My mom shoved quarters down my pants when I was two, and now I’m a CTO who does magic.
I saw a magic show on TV when I was two and ran into the bathroom the next morning while my mom was curling her hair. I was convinced I could make a quarter disappear by covering it with a tissue. I’d make my mom look under the tissue to make sure it was still there, say the magic words, rip the tissue away, and the quarter was GONE. I’d be so happy, jumping up and down, and then it would fall out my pant leg. 100% certain I had powers. I did it 50 times in a row. I was a goddamn manipulator of all things time and space.
This was my strongest memory. I told my mom about it when I was 6 or 7 and she was floored I remembered it at all. But she filled me in that I’d forgotten that after I made her check for the quarter, she’d tell me my pants were twisted and took the opportunity to slip it into my waistband. Every time. I probably made her late for work that day. But I wasn’t disappointed with the reality— it explained why that trick never worked again. And now I knew how I could make it happen on my own
By 8 years old I went pro. I performed at small birthday parties and church events. I started a business with it and incrementally moved to bigger venues, from corporate events to gala shows. I’ve performed on mammoth stages from Boston to Vegas. For 13 years I had my show on the road, with 8 white doves as co-stars.
Partway in, I met another magician that worked at Microsoft. I’d started programming uncommonly young too, starting with a Commodore 64 and moving up from there. He suggested a college with a well-rounded computer science program. I got my degree at that school, and met my wife there which led to me moving to my first major metro area, starting a career that, combined with the business experience from my little entertainment company and a life of software engineering when I wasn’t performing, led to me taking a technology executive role at 30 years old.
Quarters down your pants is a sure route to fame and fortune. I recommend it.