I’ve been a gadget tinkerer for as long as I can remember. When I was younger my parents explained to me that I had a reputation for taking things apart to see how they worked but never actually put back together what I had taken apart.
From age 12 was when my family had our first computer. It was from then on that I would learn as much as I could about computers due to an unfortunate incident that caused Windows 3.0 to no longer load (the ultimate fix was to actually shut the computer down fully, go figure). I preferred to not have to put my dad through that again (he probably did too), hence the self-taught nature of my computer knowledge.
For 3 years in the Navy I was responsible for testing and troubleshooting millions of dollars worth of aviation equipment. Again, taking them apart…but putting them back together! Kind of important.
I’m now a System Administrator.
I continue to this day to be a gadget tinkerer and enjoy taking things apart and fixing what I can. Why send it back to the manufacturer when I can easily do it myself with help from iFixit?