Changing careers: software dev to pen tester

6 pointschuck49324 comments

Does anybody have any experience changing careers from being a software developer to a penetration tester? What was it like and are you glad you made the career change?

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Did that change about year ago, I've commented on an older thread about this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14188283

But it also depends where you are located (country wise I mean).

Pentester here. Ymmv, but in general, don’t be thrown off by the way older protesters treat you. The stigma that software devs turned red team are “full of bad habits and security faux pas” is very much alive. Be open to hearing their (often scourgingly critical) advice about your ability to solve problems. It’ll help down the road. Best of luck.

> The stigma that software devs turned red team are “full of bad habits and security faux pas”

I understand the stereotype of software developers not caring about security as I have seen it first hand myself. But why would a software dev who became a pen tester have any more bad habits then somebody who was not a software dev before?

A good pen tester is a rebel and has an instinct to rowhammer machines, run strange software, etc.

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