WEBVTT 00:04.520 --> 00:09.240 Welcome back to the Career Hacking Village here at DEF CON Safe Mode. 00:09.240 --> 00:27.100 As many of us know, one of the ways that we can get our skills to help our overall career development and actually build those skills that need to be put to place in our technical careers, one of those ways is through being part of conferences. 00:27.100 --> 00:30.860 But conferences have so many other benefits to us. 00:30.860 --> 00:38.480 We thought that it would be really great that Sciatic Nerd would come here today and tell us all about the career arcs of cons and careers. 00:38.960 --> 00:40.820 Sciatic, you want to take it away? 00:41.140 --> 00:43.140 Thank you very, very much, Kathleen. 00:43.140 --> 00:45.200 And hello, Career Hacking Village. 00:45.200 --> 00:49.260 It is super awesome to be able to be here and share today. 00:49.260 --> 01:00.100 This is one of those rare moments, right, where you realize there are not that many opportunities to just get out there and share what it is you've been doing or what you know. 01:00.100 --> 01:05.600 And if there's a chance, then it's got to be worth it to reach out and do the thing. 01:05.600 --> 01:14.840 And today, the thing is talking about how conferences, virtual or in person, can be something that enhances your story. 01:15.060 --> 01:20.000 Because we all deal with this ridiculous, frustrating thing. 01:20.000 --> 01:22.100 It's impossible to push down sometimes. 01:22.100 --> 01:26.960 It's called, well, in InfoSec, it's commonly called imposter syndrome, right? 01:26.960 --> 01:33.860 This is that feeling that wells up in you when you're not sure, can people see through me right now? 01:33.860 --> 01:36.480 What exactly am I thinking? 01:36.480 --> 01:37.340 What are they thinking? 01:37.340 --> 01:39.460 I don't know that I can do this. 01:39.460 --> 01:44.320 Well, we're going to talk about this a little more in depth, but it's a constant thing. 01:44.320 --> 01:49.840 And in the context of this talk, it's going to be referred to kind of like a level boss. 01:49.840 --> 01:59.920 It's the nondescript, just thing waiting at the top of the stairs, at the behind the dark door, but we're going to deal with it one step at a time. 02:00.080 --> 02:08.880 Because I don't know how it was for you, but when I was growing up, my older brother, he had the stereo, which meant I got to listen to whatever he wanted. 02:08.880 --> 02:11.940 And that made me crazy in the way it would, right? 02:11.940 --> 02:14.140 You don't get to control what you're hearing. 02:14.140 --> 02:16.480 You're force fed things into your ears. 02:16.480 --> 02:19.620 And in this case, for him, it was, it's the 80s. 02:19.620 --> 02:21.180 Yes, I'm that age. 02:21.180 --> 02:25.660 In the 80s, the band, Yes, had this ridiculous album called 90125. 02:25.820 --> 02:29.600 It's very different from all their other work, but so what? 02:29.600 --> 02:34.360 It had a lot of high production value and all this stuff, but it was pushed into my head. 02:34.360 --> 02:39.380 And the song, Owner of a Lonely Heart, in particular, was the kind of anthem thing. 02:39.380 --> 02:42.360 But I wanted something for me, something I could listen to. 02:42.360 --> 02:44.760 And I said, you know, I'm going to do something really different. 02:44.760 --> 02:47.700 And I got a hold of the Art of Noise. 02:47.700 --> 02:53.960 Now, this is just an album cover for one of their pieces or a fairly well-known thing called Paranormia. 02:53.960 --> 02:59.040 But it turns out, you find inspiration in strange places. 02:59.040 --> 03:09.080 Specifically, the Art of Noise wouldn't have existed unless 90125, the actual album my brother was listening to, had gotten made. 03:09.080 --> 03:24.920 It turns out the music programmer who was recording some drum beats for the band, got the idea in his head to work with this relatively new recording technology, the sequencing technology, and the Art of Noise was born. 03:24.960 --> 03:33.640 Even though I may not have been a super fan of that band at the time, it's the reason that the band I was enjoying came into being. 03:33.640 --> 03:43.160 So the moral here is intended to be, you might find inspiration in unique places, and don't skip going back to learn something new. 03:43.160 --> 03:50.220 Re-examine something you thought you had an idea of before, because it can change who you are and what your career path is. 03:50.220 --> 03:52.660 That's just like a career though, I mean, right? 03:52.660 --> 03:58.720 It takes time to figure out who you are and the kind of work you really want to do. 03:58.740 --> 04:08.660 It's difficult to just show up one day and a guidance counselor or somebody you trust, hopefully, asks, well, what do you want out of this thing, this stuff you do? 04:08.660 --> 04:10.280 You just stay up all night and tinker? 04:10.280 --> 04:17.700 What is it that gets you out of bed and makes you want to put hands to a keyboard or do whatever it is that you do? 04:17.700 --> 04:19.680 So learn from your mistakes, right? 04:19.680 --> 04:26.980 You've got to go back and at some point, maybe try to even help those who are coming after you to find a different route too. 04:27.100 --> 04:48.480 We're going to talk a little bit more about that as we go, because one of the biggest challenges I've ever found was figuring out how do you and I, I mean, that's a ridiculously HR sounding thing, but when you come to a situation, whether hanging with your friends or putting together a camping trip or anything, 04:48.480 --> 04:50.080 how do you bring value? 04:50.080 --> 04:55.320 What is it that you are going to do that makes it more enjoyable, improve the situation? 04:55.520 --> 04:58.500 What can you do to be positive about growth? 04:58.740 --> 05:09.280 And that's something that is, it's an intangible, some would call it a soft skill, but it's a very important and challenging thing because it means something different to every person. 05:09.280 --> 05:14.860 It's not going to always mean the same thing, but maybe you come along and make people laugh. 05:14.860 --> 05:16.340 Maybe you do something ridiculous. 05:16.340 --> 05:25.200 Maybe you help with conferences, whether it's planning them, helping with the safety and security aspects, talking to people, helping get the sponsorship going. 05:25.200 --> 05:29.560 All of these different pieces help make the whole better. 05:29.600 --> 05:32.420 So let's talk about the most epic of stories. 05:32.420 --> 05:37.580 Let's talk about yours because when it comes down to it, we have to think of things. 05:37.580 --> 05:43.540 Well, I prefer, excuse me, I prefer to think of things in terms of a story because that's what it is. 05:43.860 --> 05:49.460 If you're a fan of science fiction, recently, one of the characters said, you know, have a story, but make it a good one. 05:49.660 --> 05:52.740 And here we're going to address our concepts that way. 05:52.740 --> 06:05.780 So it's your early arc, the middle arc, the late arc, or in our case, we're going to talk about these arcs are kind of chapters or a group of chapters that sum up a large portion of growth. 06:06.120 --> 06:07.440 And what do I mean by growth? 06:07.440 --> 06:19.260 I mean that there's usually a beginning and a middle and an end to a segment, whether it's part of your life because you met a new friend or they've departed your life, or you push them out, whatever the situation. 06:19.700 --> 06:23.840 There are usually times and chapters. 06:23.840 --> 06:27.620 And with that kind of idea in mind, we'll talk about things that way. 06:27.620 --> 06:35.560 But some disclaimers that we have to talk through on our way into this journey, your journey, there are going to be jerks. 06:35.560 --> 06:38.220 There are going to be people who don't want to help. 06:38.420 --> 06:45.700 There is going to be a requirement to leave the comfort of the herd, if you watched that show in the 90s, or was that in the 2000s? 06:45.860 --> 06:47.160 I forget. 