In 2016 I took a bus to Missouri from NY and my friend helped me briefly escape reality (lived on his couch). I had $1K in cash, no car and my finances were in the process of imploding (350s credit score). I rode a bike to work in a factory and rollerbladed around to wash plates, then I made it into the tech industry full time (biking 30 miles a day until a friend loaned me some money to get a POS car, my fault). I fixed my finances (back up to 750s).

I continue to work and tinker with the eventual goal of financial independence, but that's just to buy back my own time. Then I'll continue making stuff.