Today, I reveal my initial technological journey, from childhood gaming nostalgia to cybersecurity exploration. I am grateful that my gaming experiences sparked my curiosity and paved the way to becoming a technology enthusiast in this rapidly changing world.
It all began in third grade when I was introduced to computers at school. The old-time when I often visited my maternal uncle’s home to play Road Rash at the weekend. Those moments were special, as having access to a computer was a luxury not everyone could experience.
I discovered the cyber gaming cafe, where I saved money from festivals (Dashain and Tihar) to afford an hour of GTA Vice City. With a cheat sheet that I carried with my physical hard copy, the game player gained numerous rewards. Also, who can forget the nostalgia of the cheat code for bounce games on Nokia Mobile sets? I was captivated by my curiosity regarding hacking and game creation through mathematics and logic. Still unaware of programming terminology at the time, I believed game development was reserved for scientists only.
Later, my computer teacher introduced me to “programming”. I learned QBASIC in sixth grade, not knowing how codes work. All I had to do was write some code lines and execute them. The first program I wrote executed the word ‘Hello’. Setting up QBASIC in the lab was challenging, and succeeding in that setup made me feel cool, as no one else could do it. Fast forward, too late, but the internet was a personal experience for me around grade 7. I served the websites via the Opera mini browser on the Nokia X3 model. As soon as I realized how to make a website and all that stuff was when I got my laptop, a Lenovo E49 in grade 8. I started learning HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, basic PHP, and MySQL.
I didn’t have personal Wi-Fi during that period. The only solution was hacking. At that time, hacking was mostly called wireless pen-testing. I immersed myself in Linux distributions, starting with Backtrack, which eventually evolved into Kali Linux we know today. Aircrack-ng was cool enough to try out a dictionary attack on a friend’s Wi-Fi. I never took technology seriously, as it was a hobby and I focused on other aspects of life as a curious student who dabbled in drawing, sports, and dance.
Towards the end of high school, I delved into web development fundamentals, honing my skills in server-side languages like PHP with MySQL as well as client-side technologies such as HTML, CSS, and Bootstrap. I expanded my programming knowledge with C and delved deeper into penetration testing. I made a website for high school but was rejected as updating it was unnecessary.
After high school, I embarked on an exciting chapter by coming to Kathmandu Valley to pursue computer science studies. In 2020, I took my first steps into my professional career and started climbing the corporate ladder. A transitional phase in my journey allowed me to explore different aspects of life.
In my upcoming blog posts, I will continue to share my high school insights and experiences. Feel free to share if you love it.
