Tom Fieber
@tomfieber
Followers
115
Following
1K
Media
54
Statuses
779
✝️ Christian husband and father. U.S. Army retired. Relatively okay pentester. North American cryptid enthusiast.
Blue Springs, MO
Joined August 2021
Son: What kind of phone did you have when you were a kid?. Me: It had a dial, a long cord, and was attached to the kitchen wall. Son:
1
0
1
This resonates a lot with me! I’ve been trying to get better at it, and will be speaking at a DSAC panel in August. The public speaking has never been the problem for me…it’s the 3 days of crippling terror BEFORE the public speaking….
The year is 2021. I suffer from severe social anxiety. I've avoided cons for years. I have my ticket booked for DEF CON, but the day before I'm due to leave, I tell a friend "I can't go, I'm having panic attacks.". The next day, I go anyway. I have the most fun I've had in years.
1
0
1
Be a Warrant Officer, basically.
0
0
0
I've been having a lot of fun with @pwncollege lately! I'm a bit late to the party, but they've done a pretty fantastic job with this platform, and even more amazing considering the cost (free)!.
1
1
6
I’d pay her bail and make sure to leave my home address.
0
0
0
9. I guess the TL;DR for this whole rant is just “there’s a lot of stuff in this field, take your time learning and don’t compare yourself to others. Take time away to enjoy other things, and make sure you prioritize the things that really matter”.
0
0
0
8. Certifications. These things are like rabbits. Seems like every time I turn around there’s 6 more certs out there. They have their place, but I generally feel like it’s a waste of time to chase the paper. Learning is great, certs for the sake of having certs is dumb.
1
0
1
7. The world is going to keep spinning. Whether you get DA on this test or not, it’s gonna keep going. Nobody is taking your birthday away. Just go with it.
1
0
0
6. Not everyone wants to be an “influencer” or “thought leader” and that’s perfectly fine. Do what makes you happy, not what you think everyone else EXPECTS you to do.
1
0
0
5. Family is a real thing. I wasn’t as present as I should have been because I was trying to be awesome at everything. Especially for career switchers, don’t sacrifice family time to catch up to the 22 year old kid with no other responsibilities.
1
0
0
4. I wasn’t doing anything outside of this. I was in all the Discord servers and YouTube channels. Go outside. Get away from the computer. This can easily become overwhelming. Take a breath and explore interests outside of INFOSEC.
1
0
0
3. Everyone’s circumstances are different. I was comparing my knowledge/ability with others and feeling like I was way behind. Do your thing. Nobody just KNOWS this stuff. Be content with being “okay” for a while.
1
0
0
2. This field is VERY broad. Lots of aspects to INFOSEC and almost every one of them is a rabbit hole. I felt like I needed to be good at everything and spent all my free time studying new things. Don’t feel like you need to be an expert in everything and don’t rush yourself.
1
0
0
1. First off, I absolutely did not avoid burnout. When I retired from the military I didn’t take any time off. There’s a reason they call it a transition. Take time off whenever you can. Recenter yourself and find the meaning in what you’re doing.
1
0
0