06:47.220 --> 06:49.800 The point is, the joke is on us. 06:49.800 --> 06:51.980 We love to stay out of things. 06:51.980 --> 06:53.600 We don't want to get involved. 06:53.600 --> 06:57.840 And if you do, then there has to be the right timing to get involved. 06:57.840 --> 07:00.040 Nothing comes easily, right? 07:00.040 --> 07:01.380 It takes effort. 07:01.440 --> 07:03.900 Because there are people who will want to be roadblocks. 07:03.900 --> 07:12.920 There are people who are going to be just gatekeepers, or they're going to even tell you directly, you aren't cut out for this. 07:13.140 --> 07:14.540 Go somewhere else. 07:14.540 --> 07:18.880 That was literally one of the driving inspirations for me to finish my degree. 07:19.000 --> 07:26.480 Because a professor literally looked over my work and said, it gets serious from here, maybe you should consider changing. 07:26.600 --> 07:28.360 But that's just my experience. 07:28.360 --> 07:30.820 It doesn't have to be college, it can be anything. 07:31.160 --> 07:37.060 We're going to look at instead, don't worry about higher ed, this ed, certifications, none of that yet. 07:37.060 --> 07:43.480 Let's talk about conferences in general, and then we'll work our way into the levels we can go up. 07:43.480 --> 07:56.860 Whether you're killing chickens out in the yard to get a few XP, or you are already at a point where you're trying to help contribute to the development or furthering of a conference in your local community, we're going to go through it. 07:56.900 --> 08:09.700 These arcs, as I was talking about, are meant to kind of take us from drinking from the fire hose, coming up to the part where we're actually trying to run the show, and how to defend against the beast of burnout. 08:10.300 --> 08:16.360 So you're watching this from DEF CON safe mode, I'm going to at least hope. 08:16.400 --> 08:19.460 So this is, you know what a conference is. 08:19.640 --> 08:21.580 But a conference can be many things. 08:21.640 --> 08:28.880 I've heard people who have amazing stories of going to an in-person event where it opened their eyes to lots of new things. 08:28.960 --> 08:32.080 But there are other stories where it didn't go so well. 08:32.120 --> 08:33.660 It depends on where you are. 08:33.660 --> 08:36.700 You might want to start in a local regional thing. 08:36.700 --> 08:40.580 It could be as small as a meetup, because there are so many different types of events. 08:40.580 --> 08:50.500 Whether you want to go locally and look up to see if there are groups in town, I have had people approach me and ask, where am I supposed to go to do this? 08:50.500 --> 08:52.600 You're mentioning this, go over here. 08:52.600 --> 08:55.280 I live in an area where we don't have anything. 08:55.800 --> 09:01.920 There are group sites like Meetup, or you could use the Book of Faces, or you could use Twitter, or social media. 09:01.920 --> 09:06.040 Look for meetups in the name of your city, or your town, or your area code. 09:06.040 --> 09:09.000 It may take a little digging, depending on where you live. 09:09.020 --> 09:13.080 I live in Texas right now, and there are a lot of different events. 09:13.080 --> 09:15.920 They may not be closed to me, but there are events. 09:15.920 --> 09:20.920 And some of them, I wouldn't know if I didn't go and look it up. 09:21.060 --> 09:25.960 Also, I'm going to shill for a minute and say, look for your local B-Sides events. 09:25.960 --> 09:29.100 They're fantastic ways to get your feet wet. 09:29.100 --> 09:49.520 In a way, I almost think that the local meetups, whether it's for lockpicking, or hardware hacking, or software reverse engineering, whatever the detail, these are great places to not only meet people who think in the space you like to think in, but also a way to practice getting your ideas out, 09:49.520 --> 09:51.400 and learning from others, of course. 09:51.700 --> 09:57.520 And sometimes there just isn't anything really close by that does what you're looking to do. 09:57.520 --> 10:01.140 So it might be important to go out and get yourself stretched out. 10:01.140 --> 10:11.840 Go out there and get in the car, or get on the bus, or however it works when there's not a pandemic, and go and travel to other events in other places if you can afford to do so. 10:11.840 --> 10:13.860 Got that cousin you haven't seen in a while? 10:13.860 --> 10:16.120 Maybe they've got a couch you can try out. 10:17.000 --> 10:19.800 Don't give up just because it isn't nearby. 10:19.800 --> 10:21.580 I'm not saying you are giving up. 10:21.580 --> 10:34.800 I'm saying this is kind of the mindset that has helped me along the way, as I try to get into and learn about this industry that I accidentally fell face first into when I was trying to be a video producer back in the late 90s. 10:34.800 --> 10:42.500 So it turns out that sometimes people will pay you for the thing you're good at, not what you want to be good at, if that makes any sense. 10:42.500 --> 10:43.920 The thing you had a knack for. 10:43.920 --> 10:51.900 Anyway, sometimes there are just no substitutes for going to events that are specific to your interest. 10:51.900 --> 10:53.860 But maybe you don't know what that is. 10:53.860 --> 10:56.580 Just keep in mind there are specialized events. 10:57.260 --> 10:59.420 They will come up later, for sure. 10:59.420 --> 11:04.200 So maybe you don't get to actually go when it's convenient. 11:04.200 --> 11:06.120 Maybe you're going to have to go over a weekend. 11:06.120 --> 11:07.720 You're not going to be able to take off work. 11:07.720 --> 11:10.080 Some of these events go all the way through the weekend. 11:10.080 --> 11:12.140 And people have asked, why would you do that? 11:12.140 --> 11:16.580 Why would you go to a work-like thing on your time off? 11:17.200 --> 11:24.100 When you find your group, your tribe, your thing that you're that interested in, it won't be a challenge. 11:24.100 --> 11:25.300 It won't be a question. 11:25.300 --> 11:32.100 It will be that there are opportunities there and a chance to learn from other people that you respect or have a curiosity about. 11:32.100 --> 11:40.380 And it will no longer be one of those things where you're just looking at it from a time perspective or a cost perspective. 11:40.640 --> 11:52.660 Sometimes, and most of the time, it boils down to the relationships you make or build, the connections you make, the people you meet, and around rare occasion, the buffet or restaurant you found along the way. 11:52.660 --> 11:54.500 No, okay, maybe not. 11:54.500 --> 11:56.540 But some of us are led around. 11:56.540 --> 12:00.440 I didn't get to be in this shape without finding the food, at least. 12:00.440 --> 12:06.160 The point is, there are events at these events, sometimes inside the larger event. 12:06.160 --> 12:13.060 When we're looking at, hey, I want to go to this reverse engineering event, but it isn't just going to listen to people talk at you. 12:13.060 --> 12:15.520 Maybe, maybe you learn a different way. 12:15.660 --> 12:17.840 So maybe you prefer challenges. 12:17.860 --> 12:25.340 So there are events like capture the flag events, and you can go participate in, they're called a lot of different things. 12:25.340 --> 12:35.040 There are many events, whether it's a skills challenge that climbs the ladder, whether it's a cryptography challenge, where you have to come out ahead first or come up with the right answers. 12:35.040 --> 12:36.640 Maybe it's a speed trial. 12:36.640 --> 12:43.400 Maybe it's a creative event where it's either story writing or making custom hardware work in a way it wasn't meant to. 12:43.400 --> 12:53.880 There are so many opportunities, reasons to get out of your shelf, excuse me, to get out from being by yourself, out from behind the counter or desk. 12:53.960 --> 12:57.220 There are reasons to get out there and to go and engage. 