Ben Coman (btc)
I first experienced Smalltalk around 1990 in my undergrad IT Engineering degree. It made a great impression on me. Later exposure to C++ and Java always seemed awkward by comparison. Unfortunately, I never found a chance to use Smalltalk professionally and it ended up consigned to the dim memory of times past.
Fifteen years later, following a career in IT Support of desktop/server/network Windows/Unix/Linux systems, I needed a new direction.  In 2005 I began postgrad study for a Masters of Engineering Technology in Power Systems. This provided me the opportunity in 2006 to start my career as an electrical power engineer.
In 2011, my Project & Dissertation loomed upon me. I entertained the idea of developing an engineering design tool. In the process of searching for a suitable development platform, I sumbled upon Squeak & Morphic. Working through tutorials in Smalltalk again was exciting. The system provided a lot of features that would allow more focus on exploring the application domain, rather than getting caught upfront in the minutiae of programming.  I ended up developing on Pharo and Roassal platforms.