The latest articles on DEV Community by Hashir Ali (@evpex). https://dev.to/evpex https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4177370%2Ff8e5bac3-2b76-47e9-962d-44807ec755dc.png https://dev.to/evpex en Hashir Ali Mon, 12 Oct 2026 04:41:08 +0000 https://dev.to/evpex/im-19-a-former-game-dev-and-now-working-in-pentesting-58p4 https://dev.to/evpex/im-19-a-former-game-dev-and-now-working-in-pentesting-58p4 <h1> Hey DEV! I’m 19, a former game dev, and now working in pentesting. 👋 </h1> <p>Hey everyone, </p> <p>I'm <strong>19 years old</strong> and currently working full-time as a <strong>penetration tester</strong>. I've been lurking around the DEV community for a while now, and I figured it's finally time to break the ice and make my first post. </p> <blockquote> <p>Honestly, if you told me a few years ago that this is what I’d be doing for a living today, I wouldn't have believed you.</p> </blockquote> <h3> 🕹️ From Building to Breaking </h3> <p>My tech journey actually started out in <strong>game development</strong>. I loved building things from scratch, but eventually, I got super curious about how the web and data infrastructure actually worked under the hood. </p> <p>That curiosity pulled me down a massive rabbit hole of <strong>web dev</strong> and <strong>networking</strong>, which quickly collided head-on with <strong>cybersecurity</strong>. I realized I liked networks and web apps a lot, but I fell completely in love with the security side of things:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Finding vulnerabilities</strong> (and figuring out how to exploit them safely)</li> <li><strong>Understanding how systems break</strong></li> <li><strong>Learning how to properly patch and fix them</strong></li> </ul> <p>I spent a ton of my time self-studying, grinding through labs, and building personal projects until I managed to land my current role. </p> <h3> 🚀 Why I'm Joining DEV </h3> <p>I’m here because I want to start documenting my journey, sharing some of my findings (the non-confidential ones, of course!), and learning from the rest of you. </p> <p>If you’re into <strong>cybersec</strong>, <strong>networking</strong>, <strong>web dev</strong>, or just tech in general, drop a comment and say hi! I'd love to connect and hear what projects everyone else is working on right now.</p> <p>Cheers! 🍻</p> career cybersecurity gamedev security