Education
    Hartwick College, Oneonta New York, BA in economics, 1979. University of California at Berkeley, MBA, 1986. Certified Hypnotist, Clement School of Hypnosis, San Francisco, 1981.

Day Jobs
    I worked at Crocker National Bank, San Francisco, 1979 to 1986, in a number of humiliating and low paying jobs: teller (robbed twice at gunpoint), computer programmer, financial analyst, product manager, and commercial lender.
    I moved from the bank to Pacific Bell, San Ramon, California, and worked there from 1986 through June 1995. I worked in a number of jobs that defy description but all involve technology and finances. The most recent job was in a laboratory, finding ways to use digital phone lines and also running the company's BBS. My business card said "engineer" but I'm not an engineer by training.
    From 1989 until recently I worked my day job while doing the Dilbert comic strip mornings, evenings and weekends.

How I Became a Syndicated Cartoonist
    On the advice of a kind cartoonist I bought a book called "1988 Artist Markets" and followed the instructions on how to get syndicated. I drew fifty sample strips and mailed copies to the major cartoon syndicates. United Media called a few weeks later and offered a contract. I accepted.
    Dilbert was launched in 1989 after several months of further developing the strip. This was my first cartooning for profit.