12:57.220 --> 12:59.200 And we're going to talk about more of them. 12:59.200 --> 13:10.780 So let's think about when you first go, if you're going to your very first event, you're level one, you've got a sword made of wood, and you can barely defeat the chicken or the cat in the backyard. 13:10.780 --> 13:12.320 I don't know why you're attacking the cat. 13:12.320 --> 13:13.580 That's probably not a wise choice. 13:13.580 --> 13:20.360 They come with knives, you know, but they are so many different things you can do, but don't go alone. 13:20.660 --> 13:39.140 If you're going to your very first event, I strongly encourage you to take a conference buddy, someone who's willing to go with you, even if they're not part of that industry, because it's good to be able to sort of cling to someone else, maybe because you want to pick and choose the different events to look at during the day. 13:40.080 --> 13:44.580 Maybe you want to share each other's experiences and talk about them. 13:44.580 --> 13:46.960 Maybe there's someone you work with. 13:46.980 --> 13:51.380 And that's why we're going to go through these arcs at different approaches. 13:51.380 --> 13:52.980 Who does it benefit? 13:53.120 --> 14:03.220 See, if we jump back half a second here, we're going to talk about how each of these things applies to the different use case. 14:03.220 --> 14:09.280 So, if you're at the inn, you're going to have that tavern scene before the brawl breaks out. 14:09.280 --> 14:13.500 You're there with your conference buddy, I hope, and let's look at your support job. 14:13.500 --> 14:15.220 Maybe you're just starting out. 14:15.220 --> 14:19.740 And in this idea, I'm going to encourage you to get on some kind of social media. 14:19.740 --> 14:21.900 Don't necessarily post your picture. 14:21.980 --> 14:25.920 Don't necessarily say all the things that come immediately into your head. 14:25.940 --> 14:28.600 Realize social media is a two-way street. 14:28.720 --> 14:37.160 But if you're looking to figure out what's out there in your community and going on in your industry, I highly encourage you to get a social media account. 14:37.160 --> 14:39.240 Try out Meetup, for starters. 14:39.240 --> 14:41.380 See what the local scene looks like. 14:41.380 --> 14:44.260 You don't necessarily have to pay, but you will need to create an account. 14:44.260 --> 14:49.240 And again, this is leaving the comfort of the herd moment, where it's time to start striking out a little bit. 14:49.240 --> 14:51.900 And again, that buddy is not a bad idea. 14:52.580 --> 14:57.140 You might get on Twitter or Discord or Slack or participate in Reddit. 14:57.220 --> 15:00.420 All of these different ways to connect. 15:00.500 --> 15:03.220 The thing is, each of them are their own chapter. 15:03.300 --> 15:06.940 So you're going to need to spend a little time if you've never done it before. 15:06.940 --> 15:13.420 And if you really want to know, go and ask people who are already doing it, just to get an idea of how they approach it. 15:13.420 --> 15:30.380 Because you're going to want to, in my opinion, release as little personal information as possible, especially in a day and time like now, where potential employers are always looking at social media to see what image is being put forth of the person behind an account. 15:30.520 --> 15:36.600 So keep in mind that try not to say anything you wouldn't say to someone you care about, right? 15:36.600 --> 15:38.160 Try to keep those things in mind. 15:38.160 --> 15:41.520 Or if you're an outspoken person, that's your business. 15:41.520 --> 15:43.640 The point is, realize that's there. 15:43.640 --> 15:44.400 It's the internet. 15:44.400 --> 15:45.780 It never goes away. 15:45.780 --> 15:49.380 So just keep in mind that whatever it is you're saying, it's going to be there a while. 15:49.380 --> 15:53.120 So try to be thoughtful about what gets put out there. 15:53.120 --> 15:57.720 But this is a prime way to go out there and see what's happening in the world. 15:57.720 --> 16:04.700 So at this level, when you're kind of that level one, level two startup account human being, you're just happy to be on the show. 16:04.700 --> 16:10.040 If you saw Galaxy Quest, this is someplace where you have to be careful about monsters. 16:10.040 --> 16:11.800 You may be eaten by a grue. 16:11.800 --> 16:15.240 I'm saying it's very easy to be distracted. 16:15.260 --> 16:19.260 And there are things happening out there that you may not be aware of. 16:19.360 --> 16:26.500 So conference buddy, and then go and maybe think about sharing something you do, right? 16:26.500 --> 16:33.800 Even if the presentations aren't your job or something that you would do normally, it might explain how something else gets done. 16:33.800 --> 16:40.560 My very first experience at a B-Sides in Las Vegas in 2011, I walked in without anything. 16:40.560 --> 16:42.180 I helped move some boxes. 16:42.180 --> 16:45.240 Turns out there was an opening in their AV team. 16:45.420 --> 16:49.540 And I sat through a track I wouldn't have selected for myself. 16:49.660 --> 16:51.920 I had no idea what this thing even was. 16:51.920 --> 16:56.660 Here I am sitting in this chapel in the back row with this camera and recording gear. 16:56.660 --> 17:02.760 But I learned some things just because I was able to sit through all these other talks. 17:02.860 --> 17:07.300 It opened my eyes to so many things and ideas I didn't even think about. 17:07.300 --> 17:08.420 Now that's just me. 17:08.420 --> 17:09.860 You'll have your own experience. 17:09.860 --> 17:11.260 Your mileage will vary. 17:11.260 --> 17:17.080 But this can help your career, you see, because this is part of a pattern that will repeat itself time and again. 17:17.080 --> 17:22.480 This is a breakdown to you, your management, the team you're on. 17:22.520 --> 17:25.660 And again, not all things to all people, right? 17:25.780 --> 17:29.140 But I just want you to keep in mind, this has an impact. 17:29.140 --> 17:30.540 It helps us grow. 17:30.620 --> 17:40.180 So in your career, going around to the local events may help you learn the layout, the lay of the land, if you will, about who's out there. 17:40.180 --> 17:42.240 What companies are in your neck of the woods? 17:42.240 --> 17:43.080 Who visits? 17:43.080 --> 17:44.200 Do they come often? 17:44.200 --> 17:46.060 Do they come bearing treats? 17:46.300 --> 17:48.700 It may be a squishy ball thing with a face on it. 17:48.700 --> 17:50.220 It could be software. 17:50.240 --> 17:52.720 It could be free training or an internship. 17:52.720 --> 17:58.740 These are all opportunities to bridge the gap between what companies want and what you offer. 17:58.880 --> 18:00.420 These are helpful things. 18:00.420 --> 18:03.200 And again, this is at the very beginning of the conference career. 18:03.200 --> 18:08.140 If you are already working and you go to an event, what does this mean for your management? 18:08.140 --> 18:11.560 Your management may be interested in seeing what you did. 18:11.560 --> 18:17.000 Maybe, and as my mentor has shared with me, write up a trip report when you go to an event. 18:17.200 --> 18:24.980 Sit down at the end of the day or even during the day and get a break and just make a few notes about what you're learning, what you're experiencing, who did you meet? 18:25.020 --> 18:27.280 Are you supposed to connect with them again later? 18:27.900 --> 18:31.620 You know, instead of live tweeting the thing, make a note on your own device. 18:31.620 --> 18:34.120 And then at the end of the day, you can go back and look. 18:34.120 --> 18:34.980 Oh, I forgot. 18:34.980 --> 18:40.200 I also met this person over here in the food line when we were waiting to get half a burrito together. 18:40.460 --> 18:46.360 And it turns out they want to share some information because I'm learning how to code and they've been doing it for 20 years. 18:46.540 --> 18:47.880 It could be anything. 18:47.880 --> 18:49.100 And it's important. 18:49.100 --> 18:54.320 And don't discount that initial opportunity to make a connection. 18:54.460 --> 18:56.780 So what does this mean for co-workers? 