I would say that it was in 1969, although I wrote my first program in 1964 or 1965. When I was a soldier in the USArmy I spent the latter part of my enlistment

I would say that it was in 1969, although I wrote my first program in 1964 or 1965. When I was a soldier in the USArmy I spent the latter part of my enlistment as an assembler programmer on a UNIVAC 1005 computer (4K memory, 80 column cards, ...). At some time during that experience I decided that when I got out of the Army (in 1971) I would go to school on the GI Bill and study computer science. That's exactly what I did. I have been programming professionally since I graduated from UMASS, Amherst in 1974. If I have my way I will never stop programming.