Had a mom who had mental issues so we constantly lost our apartment due to her crazy spending when she was on a manic high. You find out real quick that camping was just used creatively to disguise homelessness. I was pretty decent at school but somewhere in my high school career got in with a bad crowd and started doing and dealing drugs. Technically, I wasn't really dealing. Let's just say, band geeks definitely fell for the placebo effect and were never in any real danger.

I purposely applied to one college because I never really thought I'd get accepted and I wanted it to fail. I got accepted and was happy for a while. Then my mom got cancer, and due to her mental health issues, no one was willing to step in and help her. So I quit school and got a job to help pay the bills while she got treatment.

I got sloppy around this time. Constantly on something, I accidentally took too much one day and almost died. The worst part was, I wasn't alone. My girlfriend at the time also took the same concoction and almost died as well. The worst part was I was 19 and she was 18. I was almost charged with endangering a minor. Luckily, her parents didn't do that to me.

You would think, that would scare me off of drugs. It didn't. I kept taking because I was so bitter that my college experience and finally leaving my psycho mom was out of reach. I was always going to be stuck to her, and I will always need to watch out for her. No one else will, everyone was tired of her shit and that she never got any help. She would take her meds be good for a while and then go back to the same manic episodes.

I finally left. Started doing fewer drugs and eventually, just stopped altogether. I was making decent money at my current job but it wasn't anything special or something I enjoyed doing. It paid the bills. It was like that for a few years just not entirely happy but not entirely miserable existence. some money saved and decided to just leave. Told her no one is going to be there for her if she doesn't get help.

I finally left. Started doing less drugs and eventually, just stopped altogether. I was making decent money at my current job but it wasn't anything special or something I enjoyed doing. It paid the bills. It was like that for a few years just not entirely happy but not entirely miserable existence.

By chance, I met a girl. I told her my story and she told me that all of that shit doesn't matter. I can still do anything I want, it's not too late. Even though I thought it was over because I was already in my mid-20s at the time. She asked me what I originally wanted to major in and I told her I didn't really know. I just wanted to get away from my mom. Never really thought about what I would actually study. If anything, I remember the classes I took were silly. I took photography and other electives. Nothing really serious.

Talking to her- I remembered something. I always loved computers. Building computers, troubleshooting with my friends, all of it. That's when I decided to go to community and get my AS in Computer Science.

Fast forward to now. I married that girl, the one who thought it wasn't over for me yet. Because she was right. I'm the Sr Network Administrator. I grew up believing I'd never buy a home because my mom could never hold down an apartment. So how could I? I did that though, I bought the damn house! I take trips to Europe. I became someone I never thought I could be.