My profession is in programming. Initially, my dad tried to teach me Javascript. It was a struggle and couldn’t get it.
A few years later, I took up computer science in college and that’s where it all clicked: I can imagine the end result. It’s a matter of being curious and finding (or I daresay… hacking) my way to that conclusion. Programming languages have a very funny way of allowing you to do just that. In studying computer science, I discovered the art of engineering all kinds of software-based solutions.
Because my way of solving problems is more deductive than inductive, I have to consciously build foundational knowledge and routines. Constant learning and insatiable curiosity is required for me to identify when my hunches are wrong and discard them accordingly.
Long time IT/cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity is all about curiosity and learning. I got there via the military.
E: too soon.
Wow it’s really cool someone from a military background went into the field of cybersecurity!
Is this common at all in cybersecurity?
There’s a lot of IT jobs in the military, and that includes cybersecurity.
It is now. When I got into it, I was doing communications, mainly radio and satellite. I had no idea what I was going to do, and as it turned out, computers and learning really struck a chord with me.
I used military grade cryptography in the Navy, but I learned a lot about cybersecurity on my own. All the “puzzles”, and learning new things everyday like new technology, new vulnerabilities, etc.
Now they have specialists in the military and other government agencies that teach it. Although, given the current political climate, I wouldn’t want to be part of that with that.
As much as people learn it in school and the military now, I feel to be really good at it, you have to know at least a little of everything. I like to look at it like a technical jack of all trades.
You’d be surprised how many people there are from all sorts of backgrounds and interests, that had no idea they would be making a living out of hacking.
Any tips on how to break into the field as a SWE?
Learn everything you can, about everything you can,
and check out places you can practice your learning like Hack the Box or one of the other platforms.And go from there!
I’m a professional slut… for data.
LOL I mean I can probably say the same thing and I gotta tell you. It’s amazing the people out there that want to:
- Control the narrative of the data
- Suppress the data
I’ll use just a simple example of tracking incidents in your organization. It’s so polarizing like people how do you expect to improve if you can’t acknowledge your faults?
Extrapolate that to the current political climate.
It’s so polarizing like people how do you expect to improve if you can’t acknowledge your faults?
The scale of this problem is mind-boggling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Challenge_2002
spoiler for those who don't want to skim an article on a US military war game
Long story short, the US Armed Forces performed a practice war simulation, “costing US$250 million (equivalent to about $423M in 2023), the most expensive war game in US military history”. The two teams were “Blue” (totally-not the US) and the “Red” team (totally-not Iran or Iraq). The retired Lieutenant General of the Red team made the reasonable choice to adopt old-school low-tech tactics to avoid the Blue team’s sophisticated electronic surveillance network, as well as other asymmetric tactics like those used by real armies who have defended against US invasions. Red team won in one day. There were apparently a range of technical problems in the simulation which made it harder for Blue, so they re-tried with conditions to make use of the remaining thirteen days. However:
After the war game was restarted, its participants were forced to follow a script drafted to ensure a Blue Force victory. Among other rules imposed by this script, Red Force was ordered to turn on their anti-aircraft radar in order for them to be destroyed, and during a combined parachute assault by the 82nd Airborne Division and Marines air assaulting on the then new and still controversial CV-22, Van Riper’s forces were ordered not to shoot down any of the approaching aircraft. Van Riper also claimed that exercise officials denied him the opportunity to use his own tactics and ideas against Blue Force, and that they also ordered Red Force not to use certain weapons systems against Blue Force and even ordered the location of Red Force units to be revealed. The postmortem JFCOM report on MC02 would say “As the exercise progressed, the [Opposing Force] free-play was eventually constrained to the point where the end state was scripted. This scripting ensured a blue team operational victory and established conditions in the exercise for transition operations.” :::
Do you work at my company?! Holy shit that’s spot on.
They’re all the same. All companies are the goddamn same…
Well sir, I step in front of cars and sue the drivers.
Jean Ralphio?
I got run over by a Lexus
I get to cut up human organs for a living. Whenever something is removed during surgery, it comes to me. It can be mundane but there are fun and interesting things too. The job is very hands on.
No, I’m not a surgeon. You wouldn’t want me to attempt to perform surgery on you. I’m not a physician of any kind.
So… more like a butcher?
Gimme an M! Gimme an L! Gimme a T!
What’s that spell?
What’s your job title?
Are you in pathology?
Game developer (software engineer) We get paid less than conventional software but it’s very rewarding work on its own.
Wage slave and renter
I’m in IT. Wish I could have gotten into programming, but I’m just not suited to it for whatever reasons. I love tinkering on Linux boxes and figuring out networking issues. Interested in infosec, but discouraged by how many of those jobs involve working for the war machine.
I’m kind of in the same boat, thought I’d be programming but figured out early on that sitting at a desk coding for 8+ hours a day just wasn’t my thing. Turns out I’m happier doing all the other IT grunt work e.g. setting up servers, backups, dealing with the network/wireless/firewalls, even provisioning and supporting user desktops gets interesting.
HAAAWOOO!
HAAAWOOO!
HAAAWOOO!
You work as a fog horn?
“You see old friend. I brought more soldiers than you did” Lol my first thought as well
Werewolf? London by any chance?
PROFESSIONAL HOG CRANKER? WOW BROTHER, YOU’RE LIVING MY DREAM! AROOOOO
Had to scroll way too far for this.
I’m a lifelong cook. Been working in kitchens since I was 15 and I’m currently training to be the sous chef at my current location.
People shit on food service workers but the amount of practical real life skills I’ve acquired over the years has actually come in handy quite a few times.
but the amount of practical real life skills I’ve acquired over the years
Are there any particularly unexpected ones?
There’s a couple for me.
Prioritization of tasks. The flaming pot is more important than the smoking oven.
The ability to move through a dense group of people without disrupting anyone.
Sense of urgency. You need to move with intention and do it quickly.
Injury assessment. You’re not going home because you got 1st degree burns. Grit your teeth and push through. If you cut yourself it’s a different story but unless your skin is sloughing off your fine.
Machinist. Over 20 years now.
I always enter “exotic dancer” when a form requires me to for some bullshit reason.
Environmental Scientist. As my username suggests, my passion is studying bivalves. My day job involves studying nutrient cycling in San Francisco Bay (where clams come up quite a bit)! Through my work, I have also grown fascinated by phytoplankton
Ayo! Fellow environmental scientist ;D
Found you
Data engineering. Quite a change from my undergrad path.
Central heating and ventilation technician, that was my first one, it was awesome, learned welding and stuu like that. But during the winter I couldn’t do it, every time so freaking cold.
Then I was a Rubber mixer for the aufomobile industry, which destroyed my sense of smell to a high degree so I switched again.
Next was frontend developer, then iPhona app developer and then finally I also studied computer science.
After that I I went back to the automobile industry, but with the CS background I’m in software development now. My profession is very broad. I’m Integrator, Software Factory Subject Matter Expert (basically architecture around devops), Configuration Manager. Not programming at all anymore.
IT Project and Team lead.
Protecting “my” engineers from the customers. :)
