Does anyone else get that post conference energy boost?

Last week was the Rocky Mountain Information Security Conference and it was a fantastic time. I got to connect with my friends across the different disciplines, listen to inspiring keynotes, ponder some technical concepts and a big part of my experience this year was my 6 hours spent on SANS Net Wars Core.

So, the question is how to spread that energy out, and not get burned out by attempting to push for change harder than is practical. Every year I seem to run into the same dilemma. It is so predictable that my team can call me out on it every year!

This year my approach is to try to document and take note of all the content that stuck with me. From there I intend to keep those in my “pocket” ready to answer questions.

Rather than focusing on what I can change or impact I am going to lean in on the concept of Capture The Flag. I would like to create a CTF team in the Denver Metro area. The focus would be skill development and fun. I would like to specifically reach out to students, unemployed and under employed talent. Most teams that compete in CTF challenges are tied together through work or school. I have not seen many other opportunities. I may be able to accomplish this through the Denver Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), But that is yet to be determined. Regardless, that is my current focus. I want to help create a group that enjoys tasks like Hack The Box as well as in person CTFs. If you are interested please reach out to me via LinkedIn and we can chat!