Let’s take it back. There I was—bright-eyed, highly caffeinated, and absolutely convinced that becoming a software developer was the move.
Why? Because in my mind, devs were the tech world’s version of rockstars. They had it all—cool job titles, slick GitHub profiles, an endless supply of dark-mode editors, and a paycheck that whispered, “Go ahead, buy that mechanical keyboard with the RGB lighting.” Meanwhile, networking? Cybersecurity? Sounded like jobs that involved reading dry logs, memorizing IP addresses, and yelling at routers.
No thanks, I thought. I wanted to write code, change the world, and maybe, just maybe, launch the next killer app.
But life had other plans—and they came disguised as a software tester in a software company.
At first, I treated the job like a stepping stone. Smile, nod, fix a few bugs, answer a few tickets, and keep dreaming about my future developer glory. But something strange happened along the way. I started getting curious—why did this system time out? Why couldn’t this app connect to the server? What even is DNS, and why does it ruin lives?
Before I knew it, I was deep-diving into log files, learning about VLANs, poking at firewalls, and actually enjoying it. I even started explaining TCP handshakes to people like it was a magic trick.
And cybersecurity? Don’t get me started. That rabbit hole was wild. Once I realized people were out there trying to break into networks for fun, and others were getting paid to stop them, I thought—wait, that’s a job? Sign me up.
Suddenly, the world of networking and cybersecurity didn’t seem boring. It felt like digital detective work—equal parts puzzle-solving, crime-fighting, and wizardry. And unlike building the next todo app, I was now defending castles and keeping data dragons at bay.
Sure, software developers might still have the cooler branding. But networking and cybersecurity? They’ve got plot twists, mystery, and high-stakes drama. And the best part? I get to wear the hoodie and lock the door behind the developers.
So yeah, I didn’t become the next Silicon Valley app developer.
I became something better: the reason their app actually works.
And honestly? That’s way cooler.