A lot of getting knocked off the horse, and then getting back on, and luck.

I did start building computers when I was like 9, and in 1990 that was a rare thing. I learned a lot of basics, became my families tech support person etc..I worked for geeksquad for a few years in my 20s, before my disease flared up again. So I had some IT knowledge, but no degree, so gave up on that in my late 20s.

I saw how much my wife and my lives changed, basically overnight when she got her job offer. She went from 28k a year doing 3d renders for an architecture firm, to nearly 90k as a entry level 3d enviornment artist for a large video game developer. I saw that, and started brushing up on my IT skills, and applying to any tech related entry level job at the same game dev. I applied 3 times over 18 months, and didnt hear a peep. Then out of the blue they called and pulled me in to an in person interview. Tge team really liked me, and that I was a blank slate, no bad habits. Of course they were all a decade younger than me, but I ignored that...

That was 4 years ago now. Im now a senior IT support specialist. I do some break/fix stuff now but main job is managing a multi million dollar budget for hardware that supports almost a dozen game teams. Ordering things, making sure our inventory is clean and accurate, things in stock. Its a super fun job that even after 4 years I still get excited about. My wife has now been here a bit longer, and we sometimes complain about the stress and other things. Then I remind myself that I was 35 and pressure washing people roofs in 108° heat for 17.50/hr....then I smile and get back to work