THE YEAR IN REVIEW
Welp! It has been quite the year. 12 agonizing months of unemployment. After serveral weeks of waiting, and waiting ... and waiting, the job I was hoping to land fell through. I prepared for that eventuality, but that doesn't make it hurt less. The funds are gone. Retirement - gone! Savings - gone! Emergency fund - gone! I can't even take out a loan to cover for the next few months without showing proof of employment. The longer I'm out of work, the worse for me it is. One has to wonder if the presumption is I'm "damaged goods" or a "risky" hire.
This week was a complete bust! The priority was the job search, kicked up several notches. Where I was a bit picky a year ago, I'm now settling for whatever. Still need to maintain a certain salary cap, but I'm considering other options as well. I don't think I hit any of the other goals I've set. Haven't written, haven't done anything automation-wise. I haven't even done much for Security+. There's still the weekend :'(
What Went Well This Past Year
- I'm completely debt free!!
- Finished Network+ .. not aiming to get certified.
- Learned how to use Metasploit and Brup Suite, as well as Kali Linux and Zap.
- Learned a lot about Security (Sec+)
- Have completed several learning modules with pen testing, vulnerability analysis, etc. and I feel more confident than ever that this is my career.
- Got to interview at a new Cybersecurity company. It didn't go like I hoped, but I learned a lot.
- Learned a few automation frameworks for QA - namely Cypress and Playwright, as well as Jest and SQL/DB testing.
- Finished the 3 Tiers of Hack The Box, along with the important modules for Vulnerability Assessment and Windows Active Directory (to name a few)
- Completed the TCM Web Application Pen Testing Course and have completed most of the tiers: 1-Star, 2-Star, 3-Star, and some 4-Stars
- Acquired a few mentors that have helped somewhat. Also have a "mentee" that is doing well.
- Got to do some great traveling and saw some wonderful sites, including the Mayan Ruins at Chichen Itza
- There was the wonderful time in Orlando, with Galaxy's Edge, Disney's 50th Anniversary, and the amazing fun that was The Halloween Haunted Houses at Universal Orlando.
- At home, the workouts have been producing great results. Seeing some abs as well as loss of inches.
What Didn't Go Well This Past Year
- Had a couple of referrals present with with great job opportunities, but those failed.
- 350 jobs applied to, with nearly a 50% rejection rate and the remainder go unresponded. Had 5 interviews to date that went to the final rounds: no offers.
- Had to liquidate my retirement to cover the year's expenses. Not looking forward to the tax penalty next year.
- Had a wonderful job in a new career bottom out. While the circumstances were beyond my control, it stings.
- Had my Web App Pen Test Capstone evaluated. The results were suboptimal. BUT! That's a win unto itself. I got to learn how to get better.
- Linked-In is the worst! Great for jobs, but shit for networking and posting content that gains little to no traction. Or perhaps it me.
What Needs To Get Better
- Need to be a better husband/provider, father, and friend.
- No more fuck ups!! No more doing dumb shit!! I have to be better than this. This year had to happen to teach me that lesson.
- Need to land a job and stick it out.
- I cannot continue to be the same person and hope good things keep happening. Right now, I'm staring at my ineptitude and it's the worst.
- My goal was to have been certified by June. It's now end of September, and that is not feasible. But, I have gained completion in other areas that had more value. It continues.
- I have to decide if Security is the path I want to take and really push through the failure. Right now, it stings a little.
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