Daniel Kauffman:  

lding old bikes become interesting again. We moved to Colorado Springs in 1986, along with a team of engineers, to help open a new Air Force base and teach young Air Force officers and civilians the basics of on-orbit satellite operations, tracking station configurations, and using an IBM mainframe computer. I developed a strong interest in microcomputers and computer networking becoming a certified geek, um, engineer. We moved just south of Denver because all the well-paying tech jobs are in the Denver area, and The Peoples' Republic of Boulder. With Ann's encouragement and support, I started college all over again finishing my BS degree Magna Cum Laude and my MS degree with honors in a little over five years -- I aced practically all my classes (even Tech Math and Advanced Calculus) -- all the while working full time as an engineer and technical instructor and raising four teens. Though I was selected for the PhD program, and was being actively recruited by MIT, Ann and I decided we had neither the time, money, nor the enthusiasm to continue. My blasting through college that fast while working full time was wearing us both down. So, I have yet to finish my PhD. That could change if we win Power Ball. Why? Well, because I can. I worked for Lockheed-Martin for 28 years as a Tech Writer/Editor, Systems Engineer, and Senior Systems Administrator -- all geek work. My overall job in the Denver area was to maintain the computer systems used to design and build the Orion manned spacecraft, deep space exploratory vehicles (like Curiosity, Phoenix, Insight, Osiris-Rex, Juno, Galileo, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter), and the GPS III navigation satellites -- the ones that help your iPhone guide you home and help the military drop bombs with pin-point accuracy right into the enemy's living room. For years I had heard from various school counselors, teachers, and even my parents, that I would never amount to much, nor attend college. My grades just weren't good enough. Also, I wasn't smart enough, nor motivated enough. I was told college is so hard, and I had no hope to accomplish anything interesting in my life. Well, despite their dire predictions, I did quite well in college -- it held my interest and I aced almost all my classes. Perhaps if I hadn't been so bored out of my mind in public school, and had been offered an actual challenge, I might have done much better there. College was more my speed and offered the challenge I needed. Update: As of July 2021, I was part of a Reduction in Force at Lockheed Martin and decided this was as good a time as any to collect my various pensions, climb into the RV, and retire. I'm waiting to see where this new phase of my life takes me. I feel as though I’ve begun a new career.