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Why You Should Keep Learning Cybersecurity in the Age of AI

·888 words·5 mins
Cybersecurity Learning
h0neyp0t
Author
h0neyp0t
I’m h0neyp0t, an ethical hacker sharing my passion for cybersecurity and tech. Let’s connect.. but remember, never stop learning.
Table of Contents

Introduction
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Every day, I see people on Reddit asking, “If AI can do this, what’s the point of learning?” I even see people coming into my DMs on Instagram saying, “Bro, AI can hack. There’s no point in learning cybersecurity or programming. Go become a plumber instead.” I’m not going to lie: I felt this way for a few weeks. But let me tell you why this way of thinking is pointless.

You Are Not Weird
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First of all, I want to say: you are not weird, and it’s totally normal to feel like that. Actually, you know what? It’s a good sign. Yes, a good sign. If you feel like AI has killed the point of learning, this may be because you are passionate about what you want to learn. GenAI has become something normal. It’s everywhere: at home, at work, in the things you consume every day, in your feed, and in the news everywhere. Maybe you like GenAI, maybe you don’t. Everyone has their own thoughts, but in my opinion, the problem is deeper than loving or hating GenAI.

Why Do You Feel Like That?
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I think I have found the real issue. You are passionate. That’s the problem. You want to enjoy the process: the problem you solve, the bug you fix, the box you pwn, and the new protocol you finally understand. This brings fulfillment, joy, and pride. But now you feel almost nothing because the answer is here too quickly. You see someone on LinkedIn posting something like, “AI just killed…” or “AI just solved…” and this scares you because you tell yourself, “If this person can do that with AI, why should I bother? I’m useless.” I’m telling you why you should bother. The person you saw on LinkedIn may only care about the result, and they are not alone. You see code as an art form, while they just want to see a website on their screen. You enjoy vulnerability chaining and finding your way through a network, while they are focused only on getting the flag. Are they right or wrong? That is up to you, but you have to understand that not everybody has the same feelings and purpose as you do.

The Environment
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As I said, AI and GenAI in particular is everywhere. If “everyone” around you is using it, whether on social media or among your peers, you may feel pressured, especially if you are forced to use it at work. This is normal. We are human, and this is a mix of:

  1. Social pressure: How are others going to see me if I’m the only one not using AI like they do?
  2. Fear of missing out: What if I’m missing something important?
  3. Fear of rejection: What if they reject me because I don’t do what they are doing?

Why Learning Still Matters
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Math is the best example I can give here. Calculators exist, right? Everyone uses calculators. However, you still learned some math at school (I was horrible at math). And even though we learned math, having mathematicians is still important, and math is nothing without them. The same is true for GenAI. Even if 90% of the population uses GenAI, you are still important. You are the mathematician who sees the beauty in equations, who enjoys working with numbers and solving problems, while the majority of people are focused on the result. You, behind your screen, are needed in the field you are afraid of. You are among the people who are keeping it alive. You are the one creating the beauty. There are too many reasons why you should still learn:

  • You can work without AI.
  • If you decide (or have) to work with AI, you know where you are going.
  • You can review AI outputs like nobody else.- You can keep the field you love alive, simply for the love of the game.
  • You can teach people with less experience than you.
  • You don’t offload your critical thinking to a program.
  • Etc.

“What Can I Do Then?”
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First of all, remember why you love what you do, and separate the work from the passion. If you are really passionate about cybersecurity and programming (I mentioned these two, but choose whatever field you like), you should love them even if you are a plumber. So build, work, and explore by yourself. Don’t rely on AI if you hate using it. It’s that simple. Focus on yourself and build connections with people who share the same mindset. Should you learn about AI? My answer is yes, at least enough to become literate and understand it. Should you rely only on AI? My answer is, most of the time, no. If you enjoy cooking, cook; don’t buy a ready-made meal.

Conclusion
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This blog post is made up of my thoughts and my thoughts only. You have the right to agree or disagree, but I talked about a feeling I had, and I wrote this for you but also for myself. Don’t let other people dictate how you should enjoy your passion. Build again and again, and be proud of your progress. Enjoy the process.

You are a human with a brain. If you want to react about this, send me a DM on Instagram.

Never stop learning.

h0neyp0t