I.T. professional in some way (operator, programmer, systems administrator, etc.) since 1984. I also have credentials and some experience working as an archivist.

We are so lucky to have the Internet / WWW / Google and resources like StackExchange. Back in the day, before the explosion of the 'net ... we had to figure out how to fix things by reading the manuals and through trial and error, or knowing someone who knew things and would answer their phone / email when we had questions. I am still not sure how we ever got to where we are today.