How Hackers Saved My Life

By Ell Marquez

Elevator Pitch

Starting in Security, the motto that got me through was, “It’s Okay To Be New.” Though it should have been, “The impostor is strong in this one.” Surprisingly though, when things were at the darkest the help I needed most came from those who we have been taught to fear.

Description

Starting in Security, the motto that got me through was, “It’s Okay To Be New.” Though I’ll tell you a secret, which is that I didn’t always believe it. I was new at Dev, Sec, and even Ops! I felt the motto should have been, “The impostor is strong in this one.”

Although the journey has not been easy, the more I learn, the stranger the journey becomes. Why? Because the principles I am learning: visibility, code reuse and yes, even social engineering, helped me see beyond the unknown and find my path. Even more surprising, the help I needed most came from those who we have been taught to fear.

While “How Hackers Saved My Life” may sound like an exaggeration, the truth is that it may be an understatement. Join us as we explore how our lives are a series of functions that we execute in an endless loop. And how you can hack the code for a better life, a better career, and a better community. You don’t have to get unplugged to be Neo.