Finding your rhythm in anything

I wanted to come on here to talk about something different, something more Op-Ed some would call it. You see sometimes professionals get so caught up with a growing industry that self-care becomes optional. In todays society they tell us that a degree is the key to open all doors instantly. There are years where there were countless nights studying and pouring every bit of passion into perfecting your craft. Finally, once you’ve made it the finish line and valiantly walk across that stage those doors would be wide open. But for me, the hard reality was that there was no entry and pure silence. Application after application was submitted daily, ten, twenty, maybe even thirty. The only things that were sent to my mailbox were automated rejections from multiple companies.

Eventually, you can only bear the silence for so long when it finally starts to speak to you. Faint whispers telling me that all that money down the drain for what? A piece of paper and a handshake. You almost start to feel like an imposter because of the lack of “years of experience” under your belt is minimal to none. The dream narrative that you worked so hard to establish slowly starts deteriorating. The pressure of expectation and the weight of it starts to pull at you hard because you’re failing to live up to the hopes of those who believe in you. It can feel easy to feel like a fraud when all you see on your screen is “5+ years experience required” for entry-level role position. This was a silent battle I was going through and succumbing to the pressure, questioning not just my skills but my worth as an individual.

Though, I looked over my shoulder and gazed at the people who were still standing with me in my wreckage. My parents who stayed resilient behind me, my friends who never let me wallow; and especially my girlfriend she’s just the best. She didn’t see a struggling applicant, she saw a spirit built for triumph. She saw a burning passion for the vision I so desperately sought after. When I couldn’t find the light on the path, she held the torch for me, she reminded me that my value isn’t defined by my experience, but by the burning spirit I have to achieve anything I put my mind into. All of their beliefs became the bridge I built to walk over my own self-doubt.

This brings me to talk about a powerful moment from the film Oppenheimer. I like films that make me think of the big picture with a lot of meaning. Films where it allows to expend ones own cognitive senses and thinking abilities. In Oppenheimer there is a scene where Robert J. Oppenheimer is asked “Can you hear the music?” For a physicist like him the music wasn’t just calculations and math: it was the structures and patterns that make up our universe. In Cybersecurity, we often get bamboozled in the “math which can be a Linux or CLI commands, latest exploit, or threat. We think that if we don’t know how to use every tool available we aren’t “Real” professionals, they are just a plus. However, I realized I didn’t need to be virtuoso of every tool; I needed to hear the music.

Hearing the music in cybersecurity is really all about understanding all the concepts that come with it. Its about seeing how the web connects through it all and stays intact together. Vulnerability in a protocol connects to human behavior which connects to business risks. They all play a huge part in the overall objectively of defending and protecting data. Its about the harmony between defense and offense. When I stopped obsessing all the technical commands I was trying to memorize in different tools and really started to focus on their foundational logic and how they worked. I too began to understand the “music” and it began to get louder and louder. I realized that my degree wasn’t just some piece of paper; It was my musical score to give me the ability to set a better foundation in understanding the digital world.

My shift from worried to unstoppable did not come from memorizing manuals. The change came from perspective. I stopped treating limited experience as a gap. I treated passion as momentum. I’m leaning concepts before tools. I’m focusing on how systems work together. I’m learning how security decisions affect users, data, and uptime. I’m walking into interviews with confidence even sometimes when nervousness looms. I speak about risk and tradeoffs. I explain how to design and protect secure environments. I showed understanding instead of asking for a chance. Even when I coulnd’t answer something I was honest but still explained my thought process. Everything changed once I chose to build and become obsessed with understanding how everything in cybersecurity works. Even if I had to sleep over it. Though I will say don’t lose yourself too much in the grind move with moral and take care of yourself most importantly. Progress will always follow if you keep it consistent and then action replaces doubt.

So to anyone whos reading this maybe little to none but that’s fine. If you’re sitting there staring at rejection and wondering if you belong. I know the noise feels loud. Rejection emails stack up. Doubt grows fast. Just know that potential does not disappear during struggle. Lean on people who see effort when confidence fades. Support matters more than isolation and getting lost in your thoughts. You do not need every command memorized. You need understanding. Systems connect. Decisions create outcomes. Mastery starts there. I trusted my ability to learn structure and intent. Over time, confidence ensued. The world responds once you move with purpose. Anyone is able to achieves I know you all will in whatever profession you follow. Don’t stop laying the brick on the path you’re building

Yours Truly,

Miguel Angel Burciaga :)