My history!
The first programs I ever wrote were back in 1982. I was in the 8th grade at the time, and our school curriculum included a computer science class. Of course, the first programs I wrote were basic exercises, such as printing "Hello World" on the screen or generating a beep with the internal sound generator. Even though these were simple tasks, I was completely hooked. I was fascinated by the idea that you could tell a machine what to do, and it would follow your instructions.
Since the computer science class was only offered for one semester, I knew I needed to find a way to continue programming on my own. At that point, I didn't have a computer at home, so I had to get creative. I began writing programs on paper, imagining the code running in my head and figuring out how the logic would work. I spent hours conceptualizing programs, and even without a computer, I was learning a great deal.
In 1984, I got my first computer, a Commodore VIC-20. This marked the beginning of my serious programming journey. I started writing programs in BASIC, and later, I dived into assembler programming. With each new line of code, I learned more about the underlying principles of programming and computer science. The more I worked with the VIC-20, the more I realized how much I loved technology and problem-solving.
Soon after, I upgraded to a Commodore 128, which was a significant improvement, and later I got an Atari 520 ST. The Atari ST was where I really started to get into more serious development. My primary tool for programming on the Atari was GFA Basic, which allowed me to write more sophisticated programs. Later, I expanded my toolkit and acquired a Lattice C compiler, which gave me even more power and flexibility in my projects.
During my time, working as a military officer, I bought my first PC, an IBM PC Junior which was a "portable" computer with an LCD screen. It was small, but it was my first real PC experience. Although I’ve always been a relatively shy person, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and take on a sales role. I thought it would help me develop a more well-rounded skill set.
In 1990, I began working at a retail company that sold computers, and I was responsible for the Atari section. As I worked there, I found myself drawn more and more to the hardware side of computing. I began to understand the components that made up a computer, and my passion for the technology grew. By 1992, I had transitioned into a new job with a large computer hardware wholesaler. In 1994, I joined a company that sold network components, which allowed me to deepen my understanding of networking technologies.
It was in this role that I first came into contact with IBM. Eventually, I became responsible for IBM software, which opened doors to even more opportunities. This experience led me to a position at a major hardware wholesaler with close ties to IBM. I was even fortunate enough to have an office at IBM’s headquarters in Malmö for a brief period. However, my time there was short-lived, as I was soon recruited by one of our customers who specialized in IBM mainframe solutions. I took on the responsibility of selling IBM PCs to their clients.
This job taught me a lot, especially about the sales process. However, it also taught me that sales was not the right fit for me. I’m a technical person at heart, and I realized that I needed to be working with technology, not just selling it. This was also the first time in my career that I was let go from a job, a humbling experience, but one that taught me valuable lessons.
After that, I worked in a temporary job for a while before deciding to pursue a degree in computer science at the university in Norrköping. After a year, I transferred to Malmö to continue my studies, since the long distance from my son made it difficult. To be closer to him, I moved to Höör, which is where I live to this day.
In the summer following my first year of university, I worked as a temp, teaching a group of Mac users how PCs worked. This job eventually led me to the longest career position I have had so far. I became self-employed and co-founded a company. Initially, we focused on developing a CRM system in Delphi, which gained us some attention.
In 2003, we got the exciting opportunity to exhibit at the CeBIT trade show as part of a joint booth with other Swedish companies. At CeBIT, we showcased our CRM system, and as a result of a joint venture with an external partner, we also presented a CMS system written in ASP. After the exhibition, we began discussing the possibility of expanding the CMS offering and converting the code to PHP. Unfortunately, this led to a fallout with the partner, but it also sparked the idea of creating my own CMS from scratch using PHP.
On May 10th, I decided to take the plunge and build the CMS myself. By September 10th, we onboarded our first customer to the new system, which we called the Information Management System—InFoMa for short. The next year, we decided to overhaul the CMS and improve on our early mistakes. After a year of hard work, we launched InFoMa 2.0, which was later rebranded as InFoMa CMS and then UniCMS. Unfortunately, in 2012, the company went bankrupt, and with it, our beloved CMS project came to an end.
Following the bankruptcy, I began working at a local company that handled a wide range of computer-related services. I managed to acquire the rights to the CMS and brought it along to the new company to continue offering it as a service to existing customers. Since the new company also dealt with photography, I found myself involved in that side of the business as well. However, as time went on, the company began to struggle, and I decided it was time to leave before things took a turn for the worse.
I reached out to the owner of the service provider we had used for the CMS, and that led me to a new opportunity with his e-commerce company. I started in their helpdesk department, but my technical background quickly pushed me into the development team. I stayed with the company for almost eight years before I was offered a position at a software company that focused on the financial sector. It was a challenging but rewarding experience.
Two years later, an opening arose at the company I had worked for previously. They had merged with one of their competitors, and I was invited to return. I accepted the offer, and in September 2024, I returned to the company where I continue to work today.
Is there anything that I can't do?
Well, there is this thing with graphics. I'm not very good at it. I can do some basic stuff, but I'm not a designer. I'm a developer. I can make things work and I can make them work well, but I'm not the guy you want to ask to make it look pretty. I can make it look decent, but I'm not going to win any design awards.
At least when it comes to creating graphics.
But if you give me a design, I can make it work. I can make it work well. I can make it work fast. I can make it work efficiently. I can make it work in a way that makes sense. I can make it work in a way that is maintainable. I can make it work in a way that is scalable. I can make it work in a way that is secure. I can make it work in a way that is reliable. I can make it work in a way that is robust. I can make it work in a way that is flexible. I can make it work in a way....
You probably get my point. I can do graphics as long as I don't have to design them.