I'm here to share! This is how I got here...

Hi all!

Well, I've taken the plunge. I've joined Steemit and am now quite excited to see where it goes from here.

How did I get here? Why not share!

It all started with cryptocurrency, as I'm sure it does for most people. I first learned of bitcoin through internet browsing, hearing the odd mention through conversation, and on the television. It was not until I wanted to buy something - more so test its feasibility - from a not so legal online service that no longer exists (can anyone guess?). Bitcoin was a little over a hundred dollars Canadian at the time, so I ended up grabbing a couple, made my purchase, and was thoroughly impressed. This questionable currency and marketplace existed in a world that so many people haven't even had a clue about! I continued using the service until it was was no longer available (if you haven't figured out what I'm talking about yet, I'm truly surprised... you're on steemit after all!).

God how I wish I just left those bitcoin alone!! It's almost cliche to say that now, its been the case for so many people. Coulda been millionaires if we only knew right?!!?

Anyways, bitcoin crashed some time after I stopped using the online service. Many people lost faith, and I hadn't had the money to risk at the time. I'd been a university student for maybe a year by this time. Fast-forward to late March 2017. Finishing university, and naturally, far more broke than I was before. I have a friend on my facebook who loves to promote cryptocurrency - he's clearly passionate about it. Fortunately I listened to what he had to say. I was feeling down on my luck, and could use some money. I figured, hell, I'll throw $100 in and see what I can do. The per cent gains that I've seen as examples from my friends made me a little more confident about my odds than I would ever be typically, and by this time, the price of bitcoin was far greater. I couldn't have made a better decision.

As I learned about investing in cryptocurrency and trading on exchanges, I quickly learned that the world is much bigger than bitcoin. I learned about blockchain, discovered incredibly ambitious and inspiring projects, and of course, came across Steemit. - another fascinating project that seems like a much better outlet for my passions and interests than something like facebook, where memes get more likes than anything of substance.

I've since turned my $100 dollars into $500 dollars. Naturally, my fascination in cryptocurrency is at new levels.

So here I am, introducing myself. I look forward to posting more about everything from world news and politics, to video gaming and VR.

I'm a Policy Studies major, minoring in Economics and I'm currently working for a market research consultant who is highly involved in provincial politics. We do alot of telephone polling and statistical analysis for politicians in my province so I'm hoping to add some semi-professional perspective to any of the political topics, along with my sheer passion and interest. In terms of credentials I'm also involved in some research with the Economics department at my university where we're looking at migrant remittances and their effect on the real exchange rate of the receiving nation. Fascinating stuff!

I'm also looking forward to integrating into this community further and learning more about the possibilities of this sort of amazing blockchain.! I've even got the old lady interested!

Thanks for reading and if anyone has any recommendations on some good follows feel free to leave them for me! thanks!

Cheers!
-Brownz