I am about to start grad school in San Francisco in a field totally unrelated to photography. I first used a simple point and shoot film camera in 1991 when I traveled to England. It wasn't until 2004 when I was living in Japan that I purchased a camera of my own - a digital point and shoot. And now I am almost 30 and using a DSLR and loving it.
Like many other JPGers, I am self taught and I simply enjoy taking photographs.