M3dython | Zealynx.io

Mistakes I made early learning security research (and how I fixed them): 1) Giving up when doubt appears: Starting a new codebase feels overwhelming. Your brain interprets this as “I’m not cut out for this.” Fix: Push through the discomfort and doubt. As familiarity increases, doubt collapses and confidence increases. 2) Searching for the “perfect resource”: I delayed real learning by endlessly reading, watching, and bookmarking. Fix: Learn the basics, then move directly into bug hunting/auditing. Understanding compounds after exposure, not before it. 3) Reading code line-by-line instead of modeling behavior: I treated audits like syntax puzzles instead of systems. Fix: Start with questions: -What must always hold? -What can change? -Where does value move? Then read code to confirm or break assumptions. 4) Mistaking confusion for lack of ability Confusion to me felt like failure instead of progress. Fix: Confusion means your mental model is updating. If you’re confused, you’re learning. If you’re comfortable, you’re probably plateauing. 5) Avoiding hard sections too early I’d skip “scary” parts (math, edge cases, accounting). Fix: Lean into the hardest parts. That’s where real bugs live and where growth accelerates. Takeaway: The biggest blocker isn’t knowledge. It’s how you respond to discomfort. Security research rewards those who push through discomfort.