I don’t know if I was “awoken” so much as “pointed in the right direction”. I always questioned things as I grew up. I worked through high school and paid attention to business news and politics–just as I do today. I would ask my parents and teachers questions like, “Why should I have to pay taxes for things I don’t use? Or benefits I don’t receive?” My parents were much more forgiving than some of my teachers and encouraged my brother and I to question and learn. (As a side note, I spent 13 years in catholic schools, K through 12. I consider myself out on parole. The only thing I remember from those priests and nuns is that 1 + 1 = I love Jesus!)
After high school, I worked for nearly 7 years. I kept asking questions and continued looking for answers… and learned more. I fell upon libertarian literature and found that my thoughts and beliefs were closely related. After deciding on going to college, I would ask questions of my teachers. I majored in political science and economics because these were the fields that interested me. I completed my Associate’s degree then went on to a four-year school. I was still libertarian, but it wasn’t until I was in a four-year college that I was introduced to Austrian Economics. One professor in particular set me on the path to “heterodox economic thought”, and I am forever in her debt. She encouraged me to read, and even assigned topics in her class that allowed me to express my views and use the knowledge I acquired instead of blindly regurgitating textbook mumbo-jumbo.
I am still learning.