[Mondial]

Yes it seems that the best engineers and designers started young with their interest in electronics. Having an early interest and enthusiasm for the subject certainly contributes to success in later professional careers.

My background is similar, starting around age 10 building radios and repairing broken ones, Later, worked on getting amateur radio and commercial radiotelephone licenses, which led to jobs in two-way radio communications while studying engineering in college.

It seems all the engineers that I knew from school that achieved the greatest success, were either hams or hobbyists before ever formally studying electronics. Unfortunately, the present generation of kids don't seem to have the interest, which is not encouraging for the future of technical professions in this country.

You can always tell when an engineer without a practical background designed a piece of equipment when you try to repair it. Servicing electronics before ever designing it gives an insight that is a definite asset.