 Budz was born on November 1, 1960, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey into a family that traveled prodigiously because his father worked for the National Park Service, living in Arizona, California, and Colorado.In 1982, Budz graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering.After graduating, he worked at several different jobs, including as a sales at manufacturer’s representative for ITT Bell & Gossett, in retail sales, as a publisher's reader for a small press, and technical support.