Bismillah,

Greetings reader, apologies for the delayed time in creating these articles, a few hard decisions had to be made regarding where this career thing is going.

In this article, I'll be discussing that and a bit more, so read more to find out.

The major conflict over the past month has been determining which path to take as my main stack and which one to do as a side thing or if I should just take a deep dive on one and drop the rest. Let's discuss the 3 options and why they matter to me.

Pentesting, Red teaming, && Bug Bounty

I am enthusiastic about this field and the knowledge it would give me. Simply put, knowing I can hack something and get paid for it without legal issues attached is a very attractive thing. However, it is quite the research-based path.

What I mean is that even though you might know what entails a certain vulnerability, looking into past exploits on a similar system is more effective than just guessing your way through.

The one thing that I found missing from this is the missing fulfillment of creating something since the core goal of pen-testing/red teaming and bug bounty is to break things --> which was new to me.

As for the course on tryhackme, I will finish up on it once I get some cash to pay the monthly fee(it's a tough financial time).

Python Development: Backend stuff with Django

What a journey I've had with Python. Being the first programming language I was introduced to when I learned about the field of Sofware Engineering while applying to join the then-prestigious Andela.

So, In the past, I have tried projects in Python using:

• Flask: did a blog web app dubbed Delight Poetry that I hosted on Heroku, but I had to take it down since I was not actively maintaining the code: meaning it put the Heroku platform at risk of being vulnerable to attacks related to the deprecated or outdated libraries.

• Kivy: back in uni, I did try to build a mobile app with Kivy but I didn't go through with the project.

• Machine Learning: through Udacity and Kaggle, I've tried my hand at learning machine learning but again the sense of fulfillment I have when creating software was missing so I pivoted.

• Django: I am currently studying Django, so you can use my GitHub account to track what's going on over there.

Simply put, I have quit Python for web app development once or twice, but I have made a full circle back to it and I'll share what my decision is in the last section.

Unity 3D for Animations or Games

As previously mentioned, most of the interests I've had in the past are lacking a fundamental aspect to them --> a sense of fulfillment in creating something.

However, with my storytelling interests and the prospect of creating animation-styled films to help younger Muslims learn the religion better, I came across Unity3D and I'm loving it so far.

From the above you can see that I might not have an interest in the programming aspect of Unity3D(which is in demand in some spaces) but the creative and animations aspect of it all.

This then begs the questions; what I'm I going to keep? and What I'm I to drop?

Making the Hard Decision/Pivot

The short answer is I'll keep them all, but the longer one is as follows:

• Career development(Main stack): I will go with Python and Django plus some other key technologies I'll need to be a backend developer, although I might learn some JS and HTML/CSS for simplistic UIs and understand the needs of Frontend developers.

• Security Eye: Although the cybersecurity space is very lucrative, I'll be engaging with offensive security mostly on the side/weekends for 2 reasons:

  • To keep updated on some of the bugs I should be on the lookout for as a backend developer.

  • To build a side hustle out of Bug Bounty(seasonally).

• Creative Outlet: I'll be learning some real-time animation stuff using Unity 3D just to ensure I have a place to look for the sense of fulfillment I enjoy in life. It will probably be an animated version of my publications.

Conclusion

I don't overthink stuff, I just say Bismillah and do it.

Stay hungry, stay hard-working, stay busy, and bring in the bread.

Asalaam Aleykum.