I AM A Newbie, so here is a post from me about how i got started...
first off, i should say that im only 22 now, so i dont have that much background in electronics, but ask me again in 50 years and i can tell you all about it..
back when i was in grade 7, my father was a signals Warrant Officer in the military and he had some interest in small electronics projects. We had to make a math game of some sort, so i decided i wanted to make something with electronics. he helped a bit with the design, but i did all the soldering (and math) myself.. it had math problems down one side, with a button beside each, and answers on the other side and they had buttons beside them too. so when someone would press the buttons beside a question, and the right answer, a LED at the top would light up...
although i do see a need for university trained people in our society, i went to college, and now i have a great job working for the phone company here. everything i learned in college, has nothing to do with my job, other than that i learned how to learn.. and just for the record, the reason i was hired, is because of my interest in hobby robotics..
after that, i started taking apart lots of small toys and my dads stuff (he wasnt too happy about that) but i learned a lot by figuring out how stuff worked.. i then took a basic electronics course in high school, and a design program that included an electronics course in post secondary. (the post secondary course was more basic than the high school one).
i started with PICs about 2 years ago, and have learned lots by lookin on here, and searching the net, i have also bought a couple books about PICs. the first thing i did with a PIC was a LED chaser (from the front of nightrider, even though im too young to know what knightrider is!!!). now i have built displays for my truck that display different temps, rpms, fuel level, speed and a couplle other things,.. i find it fun just trying to figure out different ways to do things...
although i do see a need for university trained people in our society, i went to college, and now i have a great job working for the phone company here. everything i learned in college, has nothing to do with my job, other than that i learned how to learn.. and just for the record, the reason i was hired, is because of my interest in hobby robotics..
so thanks to all those non-newbies that have guided me in my adventures!!!
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