The Cyber Union v2.0

Welcome to the new iteration of The Cyber Union, version 2.0. Sometimes its simply great to start over, and that is what I have done here. I initially visualized the blog as a place where many people could get together and share information, aka conscript some of my friends to help; however, it has been pretty much a solo adventure except for a few guest blogs.

Since it is just me writing, I decided to turn The Cyber Union into a lifestyle blog to discuss all the facets of life in the infosec world. What this means for the site is that I am going to switch things up a bit. I will be moving away from a purely technical blog to talking about things that go on as part of ordinary life in infosec such as finance and travel in addition to the technical stuff. 

My aim is to help people find a better quality of life by: 

• encouraging them to get outside more with blogs about my travels
• showing them ways to find freedom through financial independence
• help them become the best infosec person they can be by sharing my experiences in the industry

The idea came for this change over this great period of isolation caused by COVID. I started reflecting on how I can find more freedom to enjoy the world and not be chained to a desk every day. This led to me thinking about hiking the mystical Appalachian Trail (known as the AT) in the eastern United States. My mind is oriented to finding patterns and solving puzzles, so I started to think about how I could get to the point where I can just take six months off (this is how long it takes to hike the AT).

The next logical step in my thought process was money. If I am going to take off half a year, I need to be much better at finances. This was a tough one. Finance advice comes from a variety of sources, all of whom think they have the universal answer. From my research into all the techniques, I settled on the F.I.R.E. method, which seems like financial hacking. Perfect.

The last step was to increase my salary and gain the ability to travel while I work. No problem. I have my own business on top of a day job. By continuously improving my tradecraft and keeping an eye on the cybersecurity practitioner market, I should see a steady increase in wages.

To me Information Security is a passion. I will never stop. Besides the ability to travel more, my sought after independence will allow me to research and explore new areas at a whim. Imagine a life where you research and work on projects that you think are interesting, not your boss. Imagine going to all the conferences you can handle to hang out with peers and learn from the best in the industry. Imagine working from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. These are my new end goals, my new driving force.

To tie this new entry for The Cyber Union v2.0 together, I need to switch things up for me to do all this fun stuff. I need to get really good at what I make money at, manage my money better, and prep myself for the six-month journey in the mountains. 

This will be a record of my path to freedom, where I will share my thoughts on life, discuss my failures, and share helpful tips along the way. 

If you are passionate about the field of cybersecurity, are craving a way to escape the 9 to 5 life, and live to travel, my blog is written with you in mind. Stay tune for a face lift of the site.