One thing I will add is that the energy and excitement was just so much more genuine and the passion was at a different level than today. I'm not saying there aren't extremely talented and energetic people these days - there are actually more simply due to the sheer size of the industry - but the density of them is far less. The self-selection filter was much stronger back then and while most folks were relatively well paid it wasn't mostly about chasing VC funds and hitting the next IPO. It was about "holy crap, I'm actually being paid to do things with computers!" - at least my tiny slice of the experience.
Things also were a lot more "simple" for lack of a better term. Today I'm not sure how I would have gotten my foot in the door and made myself minimally useful enough to start learning skills and gaining reputation (which then later led to a career) simply due to the sheer number of layers of abstraction on top of everything you have to punch through.
It was certainly a simpler and much wilder time though!