Whoami and Why I Write

¡Saludos my tech amigos! Y todos los demas (And everyone else as well)
I’m a computer science graduate, currently working as the digital design verification engineer.
In this role, I ensure the reliability and functionality of complex digital systems, create verification IPs that are designed for further use, or participate in creating plans and documentation for verifying specific designs.
Alongside my professional pursuits, I’m also learning Spanish 🇪🇸 after I visited Madrid once (then came back a month later 😃 ) so I can be prepared for future visits. I will try to include a little bit of Monica spanish in my life posts, so you can learn with me.

I currently write anonymously, because I don’t want to spark unnecessary conversations at my job.

El Viajero is Spanish for the traveler, so follow me as I embark on this trip.

I decided to start writing this blog to document my journey as I transition from my verification career, to the field of cybersecurity.
By sharing my experiences, lessons learned, and short guides on various topics or problems I come across, I hope to create a centralized resource for myself and others who may be on a similar path.
Writing will allow me to reflect on my growth, solidify my understanding and hopefully connect with like-minded individuals in the tech community.
Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions for me on how to improve my blog. ¡Gracias y vamos empezamos!

What i though Digital Design Verification was

In university, I had a course in VLSI ¹ systems. To keep it short, for you who don’t know what VLSI is, it is the process of creating an integrated circuit (IC) by combining millions or billions transistors onto a single chip. As far as we learned, there are three phases before chip production (Spoiler: There are actually many more). Those three are:

1. Design of chip based on specification
2. Synthesis of said design and it’s iterations until it can be synthesized
3. Verification of synthesizable design

Out of those three, I was most intrigued by the idea of being able to find and correct other people’s mistakes.
All jokes aside, what I thought my job would be is to dive deep into the intricacies of hardware designs and meticulously analyze every aspect, to identify and resolve potential issues before they could manifest in the final product. The challenge of anticipating and mitigating risks, optimizing performance, and ensuring seamless functionality appealed to my problem-solving nature, and more importantly, it sounded ¡muy interesante!
It was a perfect way to combine my technical skills and desire to contribute to the development of something big.
If you are still wondering, I’m talking about Digital Design Verification.

The turning point: Recognizing the need for career shift

If everything that you read seemed too good to be true, (Muy inteligente de tu parte) you would be totally correct.
As I delved deeper into the field and gained practical experience, I began to realize that the reality of verification differed from my initial expectations.
While the technical aspects of the job were indeed challenging and rewarding, I discovered that a significant portion of my day-to-day work revolved around managing and resolving Jira tickets and completing unimportant tasks. The scope of my impact felt more limited than anticipated, and I started questioning whether this was the path I wanted to pursue long term.

Verifying my growth: Analytical thinking and attention to details

Truth be told, I did learn a lot by doing verification.

• I leaned that everyone makes mistakes (can you imagine?), no matter how expert they are.
  One byte, or even one bit, that’s all it takes for things to go south. And who will find that one bit? (I will let you guess this time)
• Through countless hours of analyzing RTL ² code, I learned to break things down (not literally dummy, just to smaller, manageable components)
• I learned to ask probing questions, challenge assumptions and explore alternative scenarios, to ensure robustness and reliability of the design.
  This analytical thinking has really become second nature to me, and I find myself applying it not only in technical context, but also in everyday problem-solving situations. (Cringe, I know, I know)
• The most important lesson I learned is the value of patience and perseverance. Debugging complex issues often involves sifting through vast amounts of data, tracing signals and iterating through multiple hypotheses.
  There were many many times when everything seemed to be written correctly, and still unexpected things happened. But, I learned to stay focused, methodically eliminate possibilities and persist until the root cause was identified and resolved.

Looking back, I really am grateful for the challenges that verification has thrown my way. It has not only equipped me with a robust set of technical skills but also cultivated a mindset of continuous learning, adaptability, and growth.

The Allure of Cybersecurity: Exploring new opportunities for impact and growth

As I contemplated my next career move, the field of cybersecurity began to catch my attention.
It wasn’t just glamorized portrayal in movies or the allure of hacking, but the realization that it offers a wide range of possibilities for growth and specialization.\

One aspect of cybersecurity that particularly appeals to me is the chance to be proactive rather than reactive.
Instead of solely focusing on identifying and fixing vulnerabilities, when I become a cybersecurity professional (que optimista), I will have the opportunity to anticipate potential threats, develop robust defenses, and implement preventive measures.
The idea of being at the forefront of protecting digital assets and staying one step ahead of malicious actors is both challenging and exhilarating.

As I reflect on my journey thus far, I realize that my experiences in digital design verification has equipped me with a solid foundation of technical skills, attention to detail, and problem-solving abilities. While the domain may be different, the fundamental principles of analyzing complex systems, identifying vulnerabilities, and developing effective solutions remain the same. I am excited to leverage my existing skill set and adapt it to the unique challenges of cybersecurity.

However, the field of cybersecurity is incredibly diverse and multifaceted. It encompasses a wide range of domains, from network security and cryptography, incident response and forensics all the way to developing secure software. This breadth of possibilities excites me, as it means there is always something new to learn and explore.
I believe that starting with a broad foundation in cybersecurity will allow me to explore different areas and eventually find a niche that truly resonates with me, enabling me to dive deep and become an expert in that specific field.

Hacking my way into Cybersecurity: My Roadmap to successful transition

Transitioning from digital design verification to cybersecurity requires a well-structured plan and a commitment to continuous learning and skill development. To ensure a successful transition, I have crafted a roadmap that outlines the key steps to reach my end goal (el objetivo principal).

The first stage of my plan involves in laying a solid foundation in cybersecurity fundamentals. I will begin by enrolling in online courses and obtaining industry-recognized certifications, such as the CompTIA Security+. This certification will provide me with understanding of cybersecurity concepts, best practices, and common threats. It will also demonstrate my commitment to potential employers and serve as a valuable starting point for further specialization. The thing is, I still do have my job, and prior experience in tech, so completing certificates will maybe wait.

To complement my theoretical knowledge, I will engage in hands-on learning experiences. This includes setting up a home lab environment where I will be able to safely practice various cybersecurity techniques, such as network scanning, vulnerability assessment, and penetration testing. I will also try to actively participate in online platforms like HackTheBox and VulnHub, which offer a wide range of challenging scenarios and real-world simulations. These practical exercises will help me develop a hacker’s mindset (que emocionante), sharpen my problem-solving skills, and gain familiarity with commonly used tools and frameworks.

The purpose of this blog also lays in continuous tracking and assessment of my progress along this path, and hopefully, with the help of you reading this, it will give me some more guidance and identifiable areas for improvement to adjust my plan accordingly.

I know transitioning to cybersecurity is not a linear path. That’s exactly why for now, I have to be in contradiction with the first statement in this part and leave this plan vague, so I can further update it when pieces of puzzle come in place.    

¡Y eso es todo, mis amigos!
Prepárense para ver a este ingeniero de verificación transformarse en un cibercaballero con armadura de código³. 🛡️💻
Until next time and remember: keep your friends close and your passwords even closer!🔑 ¡Adiós, y happy hacking!