in reply to Why did you become a Perl expert (or programmer)?
I can't remember. By golly, I can't remember! It was after I learned about linux, which was about a year after I learned about internet. I'm willing to bet it was before I got married. I think it was me learning how to maintain my machines over time. Then, I started playing with it to learn and make things.
I'm not a coder by trade. I'm an English teacher. But, I feel good deep down to my toes when I make "something" happen with code. (I'm rather proud of my esolang attempts) Now, I'm using Perl as a tool to solve problems that are important to me.
One last thing. I've tried learning other languages: C, Lisp, Haskell, Javascript, Python, others I can't recall . . . but can't get into them (I guess that shows I'm not a professional (but, that's okay)). There's an ineffable quality to the TIMDOWDIness of Perl that feels like home. Nothing else compares so far. Recently, in trying to code in a more functional way, I've fallen into a declarative programming style --learned a (not entirely?) new (for me) way of imagining code. My code is clearer, better, and as Perlish as my code ever was.
I think it's nice that this isn't my profession. While it'd be rewarding to work in this field, I can't help but think I wouldn't find as much joy in Perl if it were a job.