I was in my first year of teaching, and I decided to make some naturally-carbonated root beer with my 7th grade science class. After that project, it occurred to me, "Hey! If I can make root beer, I can make real beer too." Then I remembered that my friend's dad Curt was a brewer, so I made contact with him and we made plans to brew an extract batch together.
After that, he gave me a basic set of equipment and a copy of TCJOHB. I devoured that book and brewed my first batch (Papazian's "Elbro Nerkte Brown Ale") on Feb 17, 2005. It was actually really good - smooth and dark with no flaws. I jumped right in, brewing once or twice a month for a couple years.
So now I'm coming up on my 10-year anniversary (better take that day off work!) and still extremely passionate about the hobby. I make sure to give Curt samples from time to time, and I also teach beginner's brewing classes at his restaurant supply shop/LHBS. I'm really lucky to have had somebody to get me going like that, and I get a lot of satisfaction from getting new brewers started on the right path.
Cheers!