When I started taking my first steps in Linux, it caught my attention that if I wanted to change to my home directory, I could do it “the long way”
$ cd /home/usuario
Or using ~ (the character called a tilde)
$ cd ~/
which saved on typing, and the biggest advantage was that a script would work for any user.

I once wondered about the origin of using this character, but I never investigated much further until a few days ago when I found this explanation at https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/34196/why-was-chosen-to-represent-the-home-directory/34198#34198, which is quite curious, and I’ll translate it freely: “In Unix-like operating systems, the tilde represents the home directory, a practice derived from the Lear-Siegler ADM-3A terminal, very common in the 70s, where the same key featured both the tilde and the HOME inscription, which served to move to the top of the screen.”
Sergio Carracedo