Robin:

About 27 years ago, my company sent me to IBM school to learn how to use the first desk top computer. With dot matrix printer. I was chosen out of all the employees to go to that school because of my ability to type 145 words a minute on a selectric typewriter (I used to win typing contests way back then).

It was an IBM computer, a 20 megabyte hard drive and the word processing software was MultiMate Advantage. I will NEVER forget the name of that software.

So the very first time I took a class at IBM, there I was on the computer and I typed a letter to my employer and printed it out on the dot matrix.

Remember, everyone in my company had typewriters and no one had a computer. Not even me, yet!!!

So I would go to school in the mornings, and go to work after school.

I will never forget the first time I printed out that one page letter to my boss, brought it to the job, went up to the CEO (who ran the entire company) and said "Look, I did this on a computer". She clapped her hands and said "Wonderful"

So after a few months, they bring in the first computer. Who got it? ME!!!

Over 100 employees in that company and one computer and a dot matrix printer which was the size of a kitchen sink.

None of the other secretaries spoke to me for 2 years. I was told this was to be expected. Jealousy and all that nonsense.

But guess what? After 2 years ALL the secretaries got their own computers and who do you think they called up on the phone and asked: "What does the F10 key do?, and how do I get the page set up and my printer is jammed"

Of course, since I wanted to be accepted, I helped everyone. What I should have done was tell all of them to go to (you know where), but I couldn't do that.

Then, when I had to quit and do home typing, I purchased my own IBM desktop (same 20 megabyte hard drive) a monitor with no color) and the Multimate Advantage software (and I think that had a inkjet printer) by the time I quit.

Guess how much I paid IBM for the desktop for my home?

$3,700. I will never forget that experience (OR THAT AMOUNT).

Melody