Highlights for the week
Because Sunday is my new Monday, I kicked things off with a good workout and lots of productivity: finished the substack blog, finished the spanish slide deck for the week, finished the job scoping. Now (monday) I'm doing a deeper dive. Been hearing more Gen-X videos and the take-aways explain soooo much. Yes I have made mistakes, but even when I didn't, the answer to "why am I always getting picked for layoffs" is made clear. It was never about the dedication to the job. It was about the system and the bs rules in place. Which is what this entry will be dedicated to.
Words to live by ... Real solitude is being fully present with one's self, not out of necessity, but out of joy
On happier news! 2 interviews. One for a decent job, the other for a service bar. Random text
MONDAY
Affirmation: RELIABILITY WITHOUT VISIBILITY IS JUST FREE LABOR
The rules of Corporate America they don't tell you (the shortened version):
- Don't be the one that causes friction. Ie, don't f** up, catch attitude, cause problems, or make your boss look bad.
- Do what matters with high visibility.
- Build relationships with your boss and your boss' boss
- Build your narrative before someone else does. Don't just be good at your job, be irreplacable.
- Presence, not performance is the ultimate form of job security
- HR is NOT your friend or even your ally. They are risk mitigation agents working at the behest of the company.
- The game has always been running. Its not about competence or performance. Pure EGO
Alt news had an update that went ok. It was the first round and not a bot, for a job that paid really well and was hybrid.
TUESDAY
Affirmation: THE NECESSITY PRADOX - WHEN YOU DON'T 'NEED' YOU WILL GET
At work, or in the personal life, the simplest paradox holds true: when you are not needy or desparately looking for someone to validate or complete you, that's when you get the thing you want most. Where was this when I was going through my "thing" with Andrea. It wasn't love, it was the ego needing fulfillment.
Had a great interview for a service bartender position at a restaurant. I'm cool with the pay, but I do miss the camaraderie.
[UPDATE] Sent out my thank you note to the interviewer from Monday and got a 8:30pm email saying they went with someone else. Sucks, but whatever. I'm not about that corporate life any way.
WEDNESDAY
Affirmation: WHAT WAS MEANT FOR YOU WILL NOT PASS YOU BY
Woke up to a cloudy rainy day. I don't feel the slightest bit of sadness for not landing the job. While I am desperate for work, I'm not desperate to land in a bad spot and risk yet another layoff.
THURSDAY
Affirmation: HARD WORK DOES NOT GUARANTEE JOB SECURITY ANYMORE
Being too dependable or reliable - the "load bearing support" structure - means you will never get that promotion. It guarantees a layoff when re-orgs happen because your work is never seen or appreciated. The fix: do work that gets visible and tracked
How the rest of my day went:
- The win - Finally Solved the "Oracle of Whispers" ctf using the lessons from Module 8
- The loss - Disputed 4 tickets in the U-Test platform for 2 different apps, each having a valid case as to why they should be fixed.
- The grief - Etsy API bugcrowd ticket still not resolved.
- The sadness - did not get the bartending job
FRIDAY
Affirmation: SIMPLE, NOT EASY
The economic situation is beyond tight. Sleep is taking a beating. Feeling like the biggest asshole ever because I have to borrow from my son.
Life is feeling simple, but not easy. I'm still trying to figure out my new purpose as I come to realization I may never work in my sector again; aged out.
What We’re Grateful For
- Awesome family .. and that my son has a reliable income. I owe this kid so much, not just money.
- Grateful that, despite my short-comings, we have food in the 'fridge, a comfy bed, and a roof over our head.
- Grateful for quality sleep. When I don't get it, life is the worst.
What We Loved
- "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise, so I am changing myself" - Rumi
What We Learned
- Google Cloud (Coursera) [Status: TO DO!] Found a cool security course that is closer to what I'm looking to learn. Will realistically get started when I'm done with Wraith.
- Android PT - [Status: TO DO!] Still Behind on this!
- INNER WORK [Status: CONTINUAL!] Learned about workplace rules and where I could have done better
- WEB PT - Upwork [Status: UNBLOCKED!] Need to get started on API; Filed bug is getting RAR'd.
- AI PT - Wraith ... Finished Module No. 8 - needs a re-read, and finish the CTF; Unironically, the process for this solved "The Oracle of Whispers"
- Write - "Husb" - next chapter [Status: IN PROGRESS!] ... need to make time for this
- Write - Substack Article No. 4, pt. 2 [Status: IN PROGRESS!]
- Reading "Hacking"[Status: IN PROGRESS!] on the Network Security chapter.
- ...nothing this week
TO DO
IN PROGRESS
DONE
What We Longed For
- A security consulting role: doing amazing things with great people for decent pay.
What We Loathed
- 2026 Job Market - For the remainder of this year, this will be the statement. Hate everything about it.
- The "Start A Business" advice: it is so lazy.
- U-Test: I'm growing more and more disappointed with their triage team by the day. Every ticket becomes a fight. I can understand a poorly written bug, but a valid issue getting rejected because the TE cannot read the f**ng ticket the right way is bonkers!!
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