Security Testing Journal Entry | w/e Friday July 5, 2024 - "Independence Day" Ed.

Highlights for the week

Welp! That happened ... Ghosted after two weeks.

It was 10 solid business days since my last interview for an awesome job. 336 hours since I last heard from the recruiter. The radio silence was too much. So it took me sending an e-mail asking about the status of my application to learn they went with someone else. What followed was a mix of emotions from sadness to frustration, even anger and disappointment. Had the news came sooner, I could have handled it better. Waiting two weeks was especially cruel. Hoping for a "yes" was the worst.

But I felt something in the pit of my stomach that let me know I didn't get it. The feeling was something similar to when you're standing in an elevator and the car suddenly drops.

Wife and I had been mapping out what the promise of that salary might bring after the first week. By the close of the second, the feeling of hope turned into despair. The opportunities are drying up. And the longer I'm out of work, the harder it is to get back in, making for a perpetual motion machine of insecurity. I have no plan-b! This job prospect was it. It pays to be a winner, and I've yet to win .. so what does that make me?

What We’re Grateful For

1. Grateful that I get to sit here and write this, with a roof over my head and a full 'fridge.
2. I get to enjoy working out and a nice shower afterwards.
3. I get to sleep on a proper mattress, in my apartment, in a great neighborhood.
4. Grateful that I have my smart wife providing some possible ideas for problem resolution. I need to do better; be better!

What We Loved

1. Not a lot to love this week. It's been tough.

What We Learned

1. Cybrary - finished modules 9 and 10; Onto 11: the reporting.
2. GraphQL - playing with the queries for mutations.
3. Pen Testing - started a new test for a banking app
4. Medium - blogging about Threat Modeling
5. "Husb .." - nearing the end; have come to the climactic show down amongst all the characters

What We Longed For

1. As always, longing for a decent job with great pay/benefits, great people, doing awesome things.

What We Loathed

1. Ghosting! By far, the most purile of behaviors exhibited by recruiters. They need to learn to put their feelings aside and let candidates know when the decision to move on occurs.