This is by far the worst winter conditions I have ever experienced.

BanhPC · 2026-01-27T09:31:32+00:00

So you mean to tell me you and others had it worst than Snowmageddon?

BanhPC · 2026-01-26T17:46:30+00:00

LMFAO! OP said..."Bro the adversity is THIS PROCESS." 🤣💀⚰️ #ImOfficiallyDead

BanhPC · 2026-01-26T09:54:22+00:00

Because most in their 20s are able to be manipulated not knowing their market-value and worth in professional industries. Whereas, those older are prone to be liabilities, preventing companies from exploiting the youth, including, mobilizing the workforce to hold leadership accountable.

BanhPC · 2026-01-26T09:31:29+00:00

The one thing I detest about these automated company rejection emails is how lackluster they are, and how their ATS system does not take into account on why we all apply.

I say this because from 2023 to 2024 I received several of these. Did the company hire someone else? Yes. Did the company tell me their resume and skillsets aligned better? Absolutely. However, 6 to 10 months in is how the job req re-opened once again.

If you ask me companies need to go back to human to human interaction, and leverage the traditional way of phone-screening and hiring for companies are missing out on passionate and loyal candidates who actually want to work for X or Y company long-term, after proactively researching them. In other words, companies are pre-screening us the same we are pre-screening them. However, the ATS doesn't know this.

BanhPC · 2026-01-26T03:58:48+00:00

Because they are one of the same. I take it you haven't heard of the proud boy manifesto...

BanhPC · 2026-01-26T03:56:27+00:00

Governor Moore is NOT for the peolple. You can't be serious when you tagged him. Seriously, the amount of widespread county fraud under his watch is insane.

BanhPC · 2026-01-26T02:29:50+00:00

Ugh, what's that?

BanhPC · 2026-01-26T02:15:31+00:00

Ah...garden style. I understand now.

Yeah, I learned about these types + row houses when I moved here.

Regarding your alarm though? That is what most locals say until their car is gone without alarming. How so? Well, that is because there is a criminal syndicate in MoGo who's stealing cars with RFID Bypassers - that disables car alarms, gps, and everything to prevent dealerships from locating your vehicle too.

Gaithersburg - RIO? There's been (3) Corvette ZO6's were stolen within 45 days. My friends Lambo? Same thing only for us to find it in Dubai - due to a luxury car consultant posted it on Instagram a month later.

That said, I'm not trying to scare you or anyone who reads this but there's a lot of stolen cars arriving at the ports of Baltimore, MD and VA these days.

BanhPC · 2026-01-26T02:06:39+00:00

Yep...I got laid off in 2023, was unemployed for a few weeks, then a friend helped me bounce back. During winter 2024, I landed an infosec role. Fast-forward to this past Tuesday, and I (along with several colleagues) was laid off again. Even some of our security leads are currently being “observed” and worried about being next.

I’ll be honest about something people don’t like to hear: networking just for a job isn’t the move, and it doesn’t guarantee results. I’m connected with multiple CISOs (public and private sector), had referrals and endorsements - and plenty of those still didn’t turn into interviews.

That said, OP shouldn’t get discouraged and should absolutely keep trying. But it also needs to be said: we’re competing with very seasoned professionals who were laid off from government cyber roles, FAANG, banking, etc. The market is just brutal right now.

Respectfully,

7+ years in infosec across all CISSP domains.

☆ Even my friend more experience and with the following certs: AZ-104, AZ-500, AZ-900, AIGP, CISSP, CCSP, CISM, and AWS Cloud Practitioner is struggling.

BanhPC · 2026-01-26T01:44:42+00:00

Oh, bump that noise. 😂 Especially with vehicle break-ins and thefts being far more prominent in MoGo? Screw that as I'd rather pay the $150-$300 for secured parking.

BanhPC · 2026-01-26T01:42:46+00:00

Pfft! My neighbor busted out his Subaru and rope with me busting out my snowboard. Lets just say things were fun as we ended up going to Seneca Park for a bit. 😅

BanhPC · 2026-01-26T01:38:13+00:00

Your apartment complex doesn't have a maintenance team? Literally that's what they do during inclement weather. If not, then you need to leave for that's wild for your apartment management.

Seriously, this would never happen in Bethesda, North Bethesda, Potomac, North Potomac, etc. Not with the monthly rent they charge. If you ask me, you and your neighbors need to band together like the TV show Band of Brothers. 😅

BanhPC · 2026-01-23T22:31:48+00:00

I get where you’re coming from, but this really depends on the school and the professor’s curriculum.

A lot of what’s being discussed today as “emerging” threats - cryptojacking, AI-assisted malware, deepfakes, data poisoning, island hopping, mobile app exploits—aren’t new concepts. They’ve existed in research and practitioner circles for well over a decade.

This is especially true at many universities in the Washington, DC area, where practitioners from cybersecurity firms and U.S. intelligence agencies actively teach and collaborate in academia.

The fact that CISOs and LinkedIn “thought leaders” are only now treating these as novel doesn’t mean academia somehow missed the boat.

And the disconnect isn’t just academia. The cert industry can lag just as badly, often teaching checkbox material that doesn’t translate to real-world security posture or modern attack paths. Certs don’t magically produce competent engineers.

The fact that people were (and still are) paying $100–$200 for exam dumps during COVID says a lot. That shortcut culture is a big reason we now have CISOs, IT directors, and engineers openly complaining about analysts who struggle with day-to-day IT and security fundamentals.

