Growing up in a time where no father wanted his son to be a geek, the people, the men that I looked up to as heroes were MEN. And as with all good idol worshiping, their tarnish never fades, despite any scandals or mishaps. For me, the big action stars of the 90's; Arnold, Sly and Bruce. Throw in a little modernization in there and I'll give you Statham as well. I love what they do, and I respect that they know their place; entertaining the masses with awesome actions flicks. These are my super heros, my Batman's and Iron Mans, and the like. These iconic men define what a man should look like and what kind of skills they should possess. Yet, these guys are getting old....
As I claw my way up trying to break into security, I have had to find new hero's to help me keep my dreams alive. There's a slight problem. Unlike the previous hero's, these men are more human, more personable, and more available, which in some eyes, diminishes their luster. In a cliquish turn of the times, Geek is totally sheik, but Heroes are supposed to be the few and the elite. They subtly remind you who is God and who must follow. Many folks in InfoSec can easily fit the bill; if not, Rockstar status is an automatic. The Good (and the Villains) often have sharp-witted battlecrys: "Try Harder", "You're doing it wrong" and "this has already been answered in a forum..." The problem with infosec for me is how good everyone I follow is, and how overwhelming the scene quickly becomes and how under educated and experienced I feel. I've been beat down by nearly every professor at DSU at least one, reminding me who they are and why I am who I am. Yet it matters not; the small price of admission to learn from the best and move into the career I want it well worth the pain of these Heroes.
Yet, there is hope. There are a couple individuals that truly inspire. Only a couple a months ago, I began to wonder where I could fit in all this. I'm not likely to be Hero, or even a Rockstar. Maybe a contributing member, but as I flail around in N00b status, it's hard to see the light. About this time, I got to see a Video from DefCon 20, but David Kennedy. This guy is the real deal and I'm hooked. He's open with his talks, he shares his knowledge, and he inspires with to learn. Dammit! I will learn Python now! It may take years, but I'll get it. This guy is what the mold should be.
Yes, this is a weird post and in the midst of 2 grad classes, I'm determined to learn python and do something useful with it, which is far more than I can say about my trials with C.
Working 1-2 hours ago on it; still in N00b city, but I'm working at it. I will get there.
So for now, Dave, keep on keeping on. Looking forward to SET 4.0!
