On a side note, when Red Hat went IPO, I was given an opportunity to buy a small amount of shares pre IPO due to some minor bug reports I had written. When it went public, the shared shot up considerably and the amount was enough for me to quit my job and pursue my master degree for two years with little income. And it worked out even better because soon after I went back to college, the tech bubble collapsed and I was able to ride out the down economy while furthering my studies.