what I’d do differently

Honest retrospective. The stuff I regret and the stuff I’d keep.

what I’d change

• Started PG Practice sooner — I did too much TryHackMe early on
• Built my methodology doc earlier — I was 2 months in before I realized I was solving the same enum steps from scratch every time
• Did more Active Directory — the AD set on the exam surprised me
• Taken better notes on failed attempts — “what didn’t work” is as valuable as “what did”

what I’d keep

• IppSec obsessively — worth every hour
• Explaining things out loud — the rubber duck method legit works
• Taking real breaks — burnout is real

Full post coming with specific anti-patterns and “if I could email past-me” advice.