Dead-Ends and Road Blocks: How to Handle Them
Dead ends. Roadblocks. Challenges. Problems. Whatever you want to call them, difficult challenges and problems will inevitably come up in your cybersecurity learning journey. They’re agonizing, frustrating time-suckers that seem impossible to solve. In the moment. Looking back, these road blocks are some of the biggest learning catalysts for anyone. But how do you turn a frustrating annoyance into a learning moment? Well, I’m glad you asked!
- Talk it Out: Whether it is to a family member, friend, coworker, furry friend, or even a rubber duck, talk through your problem. Oftentimes, just verbalizing the problem and what your next steps should be will help you fix the issue!
- Consult the Internet: Whether you conduct a Google search, ChatGPT query, or ask an online forum knowledgable in the subject, doing some research on the problem will help you find new answers.
- Take a Break: Often, just stepping away from your computer to eat a snack, take a walk, play a game, or scroll social media will allow your brain a chance to rest and form new connections and insights about the problem you have.
- Get Moral Support: It’s often embarrassing to face a technical problem that “should” be so easy to fix. Tell somebody you trust that won’t judge you that you are struggling with a problem and that you need some moral support.
- Try Another Approach: If the approach you are trying to solve the problem just doesn’t work, try another way to fix the problem! One of the great things about technology is that there are many ways to get to one solution. Just because your first idea doesn’t work does NOT mean that your problem will never get fixed.
- Don’t Be Hard on Yourself: Everyone faces problems, even if they don’t admit it. Don’t beat yourself up for facing something that everyone goes through! It’s normal to be frustrated, so acknowledge that you are frustrated and try to channel it into problem-solving energy.
- Never Give Up: Most importantly, do NOT give up! You WILL get it to work somehow and once you do, you will be so proud of your problem-solving efforts.
Don’t give up! With these strategies, you can solve any problem. Good luck!
About the Author:
Megan Howell (CyberQueenMeg) is a cybersecurity student at Grand Canyon University and an Offensive Security Intern at Cisco Systems. She is a bug bounty hunter, has been featured in Forbes Magazine for her work in AI Bias hunting, open source contributor to programs like BeeF and BlackArch Linux, former DefCon speaker, SkillsUSA Cybersecurity national competitor, National Cyber Scholar, and Cyber Patriot competitor. You can find her social media profiles at linktr.ee/cyberqueenmeg.
