{"id":496,"date":"2026-01-06T09:19:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T09:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hackingwithj.com\/?p=496"},"modified":"2026-01-05T09:19:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T09:19:55","slug":"2026-looking-back-moving-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hackingwithj.com\/?p=496","title":{"rendered":"2026 \u2014 Looking back, moving forward"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The start of a new year always feels like a natural pause point. Not to judge myself too harshly, but to take an honest look at where I am, what I\u2019ve learned, and where I want to go next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2025 didn\u2019t go the way I expected. Personal circumstances slowed things down more than I wanted, and at times it felt like I was constantly playing catch\u2011up. Still, when I actually sit down and reflect, there\u2019s a lot there \u2014 just not always in the way I originally imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Looking back at 2025<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I didn\u2019t achieve everything I set out to do \u2014 and that used to bother me. Now, I see it differently. What <em>did<\/em> happen last year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>I earned CEH Practical<\/strong><br>I failed the theory exam twice and eventually decided to let that part go. Frustrating at the time, but clarifying: I enjoy hands-on work far more than memorization, and passing the practical exam felt like a confirmation that I\u2019m on the right path for how I learn.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>I completed a lot of TryHackMe rooms<\/strong><br>Not just rushing flags, but really trying to understand what was happening under the hood. Enumeration, APIs, misconfigurations \u2014 repetition slowly made things click.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>I built and improved my homelab<\/strong><br>Servers, services, smart home devices \u2014 breaking my own setup (and fixing it again) taught me more about real-world systems than any single course ever could.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>I consistently wrote blog posts<\/strong><br>This became more important than I expected. Writing forces me to slow down, reflect, and explain things clearly \u2014 even when something didn\u2019t fully work. It made learning stick.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>I ran into real security issues at work<\/strong><br>Not lab scenarios or CTF flags, but actual misconfigurations and unsafe handling of sensitive data. No public write-ups, no screenshots, no recognition \u2014 just quietly reporting and seeing things fixed. It was my first real reminder that security isn\u2019t about flags or exploits, but about reducing risk in places that actually matter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>There were many moments where everything felt way over my head. Topics didn\u2019t click immediately. Exploits failed. Progress felt slow. But over time, confusion turned into familiarity. Even when I couldn\u2019t exploit something yet, I understood <em>why<\/em>. And that\u2019s progress. This path clearly isn\u2019t short. It might take years. And I\u2019m okay with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m 25. I\u2019ve got time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What I learned about myself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I learn best by <strong>doing<\/strong>, not memorizing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Writing things down helps me understand what I don\u2019t know yet<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Feeling stuck usually means I\u2019m learning something new<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cybersecurity rewards patience more than speed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Once I accepted that, the pressure eased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Looking ahead to 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This year isn\u2019t about chasing titles or rushing certifications. It\u2019s about <strong>building strong foundations and staying consistent<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Technical goals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>PEN\u2011100 training<\/strong><br>I want to slow down and really nail the basics \u2014 networking, Linux, enumeration, and exploitation fundamentals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sharing my GitBook<\/strong><br>Manuals, cheat sheets, personal notes from courses \u2014 not because they\u2019re perfect, but because they might help someone else. And honestly, because writing them helps me learn.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Working toward OSCP<\/strong><br>No fixed deadline. No pressure. Just steady, deliberate progress.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Community &amp; impact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Becoming a <strong>cyber ambassador<\/strong> for my city<br>This includes formal training and earning a certification. Beyond that, I\u2019ll help organize and deliver more sessions on <strong>digital resilience<\/strong> \u2014 helping people understand online safety, privacy, and basic security hygiene.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This part matters to me. Not everyone needs to be a hacker \u2014 but everyone benefits from understanding how to stay safe online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>2025 wasn\u2019t perfect.<br>But it was real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I didn\u2019t become a pentester overnight. I didn\u2019t collect every certification. What I did build was experience, awareness, and confidence \u2014 slowly, sometimes painfully, but honestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2026 is about continuing that journey.<br>No rush. No comparison.<br>Just showing up, learning, and sharing along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s see where it leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The start of a new year always feels like a natural pause point. Not to judge myself too harshly, but to take an honest look at where I am, what I\u2019ve learned, and where I want to go next. 2025 didn\u2019t go the way I expected. Personal circumstances slowed things down more than I wanted, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-realworld"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackingwithj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackingwithj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackingwithj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackingwithj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackingwithj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=496"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/hackingwithj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":500,"href":"https:\/\/hackingwithj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496\/revisions\/500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hackingwithj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackingwithj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hackingwithj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}