Blog Posts
Literate Programming
May 24, 2024
Refining your craft as a programmer is a never-ending journey. Recently, I've been learning Rust and have found some aspects challenging. I stumbled upon a video of a senior developer discussing how he learned new languages and advanced his skills in ones he already knew. He mentioned literate programming as a primary driver for his success. The reason being is that combining really strict and clear documentation with you code ensures you think about and understand what you are building.
Looking back on times I have struggled with a coding problem, I found that when I commented out or was very literate in my code, I was able to solve the problem much faster. I think this is because it forces you to think about the problem in a different way and understand the code you are writing. I will be trying to incorporate this into my coding practices moving forward.
Studying for CCNA
May 22, 2024
Recently I've been preparing for the CCNA exam. After I found a really good online study resource that was free it made things a lot less stressful. Since this guide requires you to start at square one I've found a few holes in my networking knowledge that I have been able to fill as well as interesting facts file aways!
I've also been spending some hands-on time with a Cisco switch. Initially, I had forgotten some of the common CLI commands, but Cisco has done an excellent job of making it easy for users to find commands. You can use the ? anywhere, and it will display possible commands along with brief descriptions. I found this feature incredibly helpful while creating DHCP pools for my VLANs and blocking IP addresses. Instead of searching online, I could simply find the command or the next command directly in the CLI.
Working through CTFs
April 30, 2024
I've been working to brush up on my cybersecurity skills before completing my OSCP certification and taking the 48-hour exam. What I've found with Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges and basic techniques is that it's all about spending time with the tools to recognize bugs or exploits and then act on them. Beyond that, it's crucial to continuously expand your understanding of operating systems, networks, websites, and other related areas.
I'd also like to note that TryHackMe offers many useful boxes and learning paths for free. After paying for and spending a lot of time on Offensive Security's website, I've found that most of what is covered in the OSCP certification can be learned for free. However, the OSCP course does introduce some more complex techniques and tools that are valuable.
