Saw a book on Frank Lloyd Wright when I was 13 and I knew what I wanted to do.  My parents were Interior Designers and I started drafting and rendering for them and an inventor doing patent drawings at the young age of 14 years.  My parents helped financially, but I worked my way through college, obtaining real life experience, not just academic, and graduated with High Honors.  Nature or nurture?  I feel I was born with tremendous aptitude, but I also benefited from some exceptional teachers and employers, and have enjoyed a wide range of opportunities.  I'll assert that I am an exceptional Designer.  I excelled for many years working by hand and still do, but I have realized I need to update my skills to stay relevant.  I've mastered AutoCad in just two years and am studying Revit, Photoshop, and Sketchup presently and intend to master them as well.  Still, I must emphasize that it is my creativity and experience that define me, not the tools I use!  I've been gainfully self-employed for quite some time, with a few short stints with larger firms that laid off everyone, shortly after employing me, so I'll not emphasize them on my resume.  I miss being a significant part of an accomplished team such as the 7 years I spent as Director of Design for the Newport Beach firm HFTA, running their branch office in Las Vegas, and I am willing to relocate at my own expense, if need be, to make that happen.  Please see examples of my work at www.hsj-architect.com.  Thanks!