Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Highs and Lows
This is part of a series comparing Jiu Jitsu with InfoSec.
A new BJJ white belt may be overwhelmed after Day 1, but excited to learn. After several weeks, there may come a low point in which the student feels like they didn’t learn anything and performed poorly. This is natural — maintain discipline and get back on the mat next time, maybe with a more adjusted sense of humility. Who knows, you may actually get to use that new sweep you learned and demonstrate to yourself that you’re progressing. The Highs and Lows can ebb and flow.
In InfoSec, it’s the same. There will be days where you’re literally stuck in meetings and it feels like the business doesn’t care. Or there can be days where you realize you just saved the company from something amazingly bad, but because the bad thing will never happen, nobody will ever know — you’re the unsung hero, but you’re OK with it.
Celebrate the highs, but also celebrate the lows, because it shows that you’re sticking with it, and your discipline to continue will take you to the next level. It often helps to have a mentor to remind you of your progress, but without that, just look at where you were when you started. You could probably now beat that former version of you in a BJJ match, or hack that application you built two years ago. Continually showing up is how you progress. Get back on the mat and back on the job.
Read more: Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: All in the Details
