Just for the record, I consider myself a geek and am proud of it.  Who really knows what leads someone to be a programmer or a DBA or a pet groomer or whatever? I always enjoyed working math problems as a kid. In grade school, I would usually complete every problem in the textbook by the end of Christmas vacation.  I enjoy figuring things out, and I think that led me to computers.

I do know that I was very unhappy in my previous career and love being a DBA. I also enjoy working with mostly men and have always received fair treatment.

One interesting note about my family: I am the oldest of seven children. My three brothers and I are all in IT.  My three sisters and my daughter are not in IT, but are the unofficial help-desks for their offices.  They are very good at figuring things out on computers but are not interested in making a career of them.