by the way, TomS:
I bet you're the type who sits around and complains how lazy African-Americans are as you sit there and wallow in the material fruits brought to you by your fancy 18-year education paid for, at no inconvenience to you, by your rich lawyer-daddy
How did you know?ÂÂ

And here is quick synopsis of just HOW I was handed everything on a silver platter --
1) I dropped out of high school (1974) with a GPA of 1.8
2) After 2 years, I went to night school and received my HS diploma (1976) (PROACTIVE!!!)
3) I went to work as a delivery boy for a law firm in DC (1977-1978)
4) I went to a community college for 1 year (1979) and PAID for it MYSELF (PROACTIVE!!!)
4) I dropped out of college and got married (1980)
5) I decided that since I was married I now needed to get a career.
6) Got the Sunday paper and went through the want ads (PROACTIVE!!!)
7) The only career I could find that paid decent money and did not require a college degree was computer programmer (at least in 1980)
Went to the library and got a book on Fortran and started to TEACH MYSELF how to program (PROACTIVE!!!)
9) Started taking NIGHT CLASSES at the community college in other programming languages (PROACTIVE!!!)
10) After 6 months started sending out resumes - got NO INTERVIEWS or INTEREST because of my lack of experience
11) So, instead of just GIVING UP and BLAMING everyone else I figured I had to FIND ANOTHER WAY (PROACTIVE!!!) to get to the employers
12) Started attending computer User's Groups in the area and befriending other programmers (PROACTIVE!!!)
13) After 6 months, due to my attending and befriending other programmers, got an entry level position as a computer programmer (1981)
14) Because I had no COLLEGE TRAINING, I worked VERY LONG hours and then brought code listings home at night to study further (PROACTIVE!!!) Why? because your INCOME is a DIRECT INDICATION of your VALUE in the MARKETPLACE!!
15) Worked my way up to Project Lead based upon my HARD WORK - NOT MY COLLEGE TRAINING!!! (1983)
16) IBM PC started to be a viable development platform (1983). Started to search out part time development work for the PC platform (PROACTIVE!!!)
17) My first child is born! (June 1984)
18) Six WEEKS later, I quit my job and started my OWN COMPANY (August 1984) (PROACTIVE!!!)
19) Started taking night classes (again) toward completing a College Degree (PROACTIVE!!!)
20) Started listening to success and business tapes via Nightingale-Conant and American Management Association (PROACTIVE!!!)
21) Computer Networks started to become popular - borrowed money and expanded the business to seel computers and install/support networks (PROACTIVE!!!)
22) Heard of a need for a system to track court defendants prior to trial
23) Contacted a few courts and defined the need (PROACTIVE!!!)
24) Developed a prototype of the system and offered to sponser a meeting of East Coast court representatives (PROACTIVE!!!)
25) Demoed the system and recieved contracts to develop the system in different courts
26) Eventually sold the system into 60 counties across the US
27) Defined a need for a system that processed drug test results from Lab Analyzers
28) Developed a prototype and demoed it to a major international manufacturer of Drug Test Analyzers (PROACTIVE!!!)
29) My second child was born! (1987)
29) The manufacturer licensed the system from me
30) Performed market research, defined the need, developed prototypes and eventually defined and licensed 2 other systems to national companies (PROACTIVE!!!)
31) FINISHED MY BACHELORS DEGREE (1997) 18 YEARS after starting college!!! (PROCATIVE and DETERMINED!!!)
32) Because I confused my priorities and concentrated primarily on work at the expense of family - my wife divorced me (1997)(BAD!!)
33) Lived in funk and depression for a year because I realized what I had sacrificed (1998)
34) My father was diagnosed with cancer - I moved back into my parents house and took care of him until he died
35) Started to recover and met my wife to-be (1999)
36) Climbed out of the devastation and started to rebuild (PROACTIVE!!!)
37) Searched for more opportunities and developed another system to license (PROACTIVE!!!)
38) Got married (2002)
39) Mother is diagnosed with Alzheimers - researched and helped move her into an assisted living facility
40) My new son Nicholas is born! (2005)
41) My mother no longer knows me
42) LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT!!
43) HAPINESS IS NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS - IT HAS TO BE CREATED EVERY DAY!
44) Writing this history so that I can tell you people who think I am just some loudmouth who does not know what I am talking about to BITE ME!!!
45) So, BITE ME!!!