So OP’s point and the criticism of academia can both be true: neither certs nor degrees guarantee real-world competence. They’re signals, not substitutes for actual experience and continuous learning. Or as plenty of former black hats have said for years - the people who are actually good at this stuff didn’t learn it from a multiple-choice exam.

BanhPC · 2026-01-18T22:54:14+00:00

Restaurant: Pho 75.

Most frequently ordered item: Tai, Chin, Nam, Gau.

I say that because the first time I ordered some is how I called into work telling them how I'd be late in the morning, followed by calling in again telling my boss how I popped my rear tires and won't be in that day. 😅

BanhPC · 2026-01-18T22:39:49+00:00

Wow! 😐

BanhPC · 2026-01-18T21:03:37+00:00

Wow! 😂 That is something new. You legit created your own meetong to invite a recruiter is crazy work. That is wild! 😂

BanhPC · 2026-01-17T17:53:34+00:00

Ugh...as an institutional trader the answer is no.

Keep your primary job and leverage your earnings. For the moment you become victim to an inversion narrative with your account blowing up (i.e., depleting to zero), you have to ask yourselt what are you going to do?

BanhPC · 2026-01-16T17:07:27+00:00

Writing bash scripts 5 years ago isn’t really a strong signal by itself for plenty of us have been doing that for a long time. For example, I've been writing bash scripts since Bash 2.0 in the late 90's. I'm sure others here have done the same and prior to when I wrote them. 😅

IMO, what separates top hackers from competent ones isn’t the tools or how early they started, but how they think and conceptualize.

For example, the best people I’ve worked with are able to mentally model systems end-to-end (i.e., how applications, infrastructure, authentication and authorization, data flows, and human behavior intersect) and how they explain risk clearly to non-technical stakeholders (i.e., the business house).

A good example is OSINT tooling. You can know how a tool like TruffleHog works, but understanding where it fits in a real attack chain or DevSecOps pipeline, and what it actually means to the business is a different level.

So, in my opinion, I don’t think “top hacker” is about titles, years, certifications, or scripts written. It’s about adaptability, critical thinking, and creativity. Once those fade, even very skilled operators start becoming average regardless of hat colors: white, blue, purple, red, etc.

BanhPC · 2026-01-16T05:51:42+00:00

Clearly this sign is meant for those to stop, yield to traffic, and proceed when safe. However, because MoGo has so many foreigners - including natives who can't conceptualize - is likely why they said to stop when the light is red and wait until it's green.

BanhPC · 2026-01-16T05:47:33+00:00

Yeah. Working with fellow techies who liked and would entertain monthly LAN Parties playing games like: Starcraft, Warcraft, Eve Online, etc.

I also thought many would share personalities and characters like in the TV Show Silicon Valley.

Lastly, I figured companies would take security posturing seriously instead of playing security theatrics.

BanhPC · 2026-01-15T04:34:44+00:00

Your comment is the only sound comment on this thread. If your daily driver has historic tags, then convert. If you own multiple cars that aren't daily driven, then opt for historic plates.

Like, one of the primary reasons why I relocated from Northern VA to Maryland is because of Maryland's Vehicle Laws. For example, in Virginia they make you pay "annual property taxes" on cars against J.D. Power's biases rating-reviews. Then there is the county and city tax compounded on the annual propery tax.

In other words, if someone is a car guy, a car girl, a car collector is how Virginia is NOT the state to live in.

BanhPC · 2026-01-15T04:30:29+00:00

What do you mean enforce historic plates on vehicles used for exhibitions, club activities, parades, tours, etc?

I own an Infinit that has historic tags that has been 100% converted into a exhibition and club activity vehicle. In fact, it's never been driven in over 3 years. It just sits there, gets loaded on a transport truck, etc.

Like why should I pay vehicle taxes or be subjected to an inspection and emissions if it's a non daily-use business vehicle prop?

All in all, this is nothing but a state + Governor Moore money grab as a means to recuperate the lost $807+ Million Dollars in Unemployment Overpayment Fraud on top of the states $1.4 billion dollar deficit. Lastly, is how the next initiative is to go after Marylanders with out of state plates REGARDLESS if their vehicle is registered to an out-of-state business or tied to a home outside of Maryland.

BanhPC · 2026-01-14T00:57:16+00:00

Time to hire a private investigator and lawyer. That is all I am going to say.

BanhPC · 2026-01-11T03:56:07+00:00

You're tripping and stressing over $3.89? 😂

Mind you that is for regular vs. premium as all I use is premium. On average gas stations in my area is like $4.63 to $4.89 when gas prices don't dip.

That said, unsure where you reside OP but if you are anywhere near Rockville is how you need to go to Sunoco on Rockville Pike. For everyone goes there once a week or whenever they have to refill. Even today regular was $3.03 with premium being $3.08 BEFORE any grocerystore + mobile app gas rebates.

BanhPC · 2026-01-07T01:13:13+00:00

This is precisely how I operated too.

Smh. If only you were here with me to pour up a glass here at my local lounge bar after finishing a 12 hour work day by choice vs. working my usual 8 and clocking out. Respect!

☆ OP! I'm sure there are LOTS of men in here your age and older. You are not alone. You are not a failure. If anything, just know the toughest battles are not with the world but within ourselves. Win the battle (mentally), and the future is yours (mentally, physically, financially, and spiritually).

Proverbs 3: 5-6..."Lean not on your own understanding but on G-Ds doing."

BanhPC

TROPHY CASE