61.
Learned of computers in 1976, while in Junior High School, from another parent who built their own home computer.
Read books and magazines, and learned from a few high school and college students, and took adult night school classes.
Took over and ran the high school systems for the other students.
Got a job in contract programming and worked my way through college.
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Lots of micro and mini-computer experience, in a variety of languages, including different assembly languages.
Tried contract game programming. Quickly concluded "I could starve to death doing this." Really bad pay, and crazy long hours.
Decided to go into business programming -- for the money and "can get a job anywhere" kind of flexibility. Joined EDS. Mainframe and Unix programming.
Went from there to contract programming, in Saint Louis.
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Quite a lot of variety, in languages, systems, and kinds of business doing work for.
Was involved in the creation of the agile movement. This is still a seriously underused improvement to the industry, and our work.
Joined a company to travel and implement systems at insurance companies. Sold my house and car and embraced "100% travel," living in hotels, for nine years.
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The COVID pandemic crashed that. Now I'm renting a room in a cousin's house, helping them in their affairs.
Remote work it great!
I don't have to leave my room to "go to work." I have not gotten around to buying a car again, yet.
And we have dogs! 
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I prefer team leadership as technical leadership among peers over "being a Manager."
I've been "An Official Manager" several times in my career, and even for my current employer. But they seem to forget that.
I have conflicts with most "big company management," as I'm committed to agile team empowerment, while most are stuck in pre-agile Command-and-Control mindsets.
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