When my son was in high school (he is now 43), he and his father joined the old CUGOS (Computer Users Group) Club. He was so excited that he was able to be a part of something that would someday be an important part of his life.
His dad told him that if he was interested in computers (he was then 16), he would help him buy a computer. He would pay half and dad would pay half. That computer was a Commodore 64. It cost $1,200, and he paid his half out of his lawn-mowing money. Guess what! He was so excited that he went to SMSU (now MSU) and took some courses in computers. He had the opportunity to co-op with McDonald Douglas for four semesters at SMSU. With the support of the Computer Club and SMSU, he became a computer programmer. He was given many interviews with big companies after college, and took a job in St. Louis. He moved up in the companies as a private contractor, and finally settled after 20 years to take a job in Kansas City, Missouri, with DST (Digital Systems Technology). He loves programming, and it has been a wonderful career that began with his original involvement in the CUGOS Club.
He was never a member of ICON, but he encouraged me to become a member. When he was in college, he sat me down with an assignment and told me to find the errors in a program he had written. By the way, there were no errors, but he had created some for me to find. As a senior at SMSU, he had to write a program for a company with all its ins and outs. He used the telephone installation business that he had started as an 18-year-old to illustrate how a computer can track a business. I support ICON a 100%, for it has given our son and me the opportunity to be a part of the best group we have in Springfield that helps others. As you can see, it helped me and especially my son. GO ICON!!!
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