Or at least how it found me…Since we’re on the topic of jobs, or worst jobs anyway, I figure I’ll share a little about how I got to where I am today…
I started working with computers at a young age. Around 12 years old, my dad brought home a IBM PC Compatible XT Turbo. Turbo baby! That little button boosted the speed on my computer from 4.7 Megahertz to 10! It had no hard disk, and just 2 5.25″ drives. I loved it. Using it, upgrading it…you name it. At 16, I got introduced to a little computer store by my house. My dad knew the owner, and he bought me my first computer from this little store…this is actually where my dad got his XT from too. It wasn’t anything fancy, just an Intel 286 with 8MBs of ram and a 40MB hard drive. It was great! I even had a 14″ SuperVGA monitor that could handle 1024×768 interlaced with 256 colors! Imagine that. Now I’m writing this on a notebook about 1/8 the size of my 286 running at 1.7GIGAhertz with 1.5GIGAbyte of RAM, 60GIGAbytes of hard disk space and 32bit color capable of over 400 million colors! Amazing how far we’ve come. Unreal. Anyway, back on topic, I learned all my computer skills by going back to this little store and “hanging out.” Eventually the owner gave me a couple of minor tasks, and pretty soon I was building computers and fixing them. It was great.
Then when I went to college, I got a job at my university help desk. I worked there for my entire college career. It was a great job. I met great people and got good experience. The pay wasn’t that bad either. I also worked part time at a big chain computer store. That sucked. I stayed there for 6 months maybe.
My last summer I got an internship at large telephone company. I had a great experience there as well. I got to do a lot projects that applied my computer skills. After this internship, I went back to my help desk job.
About my college course work, even though I’m working in the computer industry now, I only got a minor in computer science. I majored in nutrition. That’s why I had the horrible job I described earlier. Well, one day in my senior year, I saw some posters posted outside of my campus work place declaring, “Job Opportunity. Don’t miss it! Come visit your campus job center today! Interviews by major corporations held soon!” I figured what the heck, why not try. So I went down, filled out the application and submitted my resume. Lo and behold, I got a job. This is right before the dotcom bust. I got real lucky.
I originally wanted to become a teacher, and I still do one day. I love biology…inspired by a great high school biology teacher. Eventually I see myself getting worn out by the tech industry. It just doesn’t feel fulfilling for some reason. Well, that’s how I got to where I am today. How’d you get to where you are today? Was there a specific event that made it happen?
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<p>I’m thinking of going back to school one day. It seems to be getting harder the longer I wait though. <a href=){kind=link}
Hawaii’s Broken Gas Cap. A Failed Experiment in Government Regulation.
Public opinion seemed to overwhelmingly favor getting rid of it, which is what brought about its demise, but in actuality, it favored the consumer. A lot. Why then was it repealed you ask? Because it “looked” like it didn’t work.
Before I go on, let me say that I am against government regulation of any business, for the most part, because free enterprise is what drives the US economy. But back to topic, the reason public sentiment was so against the gas cap was purely timing. As gas prices increased, so did the gas cap. This led to the false belief that the gas cap would reduce prices, but didn’t.
There were a few instances where gas prices dropped, and this was good. But sadly, not enough for the public to accept it.
Hawaii is unique in that there are only two refiners. These two refiners control wholesale gas prices in Hawaii. This is one of those instances where maybe government regulation can help, but even then it’s still questionable and, in my opinion, a “last resort” action. Regulation makes sense if the companies are not going to be honest. This is the part that pushes me towards regulation, because I believe the two wholesalers in Hawaii are taking advantage of the situation. Pre-gas cap Hawaii often saw price increases, but rarely saw decreases. And if they decreased, it would be a small fraction of what it increased, while the rest of the US saw dramatic decreases. Odd isn’t it?
As a consumer, I’m sad. But as a US citizen, I’m glad…it is better off that this experiment failed even if it might have meant a few more dollars in my pocket.
Posted in General on May 12, 2006