The short version is that I got hit pretty hard in 2008 when the economy melted down. I was working as a tech recruiter for startups, and I was being referred

The short version is that I got hit pretty hard in 2008 when the economy melted down. I was working as a tech recruiter for startups, and I was being referred around by a few venture capitalists. When the VCs stopped investing, their portfolio companies stopped hiring, and my income dried up pretty quickly. Being a savvy and sensible business person, and thinking that I had a surefire idea that was guaranteed to work, I took the money I'd set aside for taxes and seed funded my startup. I learned along the way that building software is hard, expensive, and that my idea wasn't something I could easily execute on. I did bounce back, and now I'm a full time developer with a healthy appreciation for what it actually takes to get a company off the ground :)