One year after I got serious enough to actually learn the foundations knowledge base in order to build computers, from the motherboard up and later to grasp the basic concepts of API's (application program interface). Loved the whole experience when WIN 3.0 hit the scene and batch filing, of course with minimal RAM one had to manage everything very carefully. Certainly a leap from 8088's and those 5/14 floppy disks that had a magnetic life far less than todays options.