My dad is using AutoCAD at workplace since I was 5 years old.
We bought the first computer when I was 6 years old, for dad to work at home. I can say that I started using computer myself since 8 years old. At that age I was using computer by having fun in Paint and playing several DOS games. I am surprised that in most families, parents do not know how to use a computer and bought it just for their 10 year old kids, admitting that a 10 year old is smarter than them.
I learned AutoCAD just by watching my dad while he was working at our family computer. At 9 years old I made myself a drawing and showed it to my parents, they were totally surprised because the dad didn’t reminded to make that!
Next year I started 3D design, while my dad never involved in 3D design, his job is only about 2D design. I don’t know if I should say thanks to my dad, actually he did not taught me AutoCAD, but I learned myself by watching him. he even discouraged me to use computers, and for several years he never accepted that I am smarter than him.
Architecture was my own passion, learned myself. I did not had friends working in architecture, is unexplainable how the architecture passion appeared at me.
When I was 12 years old, my family proposed to move to a landed house. We wanted to sell our apartments of parents and grandparents and build a single house for all 5. Each one proposed some house designs… parents design were 2-storey houses, unequal semi-detached, or one above other, 2 bedroom for us and 1 bedroom for grandparents, with different entrances… I came with an intelligent design with a 3-storey house with 1 bedroom for grandparents at ground floor and 3 bedroom for us at upper floors, plus garage (I was already designing several houses and apartment buildings, without any professional training), you can see the improved version of my 12-year old house in House Design page as House for my own family.
My proposal was the biggest and of course the most expensive to built, anyway ALL were too expensive, so decided to look at existing houses and buy one. We visited each cheap-enough house that we found… but with the price gained by selling both apartments plus a bank loan we could afford only ready-to-collapse houses at city outskirts where roads are not paved (we lived in earthquake zone), no sewage, plus poor people and bad guys around… this forced us to continue living in apartments, and today the density of our neighborhood of apartment blocks makes me happy.
Parents wished to live in a landed house to have own land, this is why we seek for 500 square meters of land. But such big land in a city is expensive. Why they needs so much land? No idea, maybe for keeping chickens and pigs in backyard (who have time to take care of them?) and have barbeque near home.
Look at my current House Designs, especially Terrace ones which have built area double than land area.
