Ask HN: What inspired you?

I remember going to Barnes & Noble when I was 10 years old. I saw a "Teach Yourself PHP 4 in 24 hours" book. I didn't know what PHP was, but the book cover said I could make dynamic websites, and that was enough for me! I begged my mom to buy it for me and she did.

I didn't have a computer to write the code on, and wouldn't for years afterward. I imagined what the code was doing in my head, based on what the book said the output would be.

Back then the Internet was still young; Internet consultants didn't exist. I never thought I could make money from it. It just turned out that it was a valuable skill as the economy moved online - lucky me.

I still have the crazy passion for software I did back then. Perhaps more jaded, but it's there :-)

When I was in the military I received experiences that don't often happen which made me respect and appreciate various technology and the people who engineered it. This was the origin of what gave rise to my passion in engineering that otherwise would of never unfolded. My opinion, if you want to uncover your true passions in life go experience the world for it is. Although I would suggest something different other than joining the military ;) Cheers ~ S