18:57.160 --> 19:03.060 If they hear that you're attending these events, they may either A, want to go with you. 19:03.060 --> 19:06.420 B, might want to see if you brought back any good information. 19:06.660 --> 19:10.060 Or C, maybe they're going to say, oh, what did you learn? 19:10.060 --> 19:11.780 Let me share something I was looking at. 19:11.780 --> 19:13.260 It opens doors. 19:13.260 --> 19:15.340 It starts a conversation. 19:15.440 --> 19:18.080 Everything in this life, it seems, is tied to that. 19:18.080 --> 19:19.960 And this is no different. 19:20.020 --> 19:26.080 But the value to you is now you are going out and seeing something new. 19:26.080 --> 19:32.220 You're introducing yourself, putting yourself in the path of discovering something that you didn't already know. 19:32.220 --> 19:35.720 Or if you did know, maybe it fills in some blanks for you. 19:35.720 --> 19:41.320 But here, again, if you look, you have an opportunity to grow. 19:41.320 --> 19:48.580 Even after that, when people start to take notice, maybe offer to pick up work you wouldn't normally do in your office. 19:48.580 --> 19:51.760 Offer to join a team or participate in a group event. 19:51.760 --> 19:55.360 Because your intelligence alone isn't enough to save you. 19:55.360 --> 19:58.740 You can be the smartest person in the room. 19:58.740 --> 20:05.940 But without the understanding of when and where to knowledge, it's not going to be as much help as it could be. 20:05.940 --> 20:07.980 And we all could stand to learn more. 20:07.980 --> 20:09.280 I know I could. 20:09.280 --> 20:12.220 So I chase it over and over again. 20:12.720 --> 20:15.920 And if you're still with me here, cool story, bro. 20:15.920 --> 20:17.100 Maybe that's what you're thinking. 20:17.120 --> 20:19.880 Because you don't know me. 20:20.140 --> 20:20.880 Well, that's right. 20:20.880 --> 20:22.860 I don't know your situation. 20:22.860 --> 20:24.760 Everybody is going to be different. 20:24.760 --> 20:26.120 And that's okay. 20:26.220 --> 20:28.380 This isn't supposed to be tailor made for one. 20:28.380 --> 20:30.560 I'm sharing experiences I've had so far. 20:30.560 --> 20:33.920 Because this is what's gotten me to where I am. 20:33.960 --> 20:43.940 And so far, it seems like we all suffer from imposter syndrome at one point or another, where we're not quite sure if we're good enough to do the thing we're doing. 20:44.060 --> 20:50.540 Or at any given moment, someone will see through us and realize, fake, person doesn't know it. 20:50.540 --> 20:51.840 They shouldn't be doing this. 20:51.840 --> 20:54.880 Or someone comes at you that way in any other direction. 20:54.880 --> 21:02.720 And it sticks with you and chews at you while you're going eating takeout and quietly scarfing things and watching the TV show. 21:02.860 --> 21:03.840 Wait, that was just me. 21:03.840 --> 21:04.520 Sorry. 21:04.820 --> 21:08.280 Whatever your situation, we all fight with it. 21:08.300 --> 21:09.720 So how do we move past it? 21:09.720 --> 21:17.620 You step up, you go further, you have to push through and defeat your personal level boss and move on to specialization. 21:18.200 --> 21:27.160 By the way, that time where you were in the jumper back there in the first arc as a starting out person, that's not... there's no given time frame. 21:27.160 --> 21:30.180 That could be six months, it could be six years. 21:30.180 --> 21:31.420 Everyone is different. 21:31.420 --> 21:33.280 The people in your life are different. 21:33.380 --> 21:36.820 You have to keep pushing to get to the next level. 21:36.820 --> 21:39.320 You may even have to back up and redirect. 21:39.760 --> 21:40.960 But don't give up. 21:40.960 --> 21:49.740 Because now let's imagine you've been going to events for a little while, you've gone to a B-Sides, you traveled out of town for a bigger event, maybe some name brand something. 21:49.740 --> 21:51.720 All kinds of events exist. 21:51.720 --> 21:53.180 Some don't anymore. 21:53.180 --> 21:55.460 We exist in a special time right now. 21:55.460 --> 22:05.780 Use this time to go and start watching videos at virtual events, just like this one, local ones, ones in other cities and other continents. 22:05.780 --> 22:13.880 Because now is an amazing time to connect with people you might not otherwise get to meet or learn from. 22:13.880 --> 22:19.200 Because conferences are a great way to come together and learn new things. 22:19.200 --> 22:31.360 So here in the specialization arc, now's the time that after you've done a few things, maybe you start realizing there are specific things you're interested in learning, things you want to do. 22:31.360 --> 22:40.680 And now you can start ticking off the boxes in the online schedule for that event, because you only want to learn about butter sculpture. 22:40.680 --> 22:54.720 So you look for all the events that have butter sculpture in the name, and you're going to look at the one where the person's using the razor blade and carving very tiny intricate things, and the one with the chainsaw who is making baby Yoda out of butter fat. 22:54.720 --> 22:55.660 You never know. 22:55.660 --> 23:04.160 The point is that when you start to narrow your specialization and figure out what it is that interests you, it changes the way you attend an event. 23:04.160 --> 23:09.000 And at larger, more nationally attended events, there's a much broader cross-section, right? 23:09.000 --> 23:11.680 You're going to have different people coming to present. 23:11.740 --> 23:15.300 That is not to invalidate the people you met before. 23:15.420 --> 23:28.200 It is simply to say that you can get more ideas, because if you go to all the meetups and all the things in your local community, maybe you've heard it a little bit, and now you're looking for another perspective. 23:28.640 --> 23:39.740 The other thing is, while you can go and much of the events that you go to when you travel, when we get back to that, seems to be tied up in the talks. 23:39.880 --> 23:44.100 For me, it started to become less about the talks and presentations that way. 23:44.100 --> 23:51.240 It became more about the sidelong events, the villages, the meetups, the impromptu get-togethers. 23:51.240 --> 23:58.040 And those things suddenly became where I connected more with the people who were at the event than going to talks alone. 23:58.200 --> 24:03.980 And that changed, I guess it changed actually my perspective on why I was going. 24:03.980 --> 24:12.780 And that's just me, because to me, growth personally means connecting with people who either share and help me grow, or I can give something back to in return. 24:12.780 --> 24:16.640 So let's go back to not forgetting to bring a conference buddy. 24:16.640 --> 24:18.900 At a larger event, it's even more important. 24:18.900 --> 24:28.480 Whether you're meeting up with someone from another locale who's coming to where you're going to be, do not leave on the mission alone if you can help it. 24:28.600 --> 24:33.640 Because it helps to be together, and it takes time to find a tribe. 24:33.640 --> 24:36.720 It took me, goodness, it took me years. 24:36.720 --> 24:44.420 I felt, I feel now like I'm part of a much larger group of people who are all about learning and sharing and growing. 24:44.900 --> 24:47.420 Yes, I make it sound incredibly idealistic. 24:47.420 --> 24:50.080 Not all moments, but most of them. 24:50.080 --> 24:51.080 A lot of good ones. 24:51.080 --> 24:58.200 Whether you're coming together to raise money for a charity somewhere else, or you're just trying to learn how to do Python together. 24:58.220 --> 24:59.540 It's worth it. 24:59.540 --> 25:09.540 And so sometimes it takes multiple years also to find either the tribe, or to stop drinking from the fire hose, and figure out that thing that really drives you. 25:09.960 --> 25:14.100 But now that you've gone to these bigger events, where is the value? 25:14.360 --> 25:18.800 The value to management now, they're going to hope that you're bringing ideas back. 25:18.800 --> 25:22.900 Did you write that personal trip report when you went to the first and smaller events? 