Thanks for sharing your experience; I enjoyed reading the answers you posted. I don't often talk about it but it seems appropriate to share: I was also a hacker (in both the criminal and non-criminal senses), though I was never motivated by ideology (for a long time I had none). There is a very satisfying feeling involved in hacking that I think appeals to a certain type of personality.
In reflection, I think I owe a significant deal to my involvement in it; it has effectively provided me with my career (Iike you I went on to study software engineering, and perhaps to work for an enviable organisation). But I think the most important thing I could credit it with is it taught me the habit of self-education. Although it has put you through an ordeal, maybe you feel similarly.