Hi HN, author here,<p>I co-founded Newzbin (where we created the NZB file format) from 2001 to 2010, and I’m now the co-founder and CTO of Cloudsmith (a Series B-funded startup in the artifact management space).<p>I recently wrote this short memoir on how tech and curiosity helped me survive severe depression, dropping out of school, and a lot of self-doubt, and how that journey eventually led me to 20 years of building startups.<p>It’s about growing up in a broken home, finding escape from the burnout of life in a beige Commodore 64, and building a life from very little. There are also a few odd tidbits about co-founding Newzbin, inventing NZBs, and (briefly) fighting Mickey Mouse (ish) and friends in court.<p>My main two takeaways are (other than, "isn't tech wonderful?"): (1) university degrees don't matter perhaps as much as many might think, (2) talking to people isn't an easy way out of depression, but it's a lot better than _not_ talking to people; also, passion and grit can and will carry you (especially as a founder).<p>I’d love to hear from others who’ve taken a non-traditional career path or found stability through tech. I'm not sure if it’ll help anyone who’s already deep into their software career, but if nothing else, it might be a decent read.<p>Lee