For my fifth grade Christmas present, I requested a subscription to the Wall Street Journal. Of course, no one took me seriously at the time. My uncle however, had been considerate enough to give me books on investing, which I read several times. They were only the first volumes in a developing personal library.
My first real stock transaction was in Orion pictures in the early 90's, I had been actively contributing to mutual fund investments prior to that. It turned out to be a loss, but an important learning experience nonetheless. From that, I learned not to trade on rumors, and the importance of having a plan. Orion also taught me the need for stop losses and risk control.
Over the next few years, while pursuing my undergraduate degree in finance, I was determined to learn everything that I could.