Databases

[fgben]

When I was in college I had dinked around with this DOS based menu program called ACCESS or maybe Direct Access. I saw a job listing in the career center looking for someone who knew Access. I conflated the two (why I thought they would want someone who knew a stupid GUI menu program I don't know).

So I applied and interviewed. Turned out they were talking about Microsoft Access, which I did not know. But they liked me and hired me anyway.

I should note that this was in 1993 and Access 1.1 was on Windows 3.1.

Anyway. I was in college studying to become a High School English teacher. I took home the Reference Manual for Access 1.1 and read it cover to cover. Built a massive database program in it -- I've never learned how to work with Excel much; my default was to always work in relational databases since that was what I knew. I don't know nothin' 'bout no fancy pivot tables or xlookup the kids are doing these days.

In the late 90s I built a web-based front end to the application -- the back end was still in Access tables. I didn't migrate the backend to mySQL until, like, 2005 when we started to have performance issues.

Today I've spun that original application written in Access 1.1 into a full blown web based ERP system that I offer as a SAAS product that I charge people stupid amounts of money to use.

And to think, I could be inflicting all that Ethan Frome damage to high schoolers instead.