[hsusmann]

From what I've noticed over the years, the people who have started young and learned electronics sort of on their own or with personal mentors tend to be far better at the practical side of electronics than people who purely learned it in a school. I think it is the inherent interest in the subject that makes them really get to understand the stuff better than someone just doing it for a job. They also tend to be better circuit designers because they've seen all the historical circuits and variations that you just don't find in textbooks.

Brenda, your story sounds very similar to my own. I also can't remember a time when I was not doing something with electronics. I had a grandfather who ran a radio and TV "hospital" so I remember hanging around the TV shop and watching all the goings on very early on. Somehow the smell of charred phenolic always seemed like a natural smell to me!

In my case I went on to get a degree in electrical engineering but during my entire college experience I hardly ever ran into faculty who knew the practical side. They were great at the math and physics etc... but some of them hardly knew what a soldering iron was.

Herb S.
Ithaca NY