Sometimes, growth is not a big explosion. It is a balance between work, family, and yourself.
From 2023 to 2025, I had no superhero mode. I only used small pieces of time, like my lunch break at work and a little time after my child fell asleep, to slowly build my own rhythm.
In 2025, I finished a challenge that looked very hard. I passed two difficult certification exams: OSCP and CISSP. But these results did not happen overnight. They came from what I built up slowly in 2023 and 2024.
A Working Mom Can Pass OSCP+ Too｜Walking a Tightrope Between Kids, Work, and a Hard Exam
Beyond the Technical Framework | My CISSP Preparation Journey
If you also feel that daily life has too many small things, and your time is too broken up, don’t worry. If you are willing, you can slowly take back control of your time, little by little.
2023｜Holding On Through Chaos#
My child was born at the end of 2022. It was a happy moment, and it also changed my life completely.
After my maternity leave ended in 2023, I thought I could “go back to normal.” I thought I could keep studying, keep earning certifications, and keep improving my skills, just like before.
But reality was not so easy. I worked during the day, put my child to sleep at night, and forced myself to study late at night. I kept trying to bring my study pace back to how it was before I had my child, but every effort felt useless. My time was cut into small pieces, my focus was used up, and even “continuous growth” became a source of stress.
Later, I stopped forcing myself to make progress every single day. I decided it was enough to just keep up my work performance. At that time, I felt a little frustrated. But looking back now, that year was the start of me facing reality in a new way.
Sometimes, slowing down is not giving up. It is how you find a way to keep going for the long run.
2024｜Finding My Own Time Rhythm#
By 2024, my child’s daily schedule became more stable and regular. I started to ask myself again: “In this kind of life, how can I still keep growing?”
That year, I started to watch my own time closely. I wrote down which hours of the day I could use. I checked how much time each task really needed. I even looked for small, leftover pieces of time that I could use. Slowly, I learned how to take control of the time I had.
I also started to break tasks into small pieces. I stopped waiting for a full block of free time. Instead, I let my study fit into small pieces of daily life, for example:
After my child fell asleep at night, I used that time to do hands-on lab practice
During small moments like commuting or lunch breaks, I listened to podcasts or read study materials
I stopped looking for long, uninterrupted study time. It was enough to move forward just a little bit each day. In 2024, I learned time management. But it was more than “management.” I would say I found balance between work, family, and myself.
2025｜A Year of Harvest, Seeing the Power of Small Steps#
With the foundation from the year before, I kept building on my rhythm in 2025, and finally saw the results.
This year, I passed two very difficult certifications: OSCP and CISSP. I did not do it by staying up all night or working myself too hard. I did not rush through it all at once. Instead, I used a time management system shaped by real life, and built it up step by step.
While doing penetration testing at work, I could also feel how much I had grown from preparing for these certifications.
What I Learned from OSCP#
OSCP helped me slowly build my own penetration testing method. As my skills grew, I found more high-risk vulnerabilities than when I first joined this team. I could also analyze the target’s functions faster, judge the risk level more accurately, and know when to stop and not go too far.
What I Learned from CISSP#
CISSP helped me guide clients to think about problems from a risk point of view. When I talk with clients now, I give advice that fits their real needs better. For example: “What impact would this vulnerability have on the organization? Based on the client’s needs and cost, would a compensating control be enough?”
I learned how to balance “technical” thinking and “business” thinking, and give advice that clients feel truly solves their problem. This is a wider way of thinking that I never had before.
Near the end of 2025, I started to join security community events more actively. I not only gained more knowledge, but also met senior people and peers in the security field. Every event and every conversation sparked new ideas and new directions.
2026｜Next Stop, My First Year of AI Security#
Looking back, I have now been working for 10 years. I have built a strong base in two areas of expertise:
2015｜My First Year in Networking: After graduate school, I became a network engineer. I learned network architecture and principles, which became the base of my security knowledge
2019｜My First Year in Security: I joined a security company. I moved from being a solutions engineer to a penetration testing engineer, moving from defense into offense
Now, AI is a hot topic, and also a new battlefield.
2026｜My First Year in AI Security: I will carry my past two chapters of experience into the new challenges of the AI era
In 2026, I plan to officially start my journey of learning AI security. This includes two parts:
AI for Security: Using AI technology to make security work more efficient
Security for AI: Going deep into the attack and defense knowledge of AI systems
I hope to take my ten years of experience, from networking to security and from technical work to governance, and extend it into this new world.
Closing Words｜For You, in a Low Point Right Now#
In 2023, I held on through chaos.
In 2024, I found my own time rhythm.
In 2025, I took off within that rhythm.
If you also feel that daily life has too many small things, your time is too broken up, your study is not going as planned, or you keep failing exams, please remember:
Growth is never a straight line. When you look back, you will see that those moments of crouching low, catching your breath, and even doubting yourself, were quietly building the proud moments that were still to come.
There is no failure except in no longer trying. (Elbert Hubbard)
“Slow” does not mean stop. As long as you keep moving forward, this low crouch will let your future self fly more steadily, and farther.
None of us need to be a superhero. You can feel tired, you can stop, you can change direction. As long as you are willing to keep moving forward, that slow, small progress will, in the end, become the power that lets you fly.