My dad and his friends were always into muscle cars and hot rods so I was subjected to the culture pretty early. I remember seeing a ton of cars (mostly model A's and T-buckets) being taken from bare metal all the way to a concours finish. I learned how to use the rotary when I was 14 (it was a Black and Decker) and haven't stopped since, with the exception of some time off while I was in school. Although not consistent, it's been the better part of 15 years but I still try to learn something new every day.
First machine polish was this year...still have a lot to learn but I find it very relaxing and rewarding.