In the beginning, it was a hammer and some nails. Many people contributed to my knowledge outside of the institutions of higher learning.  My father gave me a hammer and nails at the age of only 2.5 and started a long tradition of knowledge sharing.  (If you're wondering - yes I did end up swallowing one of the nails...). From then on it was my uncle that showed me microelectronics and gave me the guts to take apart every electronic toy I ever received.  Others taught me wisdom and truth.  The rest can be filled in with endless days of trial and error in the rooms, labs, and studios that I have had the honor of working in over the years.