The world of IT has changed my life. I am a IT professional that came from nothing, raised in foster homes, no one to look to for guidance or help, and didn't have a clue what to do with my life after graduating high school and going out into the world on my own. I worked a few jobs that are typical of a young inexperienced adult, car wash, turning wrenches as a vehicle maintenance shop, changing times and wheels, Abercrombie, etc. I wasn't handed much in life, but one thing I am lucky to have is a great mind. I was a bit of a nerd and excelled in math and sciences in school. I used to write programs and games in graphing calculators for fun. When I had no where else to turn, I joined the Marine Corps, and only knew I wanted to get a good job when I was done with it. I scored high enough on the ASVAB to choose any job I wanted, and on an uneducated whim chose to go the IT route as a "Tactical Network Specialist." The first lucky, smart, choice on my road to success was thinking of what might be possible after my enlistment was over. In MOS school I learned the basics of networking through the configuration of switches and routers to establish reliable, secure communication between multiple devices, and I LOVED it. This was my first sweet taste of real world technology that fueled my hunger for more.