25:22.900 --> 25:29.440 Well, now it'll seem like second nature when you hit the big events, because now you're almost dialoguing with yourself. 25:29.460 --> 25:31.240 Now I talk to myself an awful lot. 25:31.240 --> 25:34.920 I don't recommend it for everyone, but people have come to expect it from me. 25:34.920 --> 25:45.880 The point is, whether your monologue is internal or external, having a log of where you've been, who you talked to, and what you learned will help you keep track of where you are on your journey. 25:45.880 --> 25:51.580 And maybe even setting up personal tools to measure where you feel you are, and where you want to go. 25:51.620 --> 25:56.380 Because there must be an opportunity there, because management is going to see that. 25:56.380 --> 26:02.460 That's going to look like getting your act together, and management will maybe offer you the opportunity to collaborate with other teams. 26:02.460 --> 26:04.720 Don't miss out on those group opportunities. 26:04.720 --> 26:11.920 They may be painful and frustrating, but therein lies growth, and partnership, and advancement. 26:12.100 --> 26:13.520 And that's not to be missed. 26:13.520 --> 26:18.600 There are some amazing opportunities out there, because your co-workers are going to see that you're coming back with this stuff. 26:18.600 --> 26:21.700 You will have access to new people, the presenters, right? 26:21.700 --> 26:23.080 You'll be seeing new people. 26:23.080 --> 26:24.860 You'll be talking about new things. 26:24.860 --> 26:29.400 There are so many opportunities to just share something and partner. 26:29.480 --> 26:42.000 I missed out on a couple of great opportunities because of my own imposter syndrome right at the very beginning of my journey, because I felt like I would be taking away from the voice of the person who had a clue, because I knew I didn't feel like I had one. 26:42.640 --> 26:45.200 So, give yourself a break. 26:45.300 --> 26:52.600 But also, if you go to these events and you feel that self-doubt chewing at you, know that everyone else is going through it too. 26:52.600 --> 26:55.020 Maybe even the person standing up at the podium. 26:55.760 --> 27:04.940 The value to you at this ARC, when we're not drinking from the fire hose, we're specializing, stay connected to people on social media. 27:04.940 --> 27:09.860 Begin to build your interconnected network of people. 27:10.160 --> 27:13.200 And by doing that, I mean just be a human being to other people. 27:13.380 --> 27:16.660 Actually get out there, get on social media, see what's going on in the world. 27:16.660 --> 27:20.920 Oh wait, I saw an article about this thing that the person I follow was talking about. 27:20.920 --> 27:22.600 Maybe I could share it with them. 27:22.600 --> 27:24.300 Ask if they've seen it before. 27:24.560 --> 27:27.160 Try to watch as you ask questions. 27:27.160 --> 27:29.260 Don't present like you know everything. 27:29.500 --> 27:33.380 I know I've stepped in it a few times and had to go wash my shoes off with a hose. 27:33.660 --> 27:35.040 It's going to happen. 27:35.040 --> 27:36.320 It just does. 27:36.340 --> 27:41.840 But realize that there's a chance to be and grow in part or in whole as part of a community. 27:42.120 --> 27:43.440 And that's amazing. 27:43.440 --> 27:45.280 Give yourself time to grow. 27:45.280 --> 27:48.240 Give yourself a chance to learn these things. 27:48.240 --> 27:53.560 And it may not come again on any particular timetable that we want or desire. 27:53.560 --> 27:56.540 There's a larger picture here. 27:56.540 --> 28:10.500 You are drafting your great novel of your career path and conferences can be a part of that because the people you meet along the way will contribute to these chapters. 28:10.500 --> 28:11.680 Yeah, that's great. 28:11.680 --> 28:17.460 I think it's hilarious that you're going to tell me to do all this stuff and get out there and go out and do all these things. 28:17.460 --> 28:19.520 You don't know what I'm going through. 28:19.760 --> 28:21.720 I face all these issues. 28:21.720 --> 28:25.640 My butter sculpture is melting in the backyard right now, you lunatic. 28:25.640 --> 28:31.980 And while I'm listening to you, I'm not out there tending the garden or fixing this up or the milk is curdling or whatever. 28:31.980 --> 28:36.260 No, I can't possibly know that unless we interact. 28:36.440 --> 28:39.980 And then it takes time and effort to stay connected. 28:40.100 --> 28:43.680 And we can't give up just because things get bad or ugly. 28:44.180 --> 28:45.460 Because they will. 28:45.580 --> 28:47.080 Because life isn't easy. 28:47.300 --> 28:52.240 But we can take it and we can turn it and push it through our imposter syndrome. 28:52.240 --> 28:53.620 Because there it is again. 28:53.620 --> 28:57.000 Right as you've gone out and you said, wow, I've had a great time at this event. 28:57.000 --> 29:00.060 And you come back with your little trip report you wrote up. 29:00.060 --> 29:01.920 And someone says, that's terrific. 29:01.920 --> 29:04.460 While you're off partying, the rest of us were here working. 29:05.220 --> 29:11.860 That's where you pull up that trip report and say, actually, John, Bob, Sally, Sue, Chrissy, whatever your name is. 29:12.260 --> 29:13.340 Here's what I was doing. 29:13.340 --> 29:16.180 I actually got to meet these people and do these things. 29:16.300 --> 29:17.340 Whatever I do. 29:17.340 --> 29:21.920 I don't know if you have a personal life, Sally, Sue, Johnny, Bravo, Samson. 29:22.220 --> 29:25.900 But it's not all fun and games. 29:25.900 --> 29:27.580 There will be moments of levity. 29:27.580 --> 29:28.800 Goodness, I hope so. 29:29.160 --> 29:33.000 But there are also lots of times of learning and growing together. 29:33.500 --> 29:37.920 So now let's say you're on to the third arc, the prestige class. 29:37.960 --> 29:43.040 You now have a fancy hat and maybe some things, epaulets on your shoulder, a little pin here. 29:43.040 --> 29:43.620 Who knows? 29:43.620 --> 29:45.820 Maybe you have a custom patch you wear. 29:45.820 --> 29:50.100 Because you are reaching out to the prestige class level. 29:50.100 --> 29:54.440 You have now taken it to the point where you have gone and absorbed. 29:54.680 --> 29:56.200 This is the montage has passed. 29:56.200 --> 29:57.320 And now it's further along. 29:57.320 --> 29:59.220 You maybe have a little gray at your temple. 29:59.220 --> 30:00.480 Who knows? 30:00.480 --> 30:04.480 The point is you're at a level where you can turn around and start sharing what you've learned. 30:04.620 --> 30:18.760 Maybe you've attended a lot of these events and you said, you know what, I actually feel pretty good about my knowledge of sculpting icing into small animals that I now will wrap around mechanized zoids that will now walk. 30:18.920 --> 30:20.980 And I can now go and tell people about this. 30:20.980 --> 30:25.380 Well, it turns out there's lots of things you know that others may not know. 30:25.500 --> 30:29.040 It's your turn to start sharing that information. 30:29.420 --> 30:32.820 And it's not going to be an easy road, necessarily. 30:32.920 --> 30:37.820 Maybe you were the class clown and maybe getting up in front of people was easy for you. 30:38.160 --> 30:40.580 Not so for a lot of folks, right? 30:40.600 --> 30:48.920 Some people, I think, would much rather pull their own teeth out with the back bumper of a vehicle than try to get up in front of someone and share an idea like we're doing right here. 30:49.000 --> 30:53.340 But it's worth it because it might be a progression, okay? 30:53.340 --> 30:56.820 So go and watch stand-up comedians, if you don't now, and learn. 30:56.820 --> 31:06.300 Or if you really have no idea where to start with public speaking, there's a group called the Toastmasters. 31:06.300 --> 31:08.820 Now, this is an entire subculture, okay? 31:08.820 --> 31:09.620 They exist. 