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I quit infosec and I couldn't be happier

paulsec.github.io

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

#21

Post by eganist »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #14
bitexploder wrote: post #11

I have been an information security consultant for a long time. Software dev background. 2006 start app sec consulting -> senior consultant —> principal consultant -> CTO (of small consulting firm) -> get bought by NCC start my own company 10 yrs ago -> CTO/managing principal -> sell company -> still consulting. Done so many different things but the common theme is app sec. Finding bugs and risks in software via reve…

> Never be a CISO Can you share why?

From what I've heard from other CISOs:

You own a bunch of unsolvable risk and your head is one of the first to get lopped off if you're popped.

Honestly, the CISO role probably needs a golden parachute and a direct report to the CEO for it to be an appealing path for most anyone who's experienced it at least once. The former to incentivize owning that much risk, the latter to enable the role to drive change.

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

#24

Post by hgsgm »

eganist wrote: post #21
toomuchtodo wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Never be a CISO Can you share why?

From what I've heard from other CISOs: You own a bunch of unsolvable risk and your head is one of the first to get lopped off if you're popped. Honestly, the CISO role probably needs a golden parachute and a direct report to the CEO for it to be an appealing path for most anyone who's experienced it at least once. The former to incentivize owning that much risk, the latter to enable the role to drive change.

Any Cx0 that has a boss besides the CEO isn't a C at all.

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

#25

Post by itsmemattchung »

komali2 wrote: post #20
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…

Millennial here as well, it's really excited to see our generation and the next generation reject "making money for someone else" as a way of finding meaning in life. I'm chewing on a lot of blog posts about this, regarding for example how the concept of "retirement" is terrifying. I was on a cruise recently and talking with a bunch of old people, and the subject often came up about how people were "finally taking th…

> How terrifying is that, busting ass from your 20s to mid to late 50s

Agreed. I'm all onboard with delayed gratification. I'm onboard with "putting in the work." But waiting (literally) decades before living it up... sounds totally backwards.

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

#26

Post by itsmemattchung »

komali2 wrote: post #20
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…

Millennial here as well, it's really excited to see our generation and the next generation reject "making money for someone else" as a way of finding meaning in life. I'm chewing on a lot of blog posts about this, regarding for example how the concept of "retirement" is terrifying. I was on a cruise recently and talking with a bunch of old people, and the subject often came up about how people were "finally taking th…

> I'm chewing on a lot of blog posts about this

Care to share some of your favorite findings?

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

#27

Post by Mikushi »

cuttysnark wrote: post #10
adamgordonbell wrote: post #5

Got to be honest, I only clicked on the link because 'quitted' bothered me, but the Take-Aways are interesting.

Stuck out to me as well—author uses it only once apart from the title, and it's in scare quotes. Are they calling attention to the fact that it's not the usual form of the word, but then failing to explain why that's important to the subject of the post? In any case, TIL that although "quit" is most common for past tense/past participle, "quitted" is sometimes included in dictionaries as an alternative.

The author is French, the usage of quitted is more likely a mistake outright. As for the quoted version it's explained next to it, he's quitting professionally but likely will continue as a hobby, in French you'd use quotes to highlight the fact it's not to be taken literally.

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

#29

Post by 4RealFreedom »

throwawaaarrgh wrote: post #12

This really resonates with me. I'm also passionate, and most corporate gigs I've had over 20 years kill my soul. I wish there was a place I could use my skills where they weren't wasted, where I could perform at the top of my game and really make incredible things happen. The reality is I spend 90% of my time trying to work around some stupid bureaucratic limitation, and it's not uncommon for my work to be literally…

I've been in this position a few times throughout my career. Try looking around and see what else is out there. Maybe consider a smaller company that doesn't have the level of politics that you've described. Wish you the best!
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