It is empowering to run your own things. I have been hosting my own services and sites since 2006.

If you had odd interests the best knowledge came from someone’s web page or (RIP) a Geocities page

Hell, the best resource on the internet for an aspiring bike mechanic is still… www.sheldonbrown.com

Worth noting, some of his opinions may be out of date as he passed in 2008 but the things he wrote and shared are still super important. Dude taught me how to build wheels just 3 years ago