Chris Jackson drifted into computing after dropping out of various degrees and a range of employment sufficiently varied for the "prior to becoming a writer" bit in the front of books. He's worked since as a system administrator, and network engineer, but principally as a software developer in expert systems. He's now a senior consultant with Shadowcat Systems Ltd., and is a member of the IEEE and BCS. He has various qualifications, but is especially proud of his grade 3 CSE in woodwork.