In 1991/92 I was a couple years older but with the same background. I ran a BBS on the side. For a couple of months, I had been using my modem to connect and re

In 1991/92 I was a couple years older but with the same background. I ran a BBS on the side. For a couple of months, I had been using my modem to connect and retrieve different "software" and messages. I purchased a BBS and contacted the phone company to set up a dedicated line without my parents knowing. They came and installed the line without them knowing anything about what I was doing. I had a job delivering newspapers (I know, it was a different time) which funded the BBS. The learning curve was steep, but the insight and knowledge provided me with a foundation and knowledge base of computers, networks and programming that placed me light years ahead of most other people working within the field of IT. I was writing assembly, C, pascal, emulation, graphics, music, animation, 3d rendering, reverse engineering and networking, all on the same "powerful" computer. It was very much a secret life. I had few friends, and even fewer who knew what I was doing. I was spending hours spending time reading messages pulled out of message boards retrieved from different BBS, and even hours chatting with different sysops.