Clean Code StudioI’m a software engineer in FAANG working on smart devices…a blogger, YouTuber, & e-educator
6 months ago I was in Hawaii. Helicopter rides, black sand beaches, cage-less shark diving, jumped a dangerous as hell 70 to 80 foot cliff jump (I blame tequila), and was lifting religiously in a home gym I’d built up.
Before that, I lived in middle of nowhere MO country side. Worked at a digital marketing agency, practiced martial arts, and lived a simple life.
Before that, I was a city kid living with college friends. Ran a bit, lifted a lot, drank too much, had fun. Went to south padre for spring break & did awesome free lance projects. 5 monitor set up, played guitar, laid back.
Year before that I was living in Colorado - the first half of my time there I lived out of a trailer with my high school buddy. Worked 5am at a coffee shop, showered at the gym, skied a lot. Druggies stole our trailer & I moved to the highest elevated US City. Drove my mustang off a cliff, took 3:30am bus rides for 5:15am coffee shop shifts. 4 hrs of total bus riding & 8 hour shifts were too impractical. It was time to leave the coffee shop & the amazing family owning it. Started free lancing. Bored as hell and lonely, Leadville was not my place. Missed the family and that altitude messes with my heart murmur. Had the first panic attack of my life — after that I started working out, cycling, eating right, practicing guitar, learning Spanish, & coding meticulously every day. Most disciplined I’ve ever been.
The year before that I was in college. Dropped out after 28 days. I lost my scholarship when I dropped so had to pay the college to leave school. Everyone I looked up to told me I shouldn’t & that I needed a “safety net”.
My best friends Dad, someone I admire beyond words invited me to breakfast. First & foremost a great father/husband, he’s also a black belt, as nutritionally disciplined as anyone I’ve met ever, works out religiously, & was an executive on Fortune’s 40 under 40. Great man. Great human being.
The way his glassy blue eyes stared into my soul — man. He was right. College was the safe option. I was on scholarship, I’d have very little debt.
His eyes may have looked into my soul but my soul wasn’t about to waste 4 years of life. He scared me, but I wasn’t changing my mind.
I dropped out to start a business.
I worked 80 to 100 hour weeks for a year. I gave everything I had. Everything. I failed. That’s when I moved to Colorado in the middle of the night embarrassed, ashamed, & burnt out.
And that’s my life as a college drop out.
