Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I quit infosec and I couldn't be happier

paulsec.github.io

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 175 posts

Re: I quit infosec and I couldn't be happier

#101

Post by recrudesce »

_tk_ wrote: post #96

I have been working in infosec for 10 years now. I know this author doesn't want to convince anyone, and I am happy that they are happy. :) But I am kinda wondering why this brings so much attention? To me this reads like a long trip down memory lane. Is your takeaway: "if your job and your hobby are too similar, then this will lead to burnout?" Or is it "a job in infosec will lead to burnout, because infosec has cer…

I think it's mostly that the echo chamber that is the Infosec world gets tiring after a while.

Let's just shout "ffs, just patch yo' shit" rather than actually trying to educate people.

Let's all go to a hacking convention, and act like children and hack everything within arms reach at all times.

Let's all belittle people who don't have the same level of technical skill as us.

Let's all be arseholes to women in the field.

etc etc. that's why I took a step back, because for all the "we want to help you fix things to make the world a more secure place", the infosec industry seems to not want to help make it happen.

Re: I quit infosec and I couldn't be happier

#102

Post by mango7283 »

bayesian_horse wrote: post #61

I had watched a few courses on information security and noticed that those working in the more management / corporate related infosec roles seemed to be massively overweight, almost all of them (I am too, btw). Not saying that to shame anyone, just: Does the job make you miserable or stressed out? I have been forced to do the infosec role as a "side thing" in a couple of jobs now, mainly because nobody else was aroun…

I manage a monitoring and ir team and am obese. I tend to stress eat and there is a lot of stress playing defense all the time.

Re: I quit infosec and I couldn't be happier

#103

Post by mango7283 »

bell-cot wrote: post #69
bayesian_horse wrote: post #61

I had watched a few courses on information security and noticed that those working in the more management / corporate related infosec roles seemed to be massively overweight, almost all of them (I am too, btw). Not saying that to shame anyone, just: Does the job make you miserable or stressed out? I have been forced to do the infosec role as a "side thing" in a couple of jobs now, mainly because nobody else was aroun…

Oh , yes. Infosec has all the downsides of being an ER/ICU nurse at a miserably understaffed hospital, with ~none of the upsides of saving people or genuine patient/family gratitude.

Haha you said it...

Re: I quit infosec and I couldn't be happier

#104

Post by [deleted] »

SadWebDeveloper wrote: post #70

I have said it before and still say... InfoSec is a glorified policy writer. You spent more time 90% of the time "writing documentation" rather than on finding the security problem and suggesting the fix. That's why i choose development rather than InfoSec (despite having a knack for it), because its more technical and i don't need to explain "why" everytime.

[deleted]

Re: I quit infosec and I couldn't be happier

#105

Post by mango7283 »

debacle wrote: post #65
bayesian_horse wrote: post #61

I had watched a few courses on information security and noticed that those working in the more management / corporate related infosec roles seemed to be massively overweight, almost all of them (I am too, btw). Not saying that to shame anyone, just: Does the job make you miserable or stressed out? I have been forced to do the infosec role as a "side thing" in a couple of jobs now, mainly because nobody else was aroun…

Security is always a cost. It's never a benefit until after someone has already been hacked, and you're the cleanup crew/IT oncologist. I decided 10 years ago to never work in a role/company where my job didn't contribute to the bottom line. It's much more satisfying.

I was a lot happier when I was working for a security tool vendor than I am now working in itsec on the customer side...

Re: I quit infosec and I couldn't be happier

#106

Post by rejectfinite »

itsmemattchung wrote: post #7

> The main warning I might just give to people is to keep proper distances between work and personal life I've been thinking about this a lot lately. As a millennial, I've tied so much my self-worth into my career and recently, started questioning this belief and I think the next generation (i.e. Gen Z) might be on to something around quiet quitting, their generation placing extra emphasis on pursuing things that mak…

>around quiet quitting

Please do not use this phrase.

Working 9-5 is called "doing your job"

IT in Europe here and we work 8-5 with 1h lunch...

Re: I quit infosec and I couldn't be happier

#107

Post by DeathArrow »

quacked wrote: post #18

If you're looking to avoid burnout, it helps to think of your profession as something entirely separately from your identity. I'm not an "aerospace engineer" or a "project manager", I am merely a man who plies the trades of engineering and project management during the day. That's the service I provide to society in exchange for food, fuel, land, tools, weapons, medicine, textiles, etc. (I don't think it's a fair tra…

I work to provide food for my children and me. I am not my work. Even if I like development, I do more interesting types of development outside of my job.

Re: I quit infosec and I couldn't be happier

#108

Post by swader999 »

_2uwr wrote: post #60
jordanmorgan10 wrote: post #39

Does anyone else wonder what their life might have been if you had never gotten into tech? I sometimes think I may be happier, but certainly less wealthy. My free time would probably be just that, free time - instead of having the relentless drive I have to do another app, blog post, etc. On the other hand - the "hustle" economy is everywhere now, not just tech. Everyone has a side gig, and the grass isn't always gre…

I do, knowing the physical and mental harm of being stuck in front of a computer for most of my life, believe it or not but being sat in a chair for extended periods of time is considered a stress position, and not getting the fun exercise to keep you body fit, bugs me a lot as my health declines and the so called experts ie doctors dont know enough and they are risk averse conformists.

Most non technical white collar sit in front of a computer all day too. Trades like electrical, plumbing, mechanic etc wear out their bodies.

Other jobs that emphasize relationships like sales is something I wonder if might have been a better path. In your old age you have a nice rolodex to market yourself with instead of a decaying skill set that gets more difficult to refresh as you age.

Re: I quit infosec and I couldn't be happier

#109

Post by l33t233372 »

j0hnyl wrote: post #91
ghostpepper wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone with a C/C++ background considering a move in this direction career-wise, would you still recommend it?

I think the trick to staying happy in cyber security is to chase down niche fields in technology. Your work won't be perceived as sexy by the broader community since you're not tracking north korea, but the trade off is that you will have fun and not have to brush shoulders with so many egos. So what's green these days? That's for you to decide, but one area I think is interesting is smart contract security on blockc…

Moving into the blockchain space to avoid brushing shoulders with egos is like living in a pig pen to avoid getting dirty.

Re: I quit infosec and I couldn't be happier

#110

Post by __derek__ »

RugnirViking wrote: post #57
DeathArrow wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How would that work for a developer?

work for a company where you are developing the comapny's main product, and where the product can be substantially improved by further development. For example, working to develop a website for a supermarket chain, or an app for dominoes pizza, will always have a limit and little respect

> an app for dominoes pizza

This is a nitpick, but customer-facing ordering and delivery technology arguably is the main product for Domino's Pizza. The food basically defines replacement level, but the tech differentiates the experience from other shops.

Post reply on HN