When did you first get "good" at sharpening?

When I was a young kid and first started trapping. Had to learn real quick to get those critters skinned properly.
 
When I was 15, I took a summer job at a fishing resort. I worked there every summer for four years. One of my duties was to hand fillet all the guests catches for the evening meal. The guests used to love watching the filleting process, and I used to love the tips. Lots of fish, lots of stone time. I remember going through a couple Normark Rapala knives each summer, and at least two stones during the time I worked there. The stones were used so much by us dockworkers that they dished out in the middle and it I remember the satisfaction I felt when I could snap them in half by hand.
 
When I was a kid (6-8 years old). My dad gave me a Marttiini cross-guard knife which he dulled the tip on; and, soon after he gave me a coarse stone and showed me the circular-motion-thing.
It didn't take long until I thought that sucked and started to experiment on my own and I soon got used to a decent working edge (not razor-sharp) at about 280-400 grit.
I always used to sharpen all of my parents blades, but it wasn't until a few years ago that I started to progress through the grits -- and what a difference that made!
Honestly, in the last 5 years I've learnt to become more respectful of edged tools, since I've learnt how to mirror-polish and get my edges so sharp that I can shave my beard with them.
When I was younger, I unknowingly used force to compensate for dullness, whereas today I shudder at the thought of ever using force again, as the consequences could be life-altering with the edges I create today.
 
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