Mastodawn

John Strand Jan 14, 2023

I wanted to take a few moments and apologize to many of my former students.

In the past I said the industry needs people who look at security as a vocation and an avocation.

I was wrong.

Have a life outside of this industry.

Have hobbies that have nothing to do with your computer.

Get outside.

The problems of the industry are not problems of people not working hard enough.

They are not problems of people not being "hard core" enough.

They are problems of education and resource prioritization.

I was wrong.

I am sorry.

Stop breaking yourself on rocks for people who don't really care if you break yourself on rocks.

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Adrian Sanabria Jan 15, 2023

@strandjs warms my heart to see you doing this

I often tell folks, "we still have no idea what we're doing, we're figuring it out as we go and doing our best"

The mistakes are inevitable. The most important bit is to share and learn from those mistakes!

I've also shifted on the advice I give mentees and folks trying to break into this industry. Part of it is just that the industry has been evolving in ways I couldn't have anticipated. The other part is just constantly collecting data: listening to folks and their experiences. Adjusting.

❤️

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Curt Wilson Jan 15, 2023

@sawaba @strandjs right on, Adrian. I resonate with your perspective and I’ve also modified my position when talking with very young folks who are super enthusiastic and ready to pay dues. I suggest that work life balance is vital and while it may not feel like it now, to consider integrating it from the start. I realize it may be easier said than done, but in todays day and age, many employees are less interested in being crapped on.

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Adrian Sanabria

@CurtWilson @strandjs Something important someone told me once (or maybe I read it somewhere) was that you need to be careful of the standard you set when you join a company

It's natural to want to impress everyone and go above and beyond, but that level of productivity probably isn't sustainable. If you don't set boundaries and say no when they're crossed (I'm terrible at this, I want to say yes to everything), you can be setting yourself up for a burnout situation.