My first job consisted in updating Visual Basic code behind an Excel file that specified the hydraulic circuit for an aircraft. It was a simplified version of the circuit for use in a simulation that was used to calculate pressure loss based on several valve and pipes parameters. The results were exported to a txt file to be loaded by the simulator.

Also in the same project I remember another Excel file with mechanical calculations that actually updated a nice graphic that simulated all the linkages and different extensions of the actuators and computed forces at different points. The unholy alliance of elegant Lagrangian mechanics with Visual Basic.

I hope to never touch Basic again but it was a valuable lesson about getting things done and I'm glad I took it so early in my career.