Highlights for the week
2026 IS ALMOST HERE
The theme going in to the new year is going to be DO BETTER!
There were several wins this year, which offsets a lot of the losses that incurred (namely job loss). Without going to much into it, there's a lot I will be focused on and I will be aiming to do better:
- As a man .. I will make every effort to maintain healthy stoicism and set the example I want my child to model himself after. No more hypocrisies.
- As a Father .. I will work on myself and be as good a role model as I can be. My son needs to know I will be there for him no matter what.
- As a son .. I will venture to be more present and responsive to mother and father ... as best I can.
- As a husband .. I will do my best to rebuild trust and reconect.
- As a brother .. I will work on being better as a brother.
- As a mentor .. I will continue to set the tone and be available. I want them to know I'm a resource. Be the mentor I never had.
- As a leader .. I will maintain my personal values, work on my competence, and be genuine.
- As a pen tester / QAE .. I will learn from my past failures but I will quit dwelling on them. I am not what happened to me. I am what I chose to become.
- As a friend .. I will strive to keep in touch.
A great quote that sets the mood is, You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ―C. S. Lewis
We're no longer accepting this: the weakness, the self-pity, the failures (more on this to come). Enough is enough!! Do Better is the theme!!
- Stay on task!
- Stay focused!
- Stay calm!
- Ask questions when there is doubt.
- Get clarification where there is ambiguity.
- Do your best, at all times, in all ways
And now for something completely different ... CAREER REMINDER
“I want to go into Pen testing / Security Consultant because I genuinely love the challenge of finding vulnerabilities and working with clients to solve them. I got a taste for it and I want more.”
“I want this company because it aligns with my values and gives me the opportunity for career growth. This was what I had with Secure Ideas ... wahh”
“I want this role because it aligns perfectly with my personal and professional ambitions. I really love the skill of pen testing.”
What We’re Grateful For
- Grateful for the good and bad that was my time at Secure Ideas. The exposure was invaluable beyond words. It was a prayers-answered job and I'm disappointed in how it ended.
- The family is always a blessing.
- Love that I've been so good at working through my sh** and did not let myself sink into a depression I could not get out of.
What We Loved
- I loved the continual learning
What We Learned (for 2025)
- Could I have articulated my value better?: Yes .. working on doing better.
- Do I need to improve my storytelling (communication)?: Yes!
- Did I connect with the right people?: Yes. Throughout the year, and especially at BSIDES-NYC.
- Did I network widely enough?: Yes.
- Why didn't my network help?: No clue, but Linked In is no longer the networking engine it once was.
- Were there tasks that I failed in?: Unfortunately, yes. May was just a bad month. 2 blog posts bombed, 2 reports went to sh***, and there were too many mistakes with Burp Suite. Also the file upload test was a spectacular fail.
- Did I work to the best of my ability?: I did.
- Did I produce excellent work?: For the most part yes. Like I said before, 2 reports and 2 blog posts were the beginnnig of the end.
- Was my performance sub-par?: Yes. I failed to meed the expectations of the role.
- Did I communicate my work?: Yes.
What We Longed For
- A great paycheck and great benefits.
What We Loathed
- Nothing. Not wasting energy on things I have no control over.
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