Bug Bounty a narrow focused scope in searching for information online but it is rewarding the further you dig down into it…
I used to like googling for everything that I had on my mind to learn and was curious about. Sometimes it was related to computers but other times it was related to life in general. That’s how I went down the path of studying personal development and business topics.
I thought I could become a student of life and discover the truth. Personal development promised to help find the keys to success, riches, and health. I was hooked on that idea till I became a Christian. It was when I was in plight and saw the futility of my efforts that I really needed new answers.
I decided to study programming and when I was searching, I discovered Open Source Society University and that seemed like the thing I was seeking. A way to self-teach computer science, especially because a lot was going on at the time. I thought I could fit OSSU into my schedule and learn it.
The goal was always to become an employed computing professional. I wanted to be a programmer, but I was flexible in how I would achieve my goal.
So back to the bug bounty, after I pursued my first certification, the Sec+ I had to get some experience and started to hunt for bugs. The information to learn hacking is out there, but you got to search for it. Same with learning infosec, there are things like Teach Yourself InfoSec and OSSU those are good starting points but actually learning to exploit things you got to develop the skillset through practice.
Learning how to develop good habits is another aspect of this journey. I gave up on most personal development, but I think there are still lessons to be learned from the worldly wisdom in those books and resources. Right now, I read from Developgoodhabits.com blog.
I don’t have “the answer” on how to hack your education although I am trying to do it myself. I may write more about it in the future about what I think might be the answer. It really isn’t a linear path, and everyone comes with their own strengths and weaknesses. I’m trying to do the OSSU path but don’t want to spread myself too thin. I set out to get the CCNA and likely will sit for the exam at the end of July.
I think googling and chatbots like ChatGPT have their place in the learning journey but what I’ve learned from studying so far is that you got to really focus on a couple learning materials and go deep into them be thorough in learning them do the labs and exercises and you will gain understanding.
For me it was important to get experience working on the stuff I was learning so I gave it to God and eventually a breakthrough happened on that end. So, it’s possible to self-teach or do a bootcamp and land a gig, right now it might be harder but finding a niche like cybersecurity that is needed helps.
The next thing for me to do is build up my portfolio and I’m starting to do that now.
Well, that’s it for now. Hope you enjoyed and feel free to comment.
“Don’t just study security. Learn like a hacker, and become security”