Jay Deking:  

"Most of the time, weirdness is the best defense." School: Oh how I hated high school! I was so shy I could have died. It was a real surprise to go back for our 15 year reunion and have so many people talking to me like they really knew who I was - I felt invisible in school. College: I was all set to go - accepted at SUNY Potsdam, roommate assigned, refrigerator deposit paid, loans secured for the first year's tuition - and I realized that I would have NO money for the second year. Good ol' Dad wasn't going to pay any of it; he said I would just waste his money, partying my time away (bless his heart, he was probably really on to something there, given the way I spent the next 18 years). So, I chickened out and went to work, figuring I'd save up my money and go the next year. Hah! Dad was right. I partied all my money away, for years and years. No Potsdam for me, though friends of mine did go. Too bad. I really looked forward to the icy North. And people think Rochester is cold ... but by the time I was 38 I had moved to Florida for a job and got stuck there. Workplace: After high school, I eschewed college (lost my refrigerator deposit on that, but I bet the guy who was supposed to be my roommate was glad to have the room to himself) and went straight to work. Who needs a degree in Chemistry anyway ;) Apparently not me. As a result I spent the next 8 years totin' boxes and pulling pallets off trucks. Finally got a break and ended up in electronic engineering, designing circuit boards. Still no college degree - I did take a 10 week course in basic electronics - but when you're motivated you can learn all you need on your own. Too bad I still partied like it was high school. After 6 years designing boards at DSI in Fairport, I was laid off (partying problem); went to Sigma in Medina, NY, where I designed boards for pollution control devices; then EMA in Henrietta, NY, more board design and technical support for the software; [rehab break]; started working as a contractor: Square D in Nashville, TN, designing smart circuit breaker bo...Expand for more