31:09.620 --> 31:13.660 They're larger than any DEF CON or B-Sides or any one group. 31:13.660 --> 31:17.460 There are thousands of these chapters around the world. 31:17.460 --> 31:19.600 And they have their own competitions. 31:19.600 --> 31:26.660 And they will help harden you, prepare you, start you out in understanding for how public speaking works. 31:26.660 --> 31:28.360 It is invaluable. 31:28.400 --> 31:29.920 It is amazing. 31:30.020 --> 31:46.640 And it's really quite humbling because they have their own competitions, their own ladders to climb, but it helps explain how public speaking works and gives you the tools to put in your backpack to bring with you to conferences so that it isn't the scariest thing you've ever done. 31:47.160 --> 31:48.960 And that's actually worth it. 31:49.120 --> 31:55.780 Again, Toastmasters, please take an opportunity, if you're going to learn to present, and check out the local groups in your area. 31:55.780 --> 31:59.820 I can almost guarantee you there are several wherever you are. 31:59.820 --> 32:00.600 And I mean that. 32:00.600 --> 32:02.840 That's not just where I live. 32:02.940 --> 32:04.860 I mean the chapters are amazing. 32:05.180 --> 32:08.540 So grab your hairbrush, get in front of that mirror, and start talking. 32:08.540 --> 32:09.700 About what? 32:10.080 --> 32:14.520 As a friend recently shared, the presentation that only you can give. 32:14.520 --> 32:22.220 If you spend 80 hours a week brushing dogs, then that's what you're going to make your first talk about. 32:22.400 --> 32:24.040 Because that's what you know. 32:24.040 --> 32:25.100 But get it down. 32:25.100 --> 32:26.980 Figure out how to tell your story. 32:27.040 --> 32:31.560 And if you can put up with it, I highly encourage you to record yourself doing it. 32:31.620 --> 32:32.520 Get in front of the mirror. 32:32.520 --> 32:34.040 Go through it the first time. 32:34.080 --> 32:40.900 This is going to take some time and effort, but you have to record it so you can go back and look at what you've done. 32:40.960 --> 32:49.340 You have to be able to get back and examine and look for the nervous tick you didn't know you had, and you're going to have to work on correcting it step at a time. 32:49.400 --> 32:55.760 Whether it's trying to bite your nails on stage, or it's perhaps adding ums. 32:55.760 --> 32:58.920 How many ums have I had in this presentation today? 32:58.920 --> 33:02.460 How many times did I stop, cough, or blink oddly? 33:02.460 --> 33:05.700 Have I constantly rubbed at my eye with this finger? 33:05.700 --> 33:09.880 Whatever your situation is, it'll come out when you see the recording. 33:10.220 --> 33:13.520 Now, always bring the video adapter with you. 33:13.520 --> 33:16.980 This is one of my little top tips because I've worked AV for events. 33:17.300 --> 33:25.740 The expectation is always going to be that when you get there, there is only going to be a live chicken and a small old bowl of oatmeal. 33:25.740 --> 33:30.920 So if you can bring anything with you that will help the situation, I encourage you to do so. 33:30.920 --> 33:32.700 That means having your laptop. 33:33.000 --> 33:38.160 Having your laptop with a connector that can send video out. 33:38.180 --> 33:48.620 Also having your presentation, not only on the laptop, but on a thumb drive that you have brought with you and is in your personal possession, maybe touching your body somewhere. 33:49.200 --> 33:57.840 Beyond that, I'm also going to encourage you and say it again, bring the video adapter that goes with your laptop and has at least two kinds of output on it. 33:57.840 --> 34:00.140 At least two kinds of output. 34:00.140 --> 34:06.400 Because sometimes you get on site and there isn't the same projector you worked with at home. 34:06.400 --> 34:14.640 Or your laptop doesn't work well with it, but they maybe can have a presenter laptop on hand for you, so you whip out the thumb drive. 34:14.640 --> 34:24.720 Or if all else fails, you keep a backup also in your cloud that you can then download to your local device and share using a local connection kind of technology. 34:24.720 --> 34:29.000 The point is, you need backups, folks. 34:29.020 --> 34:30.620 Backups, of all things. 34:30.620 --> 34:37.180 If there's a carbon copy behind over here, that would be awesome, because it'd be great, because I need them to go and fold the laundry right now. 34:37.180 --> 34:42.280 If you can have a backup for you at your presentation time, have it. 34:42.280 --> 34:44.480 Especially, do you do demos? 34:44.480 --> 34:54.660 Do you like to try and invoke crazy moments of random when you try to open something that worked five minutes ago, but now you're live and on air, and you don't have something that plays? 34:54.760 --> 34:58.520 I'm telling you, you got to get out there, but you got to go prepared. 34:58.780 --> 35:02.300 So please, pre-record your demos just in case. 35:02.300 --> 35:06.800 It's easier to run a video than to stand there and dry wash your hands in front of people. 35:07.060 --> 35:11.880 Now, when you're going to do it, you've got to go and prepare yourself for rejection. 35:12.100 --> 35:24.240 I know that sounds tough, and it kind of is, but it's worth it, because you have to audition in a sense, and it's called the CFP, or call for presentation, and every conference will have a different process. 35:24.360 --> 35:29.560 It might be helpful to go and look online for conferences in your part of the world. 35:29.560 --> 35:46.500 For example, if I go and look for Information Security Conferences North America, I have been able to locate schedules that include not only the name of conferences that are coming up, but also of when their submission times are, and when they wrap. 35:46.740 --> 35:48.240 Someone has a heart for this. 35:48.240 --> 35:55.700 There are folks who have a passion for helping others to share their ideas, and since that's what we're about right now, go for it. 35:55.700 --> 36:02.100 You can choose to do it locally, practice at your local meetup event, but then take that show on the road. 36:02.100 --> 36:06.380 Go do it, and your confidence will come through to the audience. 36:06.380 --> 36:08.920 But okay, so why am I doing that? 36:09.280 --> 36:17.960 Why would I go and put myself through all this stress, and singing into a hairbrush, and why would I go to all this trouble? 36:17.960 --> 36:23.400 Because it adds value to who you are, and what your contribution can be. 36:23.440 --> 36:32.660 Conferences can inform our self-confidence, because now if we imagine that this is easier, I had to go talk to my boss, and my boss makes me nervous. 36:32.660 --> 36:44.540 I just got up this weekend and presented in front of a hundred people, a thousand people, ten people, whatever it was, and isn't this easier now because you've done that? 36:44.920 --> 36:50.140 Sure, you know this person doesn't necessarily have a response, but you didn't get booed off stage, did you? 36:50.280 --> 36:53.960 No, you made it through, and if you did get booed off stage, that's okay. 36:53.960 --> 36:55.780 That colors things in, too. 36:56.580 --> 37:01.760 Definitely that would have sucked, sorry, but come back from it anyway. 37:01.880 --> 37:13.400 The ability to present is an essential part of communication, whether you're pitching ideas in an elevator, or you are trying to share about a report that comes out every week. 37:13.400 --> 37:29.560 And every time you get up to share about that report in your group, or in your team meeting, you will have learned or taken something away, whether that informs your ability to present at an event, or your presentations at an event help inform your internal confidence. 37:29.560 --> 37:37.440 It is so worthwhile to management because you're going to go and say, I can do, I can do this thing. 37:38.260 --> 37:53.420 Just keep in mind that if your boss or your team sees that you can now present and they start pushing you out there, try not to outshine the top dog in your community because it's about showing respect as well as having the ability to represent. 