Page 170 - Cyber Defense eMagazine September 2022

Ultimately, I had a great experience with the Hacker Summer Camp and can’t wait to attend again. This
time, I’ll be more prepared and ready to learn new things! There were so many wonderful people I met,
and I learned more technically, but also personally, and professionally. I highly recommend that anyone
who’s even slightly considering attending set aside the time and experience the conferences.

Tips + Advice

There are quite a few things I was thankful that I did that helped me make the most out of the conferences.
I was glad I did research ahead of time and reached out to others for their advice. For those who plan on
attending in the future, my top three tips are the following.

1. Don’t try and do everything
a. There are far too many things and you won’t have enough time to do everything
2. Hydrate and have comfortable shoes
a. It’s a lengthy few days with long walks, so try and stay in the best condition you can
3. Prioritize properly
a. Take advantage of things you can only do at the conference

While those five days were some of the busiest days I’ve ever had, I learned and met a ton of those in
the industry. It was an invaluable experience for me that I will remember for years. I truly appreciate the
time and effort that the organizers, staff, volunteers, speakers, and attendees put in to make the
conferences a success. Here’s to next year!

Acknowledgments: Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge with me and to
the organizers and volunteers at all three conferences. I’d like to give a special note of appreciation to
the Women in Security and Privacy (WISP) for sponsoring my BlackHat pass and to the Cyber Defense
Media Group for sponsoring my DefCon pass.

Cyber Defense eMagazine – September 2022 Edition 170
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