How it all started

In the fall of 1983, I started college as an engineering student. Along with the core science courses – Physics, Calculus, and Chemistry – we all had to take an English class. I forget the actual title, but essentially it was composition and literature, AKA readin’ and writin’. This class was my gimme – the class that took no time so I could focus on the classes that did.

To my surprise, half the class was failing. And in 1983, in the Bronx, for most of my classmates, English was their native tongue.

We had to knock out a 1- to 2-page paper each week, which, frankly, I could do in my sleep. So in exchange for beer money, I wrote English papers for smart people who never learned to write.

Today I’m a writer, editor, and all-around communications guy working in technology. So in exchange for real money, I write technical documents for smart people who never learned to write.