My first programming job was as an Application Programmer. Working for the Lab Manager, Vic Tenaglia, I developed a database of all laboratory equipment and set up the maintenance history and scheduling system.

This was also where I reconnected with an old mentor, Randy Turner, who had taught me HAM radio. As it turned out, he was taking management classes at DCC. At the time he was DP Manager, Air Products, Corp. and he suggested a series of classes for me to take, starting with Basic Assembly Language for IBM 360/370 series mainframes. Following this he suggested Job Control Language for the IBM. Since JCL was only available to students of advanced COBOL and I had never had any COBOL classes, he advised me to get the IBM Self-Study Course in COBOL which I taught myself over the Christmas break so I could register for JCL.

I also acquired a collection of JCL manuals from the IBM Document Center in downtown Philadelphia so I could prepare myself in advance of class.

Three problems emerged. First, the course was taught by the Head of the Department, and was supposedly only available to students on his recommendation. Apparently Registration never checked things like that, and were happy to take my money and sign me up.

Second, I spent a lot of time in the computer lab and other students got to know me and would ask questions when they were stuck. About a month into the semester I received a note from the Learning Center requesting me to stop by. It turned out that numerous students had requested my assistance as a tutor, and they wondered if I would be willing to work for them on a regular basis. I agreed, and began tutoring in FORTRAN, COBOL, and Assembly Language. Many of my students were in same Advanced COBOL class.

Third, I did not realize that the college did’t actually own the mainframe, they were on a time-share with a larger university. Unaware of this, I was exercising all the amazing JCL options that were in the Senior Computer Operator’s Manual I acquired from IBM. As I learned shortly, this nearly exhausted the entire college computer budget for the year. I faced an expulsion hearing before the Board of Regents.

It was decided that because I had not technically done anything wrong, that I could not be expelled, but all of my remaining assignments were to handed to the Head of the Department for clearance before they could be run. He informed me that because of my undisciplined ways that I would never be a successful programmer.