[GUEST ACCESS MODE: Data is scrambled or limited to provide examples. Make requests using your API key to unlock full data. Check https://lunarcrush.ai/auth for authentication information.]  K Srinivas Rao [@sriniously](/creator/twitter/sriniously) on x 1687 followers Created: 2025-07-17 15:37:00 UTC I spent two years building a homelab with Proxmox and it had a significant impact on how I interact with technology. Running your own infrastructure forces you to understand systems in ways that using cloud services never will, of course learning and mastering cloud services is more valuable and will make you more employable, but let's keep that aside for a moment. When your Proxmox cluster goes down, you can't file a support ticket. You become the person who needs to know why. The most valuable lesson IMO wasn't about virtualization or networking protocols. It was about ownership in the deepest sense. Every service running in your homelab reflects decisions you made. Your storage layout, your backup strategy, your security model. These aren't abstract concepts anymore that you read about to crack tech interviews. They're concrete choices with real consequences when things break. Proxmox taught me that complexity isn't inherently bad. It's a tool. The web interface might be clunky and the documentation assumes too much knowledge, but underneath you're running enterprise-grade virtualization on hardware you chose. You understand every component because you put it there. This knowledge compounds in ways that surprise you. Running your own infrastructure changes your relationship with technology. You stop seeing servers as magic boxes and start seeing them as systems you can modify. Your home network becomes a playground for testing ideas. Your backup system becomes proof that you can protect what matters to you without depending on someone else's promises. The homelab community talks about self hosting like it's about privacy or cost savings. Those are benefits, but I never really saw those as the actual pros, the real value is agency. When you run your own email server or file sync or media streaming, you're making a statement about how you want to interact with digital tools. You're choosing active participation over passive consumption. My media server runs exactly how I want it to. My backup system follows my schedule and my rules. My home automation responds to sensors I placed and scripts I wrote. They're extensions of how I think about living with technology. Of course, I've also spent more time configuring my media server than I have actually watching movies on it. But that's the point. The configuration is the entertainment. XXXXX engagements  **Related Topics** [stocks technology](/topic/stocks-technology) [rao](/topic/rao) [Post Link](https://x.com/sriniously/status/1945870357841457542)
[GUEST ACCESS MODE: Data is scrambled or limited to provide examples. Make requests using your API key to unlock full data. Check https://lunarcrush.ai/auth for authentication information.]
K Srinivas Rao @sriniously on x 1687 followers
Created: 2025-07-17 15:37:00 UTC
I spent two years building a homelab with Proxmox and it had a significant impact on how I interact with technology. Running your own infrastructure forces you to understand systems in ways that using cloud services never will, of course learning and mastering cloud services is more valuable and will make you more employable, but let's keep that aside for a moment. When your Proxmox cluster goes down, you can't file a support ticket. You become the person who needs to know why.
The most valuable lesson IMO wasn't about virtualization or networking protocols. It was about ownership in the deepest sense. Every service running in your homelab reflects decisions you made. Your storage layout, your backup strategy, your security model. These aren't abstract concepts anymore that you read about to crack tech interviews. They're concrete choices with real consequences when things break.
Proxmox taught me that complexity isn't inherently bad. It's a tool. The web interface might be clunky and the documentation assumes too much knowledge, but underneath you're running enterprise-grade virtualization on hardware you chose. You understand every component because you put it there. This knowledge compounds in ways that surprise you.
Running your own infrastructure changes your relationship with technology. You stop seeing servers as magic boxes and start seeing them as systems you can modify. Your home network becomes a playground for testing ideas. Your backup system becomes proof that you can protect what matters to you without depending on someone else's promises.
The homelab community talks about self hosting like it's about privacy or cost savings. Those are benefits, but I never really saw those as the actual pros, the real value is agency. When you run your own email server or file sync or media streaming, you're making a statement about how you want to interact with digital tools. You're choosing active participation over passive consumption.
My media server runs exactly how I want it to. My backup system follows my schedule and my rules. My home automation responds to sensors I placed and scripts I wrote. They're extensions of how I think about living with technology.
Of course, I've also spent more time configuring my media server than I have actually watching movies on it. But that's the point. The configuration is the entertainment.
XXXXX engagements
Related Topics stocks technology rao