I enjoy security audits. Mostly. At least at this point in my career as a web developer I know what to expect and have tackled the obvious things like XSS and SQL injection. Sanitize, fools!
Of course, I got there with no small amount of education and embarrassment.
So how do you become one of the survivors and thrivers?
First and foremost, love what you do. I guarantee that the path will be steep at times, flooded with lessons, and littered with occasionally humiliating prat-falls. On the up side, you will enjoy breathtaking heights of personal satisfaction, be awash with new things to learn, and gain a greater appreciation for the people around you who help dust you off and get you back on your feet. The love of coding is what will get you through those rough patches.
This series of articles is written at the request of a dear friend of mine who is finishing the last quarter of her CS degree. I think it's a great topic and hopefully for anyone else who is currently a developer in training or considering changing careers, it will offer some food for thought. But mostly, this is for you, M, and anyone else who needs a little encouragement.
Out with the old, in with the new! And to celebrate, I've rebuilt my site with Drupal 7.
I was talking to a colleague the other day about their dream of one day freelancing. I shared that I had done a four year stint running my own business and that sparked a long conversation about the decisions that had started and ended that chapter of my career. Mine is but one tale and should not be construed as a guide for lighting your own path.