The start of this journey into tech
It all started with a cheap laptop that was supposed to help me finish schoolwork. I thought I’d use it for more, but then… I accidentally locked myself out of Windows because, well, I did something dumb. Suddenly I had no computer and no idea whether I'd ever get a replacement or have to fix it.
That’s when YouTube became my best friend. I dove into tutorials, Googled every error message, and learned that fixing a laptop does need another laptop (or at least a spare USB drive with windows install media). I was lucky enough to borrow my mom’s unused laptop. She wasn’t using it, so I could do some basic tinkering without fear of messing up her work. After a few hours and the usb I got from best buy with a gift card I had, I had my original laptop back in action. Mom even let me keep her machine for a while because she needed it later.
The Gifted Desktop
A friend moving away for college left me with a brand new to me desktop. They handed it to me and a set of rules: “Don’t overclock, or you’ll break it.” It was my first full‑size rig, so I obeyed. That machine got me through a lot of school projects and some early gaming sessions.
Now having a desktop, I started upgrading. A GPU upgrade, and ram. I felt like the PC felt like a different beast. Streaming became possible, and I began thinking about what else I could do with that new power.
Streaming, Upgrades, and the Overclocking Dream
I got into streaming because it was fun, and it pushed me to keep my hardware up to date. I started researching the best GPUs for streamers, found a few deals, and installed them without a hitch.
The next step? The Ryzen platform. I wanted more from that CPU, so I tried overclocking. For a year, it ran fine… until one night, when I turned the PC on after being off, it was dead. That crash forced me to sell off what I had and start trading parts again.
Tech Lots, Flipping, and Repair
After the death of my PC, I dove into tech lots and flipping hardware. Buying older gear that nobody else wanted, fixing it up, and reselling gave me a surprisingly good profit margin. It was also my first real taste of repair seeing a dead component come back to life felt amazing.
I kept this hustle going for a few years, but school called. I decided to put the flipping on hold, focus on grades, and use summer breaks to earn enough money for a new rig that would meet my class work style and gaming needs again.
School, Coding, & The Trade‑off
While back in school, I started dabbling in coding as a side hustle just in case tech repair didn’t pan out. But the real passion remains: board repair, upgrading systems, and turning broken gadgets into working machines. I still keep that goal close.
If tech doesn’t take me where I want it to go, I have another option: trades. It pays well, I enjoy the hands-on work, and it’s a career path that’s always in demand.
Where I’m Headed
Primary Goal: Become a professional repair technician starting with basic repairs and moving into advanced board-level fixes. Backup Plan: Trade skills (e.g., plumbing, electrical) if tech doesn’t get me a job. Side Projects: Coding for small utilities or web apps that can help automate parts of the repair workflow or a site to show what I’ve repaired and a way to contact me.
Final Thought
If you’re stuck in a similar spot, your laptop’s broken, your budget is tight, and you’re just starting out, I've been there. Keep learning from YouTube, take advantage of any spare hardware (even if it’s your mom’s laptop), and don’t be afraid to experiment with upgrades. Sometimes the biggest setbacks (like that overclock crash) become the best teachers.