with a slide rule (yes - before calculator!) and often missed the decimal point. I found out that a few hours in BASIC, I could put in my homework problems and get the decimal point right! I did get my degree and was commissioned. They raised the age limit on becoming a Navigators (because of Vietnam) and entered Navigator training. I'm stuck again with a slide rule (circular) and more math than I ever wanted to do. I often wished for that GE timesharing BASIC terminal by no joy. They then decided to send me to C-130 Navigator training and learn how to throw stuff out of the back of a C-130 at a precise time and place, a whole bunch more math. After a few years of trying to be a Navigator, I asked the Commander "Why don't we have computers to help us do all this flight planing (math)" and his reply was "You can't that a computer to War". He was very sincere in his answer but I was assigned an additional duty of feeding a computer (with punch cards!) that kept track of what was called 'continuation training', i.e, you had to throw so much stuff out of a C-130 every 6 months in different ways to maintain your qualification. The Air Force than decided to move C-130's to a different command and I was selected to move with the unit to Tacoma WA. One reason was that the new command had a better training tracking system - they even had terminals! I discover that the new system had a query system where you could extract specific information on training requirements. That ended in a bunch of reports to help schedulers make better decision on who should fly on certain training missions to fill their requirements. Then in January 1979 I purchased Apple II serial number #717 and my world changed. I still had to fly occasionally but I was alway considered *late* showing at 4:30am instead of 3:30am to do flight planning since I already gotten the weather and did the flight planning on my Apple. I was then transferred up a command and moved to Norther Californial. Now I was in the middle of the MicroComputer age.
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June 01, 2022 02:42