37:53.620 --> 37:59.180 So again, if you're really good at it, just try not to show up other people. 37:59.500 --> 38:03.980 Be respectful of what they're doing and what they're there to do for you and what you're doing for your team. 38:04.100 --> 38:14.480 So learning to speak will help your self-confidence and it will help on very tough situations like job interviews, which are very much like presentations because that's the dog and pony moment, isn't it? 38:14.480 --> 38:18.700 Your resume is the only place where you will ever be this perfect, ever. 38:19.020 --> 38:30.540 By the way, if you haven't taken advantage of it, I hope you stopped and take advantage of the opportunity for live resume review that may be going on right now. 38:30.540 --> 38:42.260 And if it happened in the past, go look for it in a future event and look for career tracks and opportunities to have someone help you examine a third person, an outside party, to take a look at that resume, to make sure that you're polishing it the right way, 38:42.260 --> 38:46.740 to make sure your tone and your story is getting told in the best way it possibly can. 38:46.740 --> 38:59.800 Because getting back to it, presenting at conferences puts you into a whole new group of people, the actual presenters, and they will grow as part of your personal network, just like you are becoming part of theirs. 38:59.800 --> 39:05.540 It can allow for opportunities to bounce ideas off of someone in your field or in a different field. 39:05.580 --> 39:10.840 Maybe you get to learn more about their story and they can definitely help you polish up yours. 39:11.020 --> 39:24.200 This has actually been one of the best experiences I've had, where I've been able to communicate and connect with someone I met at another event, and we share ideas when trying to come up with new talks. 39:24.320 --> 39:26.720 And they're hopefully going to be honest with you. 39:26.720 --> 39:32.140 And because they do it, they're hopefully thinking in a way that supports you as well. 39:32.140 --> 39:34.100 But that's just me talking, right? 39:34.100 --> 39:35.200 Cool story, bro. 39:35.660 --> 39:36.960 You don't know. 39:36.960 --> 39:38.880 I have crippling anxiety. 39:38.880 --> 39:40.800 I have a missing left arm. 39:40.800 --> 39:47.020 And if you do, more power to you, because you're awesome and you get through the day and you do what needs to be done. 39:47.080 --> 39:49.600 Those who make it happen, make it happen. 39:49.660 --> 39:53.140 You are going to be one of those people if you can, right? 39:53.720 --> 39:58.000 So take advantage of the opportunities in front of you and go for it. 39:58.000 --> 39:59.480 I don't know you. 39:59.680 --> 40:04.140 You don't necessarily know me, but I know we all deal with imposter syndrome. 40:05.380 --> 40:07.060 See, here we are again at that level, boss. 40:07.060 --> 40:08.840 I'm terrified of getting in front of people. 40:08.840 --> 40:10.740 What if I stutter? 40:10.940 --> 40:11.980 What if I trip up? 40:11.980 --> 40:12.860 What if I say something? 40:12.860 --> 40:14.620 What if I drop the microphone? 40:14.760 --> 40:16.680 What if I literally trip on stage? 40:16.680 --> 40:24.900 You get up, dust yourself off, you say, excuse me, take a couple of breaths, and you pick it back up. 40:25.080 --> 40:39.620 I started out very early on being very filled with anxiety and nervous, and I showed many personal things I thought that would lighten the mood, which turned out not to necessarily be the greatest thing to do during the presentation. 40:39.620 --> 40:43.460 So if I can encourage you, wiggle your toes. 40:43.820 --> 40:44.920 Yes, I'm serious. 40:44.920 --> 40:48.120 When you're standing up in front of people, wiggle your toes. 40:48.180 --> 40:51.620 Those of you wearing open-toed shoes, this may not be for you. 40:51.780 --> 40:54.920 However, wiggle your toes like mad. 40:54.980 --> 40:55.620 Why? 40:55.620 --> 41:06.160 If you like to podium dance, you have a thing you like to do, and you don't know that you're doing it, and it kind of can get distracting from your topic, wiggle your toes. 41:06.220 --> 41:14.520 And I mean, like, go crazy with the wiggling, because what it does is it puts all that nervous energy away from where people are looking. 41:14.720 --> 41:16.780 Now, me, I talk a lot with my hands. 41:16.780 --> 41:19.640 I try to keep it down, but it's just kind of a thing. 41:19.640 --> 41:25.980 A friend used to joke that if they handcuffed me hands behind my back, I might not be able to talk, and I think they're right. 41:26.380 --> 41:36.080 But if you're in front of people, if you wiggle your toes, you'll find that it takes some of that nervous energy and puts it somewhere else, and it's not a distraction for you or others. 41:36.080 --> 41:39.820 And it lets you get on with the thing, where you can start the fourth arc. 41:39.820 --> 41:42.460 Now, now you've arrived. 41:42.460 --> 41:49.380 You are going to turn the tables because you've obviously lost your mind, because you're going to try to put on an event. 41:50.000 --> 41:55.500 When you get to this level, giving back to the community becomes an important mission of its own. 41:55.640 --> 41:58.720 Seek partnerships, because that's what happened to me. 41:58.720 --> 42:07.400 I started to go out and present and share a little bit here and there, and then realized there was an opportunity in my local community in San Antonio, Texas. 42:07.600 --> 42:09.480 I've been here 30 years. 42:09.700 --> 42:11.260 I got to tell you something. 42:11.380 --> 42:22.840 This has been one of the most rewarding reasons to stick around, is being able to help other people to find their career path, whether they're at the very beginning or getting ready to retire. 42:23.420 --> 42:29.020 Finding people who are willing to share their ideas, give of their time, it's very rewarding. 42:29.320 --> 42:35.660 It is, however, a little maddening, because at this point, it could open doors to bigger things at work. 42:35.680 --> 42:47.520 Once people see that you're starting to organize a group, or they hear that you're putting on an event, and it gets known, you may be asked to present about that, or how the organization supported it. 42:47.520 --> 42:51.420 There are many, many opportunities, but don't miss out on them. 42:51.420 --> 43:00.580 And just because you participate in the operation of an event or a meetup, it does not necessarily mean the same thing as business management, by the way. 43:00.580 --> 43:02.660 Herding cats and herding cats. 43:02.660 --> 43:04.000 There are different kinds. 43:04.000 --> 43:07.860 Just like there are many kinds of cats, there are many types of management. 43:09.480 --> 43:13.780 So it's easy for this to get confused, but it can still provide value. 43:13.780 --> 43:17.100 And it can take longer than you think to get it right. 43:17.100 --> 43:22.960 The very first B-Side San Antonio I helped with, I was like the number three person. 43:22.960 --> 43:29.940 And then a few years go by, and I'm asked, given the opportunity, and I had to take it. 43:30.020 --> 43:36.960 It's not easy, but now you're looking at a whole new kind of value to bring to the team, because you can now build contacts. 43:36.960 --> 43:40.060 You can leverage your coordination skills. 43:40.060 --> 43:41.140 Ask for help. 43:41.140 --> 43:44.660 It's easier than you think, and much harder than you think. 43:44.660 --> 43:51.380 But asking for help is important, because otherwise it's very easy to sink. 43:51.780 --> 43:54.800 And you'd rather not try to test those waters. 43:55.100 --> 44:01.740 So be honest with yourself when there's a problem, and be thankful, oh so thankful, for willing partners. 