My father worked for a very engineering–focused, petro-chemical company. Almost all the managers there were chemists or chemical engineers or engineers of some sort. Once a year they had a family day in which children were invited to tour the offices.

I don’t remember anything about my father‘s office, as such.

What I remember so clearly is the computer floor. The room was steel and glass and space-age; futuristic. We were ushered in as if we were being invited to see the holy of holies; the inner mysteries of the company. All of the workers were wearing white, starched lab coats. Some were carrying huge reels of magnetic tape between the computers and the storage areas. They carried them like priests carrying the sacraments. There was a hushed tone. 

I felt awe in the room.  And pride that my father’s company had some of the most advanced computing in our city. It was important. It’s what the men who were important to me did.

I'm sure that this memory is part of what's motivating me to learn programming.

What's one of your early memories of computers or software? How does that memory shape your life?