Natecation
/nātˈkāSHən/ · rhymes with "vacation"a blog by Nathan H. Leung
raised in the Philly suburbs
learned to code in high school
became employee #1 at a YC startup
walked 1,700 miles
lived in South America for four months
now back in SF
January 13th, 2025
Heading North
2024 in Review
Leaving Los Angeles. Settling in San Francisco? Thinking about what's next. My 2024 in review.
November 17th, 2024
Let Startup Employees Invest in Other Startups
The SEC’s Accredited Investor Rules Hurt the Startup Ecosystem
The SEC should allow employees of startups to invest in other startups formed by friends and colleagues.
July 20th, 2024
Cycling Across California
San Francisco to Los Angeles to San Diego by Bike
Notes on cycling down the California coast: 550 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles, then 175 miles to San Diego and the US–Mexico border.
January 23rd, 2024
Foreign and Domestic
2023 in Review
Finishing up my math major. Alaskan summer. Four months in South America. My 2023 in review.
October 21st, 2023
El Peregrino
Walking the 37-Mile Pilgrimage to Luján
Walking one of Argentina's most famous religious pilgrimages — 37 miles over 13 hours.
August 1st, 2023
Life at the Margin
How I Got $25,000 in Debt
Financing my life with credit cards and margin loans.
January 10th, 2023
Commencement
2022 in Review
Hiking the PCT through California. Getting in-state status at UCLA. More crypto stuff. My 2022 in review.
August 20th, 2022
100 Days in the Wild
From Mexico to Oregon on the Pacific Crest Trail
I spent the last three months hiking through the California wilderness. Some notes and photos from the trail.
January 9th, 2022
Back to Normal?
2021 in Review
Pennsylvania, New York, Washington, and California. TradFi and DeFi. Back to school at UCLA. My 2021 in review.
September 27th, 2021
Accredited Investor
Investing in Startups With the Series 65
From studying for the exam to registering with the SEC — my foray into investing in startups and venture capital by passing the Series 65 and becoming a licensed investment adviser representative.
February 1st, 2021
Startup Year
A Review of My Year at Jupiter (YC S19)
At the end of 2019, I moved to a new place in San Francisco and started my career as a startup software engineer. I am now planning on returning to college. My 2020 in review.
November 9th, 2020
Hello from Nathan Leung
A Life Update
Two weeks ago, I sent 208 old friends — everyone from elementary school teachers to my intern mentor at Google — an email life update for the first time. Here's the email I sent, with some results.
July 29th, 2020
Carpe Annum
My 2020 Gap Year Playbook (for Startups and Tech)
As more and more colleges go online, I've started to get more questions from students about taking a gap year. If you're looking to take a gap year soon, willing to learn how to code, and interested in pursuing a career in tech, here's what I recommend.
June 8th, 2020
A Few Words
On the George Floyd Protests
A few words on George Floyd, racism, and taking action.
March 31st, 2020
Playing in Traffic
How to Make a Professional Personal Website for Free
This blog is deployed to Europe, Asia, SF, and NYC. It's secured with SSL, updates instantly, and is served from my personal domain. An intro to HTML/CSS, web hosting, and DNS, and how to get this for free.
February 25th, 2020
Why I Dropped Out
From My Freshman Year to Google to a Startup
My 2019 in review: freshman year, leaving college, a summer at Google, and joining a startup. Some notes on 2020 and beyond.
November 20th, 2019
C.R.E.A.M.
Managing My $40K Google Internship Money
I made $40,000 working this summer as a software engineering intern. From high-yield savings to stocks and bonds, here's how I'm managing this pile of cash.
November 1st, 2019
The California Zephyr
From Chicago to San Francisco by Train in 52 Hours
A photojournal of 52 hours on Amtrak, from the Mississippi River to San Francisco Bay. A round trip across America for $500: SJC to LAX to DTW to BOS to PHL to MDW to San Francisco. Some tips for finding cheap flights.
September 16th, 2019
Hello to All That?
My First Summer in Tech
On moving to San Francisco at nineteen. Memorable moments from my first summer in Silicon Valley.
August 20th, 2019
4320 Minutes
How I Handled My Suspension on the Common App
Why I took three unplanned days off of school the summer after my freshman year. Handling my high school suspension during the college admissions process and beyond. Thoughts four years later.
May 11th, 2019
The Internship
How I Got a Google Internship Freshman Year
From application, to interview, to offer — my path to landing a full software engineering intern position at Google as a first-year student, my unconventional hiring process, and a few resources I recommend for those going through the process now.
April 9th, 2019
Rock, Stick, Mud
Why I Run
I was an avid runner in high school, running thirty miles per week year-round as a member of the cross country and track teams. Since coming to college, week by week, I've run less and less and less. Some thoughts on getting back into it.
March 2nd, 2019
From Zero to One
A Definitive Proof That 1 > 0
The most interesting proof I did in my first-year real analysis course — drawing on the ordered field axioms to prove 1 > 0. An introduction to mathematical reasoning from first principles.
January 9th, 2019
A Guide to Applying to Michigan
On Ross Preferred Admission, LSA vs. Engineering, and More
Updated for 2021. Things to know when applying to the University of Michigan — LSA vs. Engineering vs. Ross, dual degrees, Ross preferred admission, AP credit, majors, housing, Bursley or Baits, and more.