44:01.740 --> 44:05.380 What I mean by be thankful is tell them you appreciate them. 44:05.380 --> 44:12.680 Let them know that that thing they just did, that rock they moved out of your way that you could not move, let them know you appreciate it. 44:12.680 --> 44:13.860 Do not wait. 44:13.880 --> 44:15.340 Send them a thank you note. 44:15.600 --> 44:19.640 Send them something edible that works for their digestive tract. 44:20.060 --> 44:24.480 I know that's a silly way to say that, but you get the idea. 44:24.540 --> 44:25.600 Be appreciative. 44:25.860 --> 44:28.800 Remember, this doesn't happen without the help of other people. 44:28.860 --> 44:33.100 So there are all new challenges when you get to the fourth arc, by the way. 44:33.960 --> 44:37.580 Marketing, budgeting, planning skills, I never really knew I had. 44:37.580 --> 44:41.940 They're going to come up, and you must learn to work with your volunteer army. 44:41.940 --> 44:51.920 All of this to tell you, that each of these steps along the way, you have to work with other people and resolve on the fly sometimes. 44:52.560 --> 44:56.220 But that's a fun story, because I'm not even... I have an internship. 44:56.220 --> 44:57.420 I don't even have that. 44:57.420 --> 45:04.800 I'm just trying to decide if I need to go for a degree plan, or if I need to get a certification , because you don't know what I'm going through right now. 45:04.800 --> 45:06.100 You don't know how hard it is. 45:06.100 --> 45:07.660 I can barely put food on the table. 45:07.660 --> 45:11.420 I'm supposed to go and help someone else learn how to start a career path. 45:11.840 --> 45:13.800 You'd be surprised. 45:13.960 --> 45:21.860 And you will, if you get off that wall, get out of the chair, get off the couch, and get engaged. 45:21.920 --> 45:32.260 Because even though I had massive imposter syndrome, trying to operate beside San Antonio, we had a very successful year this year. 45:32.260 --> 45:34.000 Not because of me. 45:34.000 --> 45:43.240 But everyone from our sponsorship team, to our events team, the AV folks, everybody, even our ombudsman. 45:43.240 --> 45:48.560 And you can ask the organizer of this village about the ombudsman, should you be curious what that's about. 45:48.640 --> 45:53.780 The point is, there are so many ways that we can overcome this, if we try. 45:54.200 --> 46:02.400 And all of this work, all of this effort, all of these things that we try to do, we must beware the beast of burnout when you are done. 46:02.400 --> 46:03.540 So done. 46:03.540 --> 46:04.520 How done are you? 46:04.760 --> 46:06.580 Everything stresses you out. 46:06.580 --> 46:08.940 There's nothing that could bring you back from the edge. 46:08.940 --> 46:14.180 You cannot even imagine getting up and doing the thing again, whatever it is. 46:14.360 --> 46:19.760 This is the time to take a well-earned break, take a step back. 46:19.780 --> 46:25.580 I don't know if you've ever had one, but I have days where all technology feels like it has turned against me. 46:25.620 --> 46:31.460 I don't know what happens, but it's like I could pick up a small plastic object, and it would snap in half just by me touching it. 46:31.460 --> 46:39.920 And oh, if it's one of those days, maybe it's time to take a step back and read a book or go for a walk or something. 46:40.240 --> 46:47.780 Get away from it for a while, but then when you come back, look and see what it is that got you interested in the first place. 46:47.780 --> 46:52.120 What was it that sparked your interest or gave you the drive to do this? 46:52.580 --> 46:56.720 And we go back to the art of noise story from the beginning. 46:56.720 --> 47:07.060 I did not like the Yes album 90125, and I went out of my way to ignore it and push all of that stuff away for years. 47:07.400 --> 47:23.400 15, 20 years passes, and I go back and read an article out of one of those Where Are They Now magazines or retrospectives about a band, and the article mentions how there was a major change in what they were doing and how they partnered with a specific group of people during the time. 47:23.400 --> 47:26.020 Because Yes as a band failed. 47:26.080 --> 47:31.060 Someone else came in, a new vector came in, and they partnered with someone. 47:31.060 --> 47:36.700 It changed everything about that band and gave them another 25 years of life. 47:36.740 --> 47:37.560 Why? 47:37.560 --> 47:49.400 Because just like burnout, when something has run its course and you're not sure why you're doing it anymore, there is benefit to be had by going back and re-examining what it was that got you started. 47:49.400 --> 47:55.700 Or read into the very thing that sparked your interest to begin with and see if anything new has come up. 47:55.740 --> 48:00.300 It can take you down another road, a new path, and open all new doors. 48:00.300 --> 48:10.080 Inform something you thought you knew for a long time as a held belief, and maybe that fundamentally changes for you and changes you in the process. 48:10.080 --> 48:16.980 So that reflection can change so much about you, because at the end of the day, we need each other, right? 48:17.020 --> 48:25.260 I mean, everybody who, even people who don't like other people, need someone to tell that to, okay? 48:25.300 --> 48:29.340 And because I firmly believe this, and sounding boards are really helpful. 48:29.340 --> 48:32.780 You've got to be able to share your ideas and figure out where things fit. 48:32.780 --> 48:37.020 And honest feedback makes everything better, as hard as it can be sometimes. 48:37.020 --> 48:38.880 No, no, the baby's ugly. 48:39.000 --> 48:41.260 Yes, I'm sorry, I have to be the one to tell you. 48:41.260 --> 48:42.820 So, fine. 48:42.820 --> 48:45.480 That's all easy for me to say, right? 48:45.740 --> 49:03.880 But I'm here to tell you that if the underperforming kid in seventh grade who went on his lunch and hid out in the AV room and enjoyed rolling the cart into the classroom with the filmstrip projector, and being the kid who could turn the thing that meant to turn the knob, 49:03.880 --> 49:12.520 if you can be that guy and end up where I am now, oh my goodness, I don't know any way better than that to tell you. 49:12.520 --> 49:14.500 This is something you can do. 49:14.560 --> 49:17.500 This is something you can actually do. 49:17.520 --> 49:21.440 You have to be able to break your own mold and move past it. 49:21.440 --> 49:27.460 We just put on a B-side San Antonio that blew away all of my, our expectations, right? 49:27.640 --> 49:29.560 We had over a thousand people. 49:29.560 --> 49:33.200 We had people participating from six countries. 49:33.200 --> 49:40.780 I didn't expect that, but you can't expect it, but you should try for it. 49:40.780 --> 49:42.780 So that's what we're here to do. 49:42.780 --> 49:44.020 Cool story, bro. 49:44.020 --> 49:45.900 You don't know me. 49:45.900 --> 49:51.300 I'm fighting my own imposter syndrome on my own battles, but that's the point. 49:51.300 --> 49:56.700 We're here to build a community and let's try to build it together and make it better. 49:57.220 --> 50:05.220 I very much appreciate your time and your ears and your eyes, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. 50:05.220 --> 50:05.680 And thank you. 50:05.680 --> 50:11.140 I hope you have a great time checking out the rest of the Career Hacking Village and DEF CON Safe Mode. 50:11.140 --> 50:11.980 Thank you very much. 50:11.980 --> 50:13.200 I am Psionic Nerd. 50:14.160 --> 50:16.140 Stephen, thank you so much. 50:16.140 --> 50:30.420 I really appreciate you sharing how you've woven your career throughout all of the career, all the conferences that you've attended and produced, and it's a really great roadmap for everyone in their careers. 50:30.460 --> 50:35.820 I know everyone's going to be looking forward to asking you questions in the Discord channel. 50:35.820 --> 50:41.300 And as you mentioned, we do also have resume review going on and career coaching. 50:41.300 --> 50:45.380 Just ping us in the career channel and we'll be able to tell you where that is. 50:45.380 --> 50:46.360 Take care, everyone. 50:46.360 --> 50:47.980 Enjoy the rest of the conference.