Back in 2018, I was a young boy with no direction or inspiration for my future. During that time, I drowned myself in games, spending over 10 hours daily at internet cafes.
I’d go home to eat lunch or dinner for a few minutes, only to rush back to play games.
For those unfamiliar with internet cafes, they’re spaces filled with computers where people pay to use computers for gaming and other activities, similar to what’s shown in the image.
Looking back now, I’m amazed at my transformation from a 16-year-old gaming addict to a (somewhat) functional software developer at a startup.
This change might never have happened if I hadn’t encountered a Facebook advertisement about Santiago Lopez, an ethical hacker from HackerOne who had earned $1 million through bug bounties.
From that point, it just snowballed. I began learning Python programming, studying networking, virtualization, technical writing, DevOps, server management, and cybersecurity.
Along the way, I connected with many acquaintances and friends who helped me learn and challenged me to grow.
I can honestly say I’m grateful to Facebook for showing me that advertisement. Because of it, I embarked on this journey that changed my life.