Callen Stewart

At the age of 13, I decided my mothers 15 pound, a brick of a laptop, was inadequate and could no longer perform the demanding tasks I required from it. I decided to build a new desktop. I not only wanted this desktop to perform but rather be the center of attention, the prop in the room that would have everyone talking. I started with research. Diving deep into online threads and reviews I began to piece together what would be my first computer. Should I get solid-state hard drives? How much ram? How the hell are processors rated and why are they so expensive? Tedious hours of reading lead to a computer components list that I absolutely could not afford.  So I worked.  I worked cutting grasses, helping my father with household chores and even selling used skateboards that I would find out behind an old skate park. Let’s be honest, I made around 100 dollars. Nonetheless, my parents were supportive and gave me the go-ahead to buy the parts. Now started the assembly.

I still remember when all the parts came in. The smell of the packaging, honestly, I loved it. I saved all the boxes and laid them out for display. I remember the clear acrylic computer case coming in knocked down and with it came a poor excuse for and IKEA instruction manual. It was a rough start. Each wire had its own predetermined position that only hours in the motherboard installation guide could reveal. The cords did not come in that pretty neon color, either. The neon wire cover had to be manually threaded over each wire. Well worth the extra time I would say.

The assembly took over 3 weeks to complete and another week or so to get the drivers and software to cooperate. This was my first milestone project and I feel one of the most important ones. This project taught me that daunting tasks can be accomplished with a little hard work and dedication.  I was also able to utilize this computer to aid in my video editing, music creation, 3D modeling and my overall familiarity with computers and database systems.