At age 8 (1969) I built a coffee can drum set with various sizes using a Criso can with coins as a snare. Mom complained it was the first thing she heard every morning and the last thing she heard every evening.
After that I graduated to some salvage kiddy sets, then at 14 landed a red sparkle 5-piece MIJ kit for $50.
Band was offered in 7th grade but I was turned down because there were too many drummers. My friends all got in band. Tragic.
As a teenager I decided against becoming a session drummer and went with engineering.
At 22 I saved up to buy a real Yamaha kit, but had to sell it within a year to pay taxes. Then in 1985 I bought a Tama Swingstar kit at Grant's Drum City in Irving Texas - it was beautiful and so fun to play, but within a year I had to sell it to pay taxes again. Self-employed tragedy!
Now I have an attic full of drum kits I play almost every day. The irony is that most of my band friends didn't continue to play instruments.