This is where most people think a life story begins — with work. At the time, it didn’t feel like a beginning at all. It felt temporary. It wasn’t.

This marks the beginning of a 52-week retrospective on a life shaped by technology and change. For over four decades, I’ve navigated the highs and lows of the tech world, and now, I’m ready to share that story.

My path wasn’t a straight line; it was a journey that began in New Hampshire, took a detour through Florida in 2014, and ultimately led me to my current life as a retiree in Brazil. Along the way, I’ll share insights on my career progression, my personal life, and the lessons learned in the spaces between. I’m excited to have you with me. Grab a coffee and settle in—part one is officially here.

I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire that shut down at 10:00 PM daily—at least it did back in the early ’80s. I came from a good, middle-class family, but after high school, I had no real plan. No one in my family had gone to college before me, so there was no real guidance on that path, other than my mom saying, “You have to go to college.” I had no idea why, or for what.

I was truly clueless. I knew I needed an education, but I wasn’t sure what to study. Remember, in 1981, computers weren’t really “a thing” yet. My only real exposure was an Atari 800-style PC that I dabbled with, using some form of “BASIC” programming.

At the time, the biggest company around was DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation). They don’t exist anymore, but back then, they were the chief rival to IBM. Since this is my history and not the history of DEC, I won’t get into how the company eventually folded—I’ll save that for another time. But back then, DEC was the place to be. Everyone wanted to work there.

My “brilliant” idea and grand aspiration was to get a job on the Receiving Dock. What could be better than that? I’d be at DEC, a prestigious company, and I managed to get the job through a contract assignment, receiving packages and delivering them to people throughout the building.

Before that, my real “big plan” had been to drive a forklift at the local Coca-Cola plant in Salem. As I said, the plan wasn’t well-hatched, and my aspirations were low. The receiving dock seemed like a better choice, and I guessed right.

So, how does a guy with no experience and no college degree end up 40+ years later compiling his work life with the title of VP in a technology field at a major world bank?

Stay tuned, next week from the doc to technology. The first leap. Week 2