My journey started out of boredom from being a developer.

I've always liked computers, so I started learning how to code at a young age. After some time, I simply became bored. Coding was something I didn't really enjoy anymore.

To me, the idea of being a hacker was very different from what it actually is. In my head, it was just kind of "impossible" for me to be an actual, legal, hacker. With that, I was convinced that researching about it and trying to become one was just stupid of me to do.

Until one day, I finally decided to stop thinking so much and actually taking action towards it. I remember I was coding earlier that day, but at that point, it was basically me forcing myself to do something I didn't like anymore. So later, I started researching as much as I could about becoming a hacker.

I was fortunate enough to quickly realize that hacking isn't something you can easily teach, it's more of an unique thing that you have to experience yourself, it's all about trial and error.

Of course you will end up learning things from more experienced hackers, but what I mean is that they can't point you to the perfect program or vulnerability, you have to find it yourself.

Most of the time, the difference between you and the hacker you look up to is in the amount of effort and discipline. There is no secret thing that successful hackers do to stand out, other than just hacking.

More than connections, friendships.

I'm amazed by how many incredible people I've met and become friends with through Bug Bounty.

There is nothing wrong with looking for connections in Bug Bounty, it's actually very necessary, but something even more especial is being able to make friendships with people that have the same passion as you.

I am forever grateful for all of the great friends I made. Special thanks to @busfactor and @rafabyte. We met before DEFCON and from the start, they always motivated me to work hard, have fun and also put myself out there.

Putting yourself out there can be definitely hard. I was nervous about meeting people at DEFCON. I used to have these thoughts of "What if they start talking about something that I have no idea?" or "What if they ask me something I don't know?"

Over time, I realized that not having an answer is far less damaging than not being willing to search for it. Just like being a hacker, it's not about being smart, but curious. Every successful hacker was once the one asking the "dumb" questions.

Finally Home

I spent years wondering what I truly enjoyed doing, now I feel like I finally found it. Bug Bounty brings me the joy I've searched for in a long time, although it can be hard sometimes, the great friends you make throughout your journey makes it very easy to just keep going and have fun, after all, that's what it's all about.

I'm excited to see where it leads.