Hi, I’m Stephen 👋

Most of my experience comes from learning on the job and tinkering. In recent years, I’ve become keener to learn more. Each day, I push myself to limits I never thought I could reach. When COVID-19 hit back in 2020, I was among the first in my company’s First Line Support Team to be furloughed. Suddenly, I had time—time I put to work on my knowledge, though it started out a bit rocky.

What Sparked My Journey?

The real reboot happened at Comic Con 2016, where I saw an EVGA gaming PC running Doom 2016. The buttery-smooth performance made me think: “I want that in all my games.” That was the hook.

After that, I dove into YouTube and found channels that changed my life and learning style:

• Linus Tech Tips: The gateway tech channel—especially the PiHole setup video, which I’ll never forget.
• NetworkChuck: The reason I gave Linux (and Kali Linux!) a real try.
• John Hammond: His hacking walkthroughs fueled my curiosity about penetration testing and CTFs.
• David Bombal: Deep-dives and alternate solutions for networking and tech problems.
• Jim Browning: For the pure joy of watching scammers get reverse-hacked!

From PiHole to Professional

My Linux journey began with a single purpose: block ads. My first real project was setting up a PiHole ad blocker for the house (if you know me, you know how much I hate ads). It worked for all the “unblockable” devices—brilliant!

Fast forward a year: Back to work after 6 months, only to be furloughed again until March 2021. Eventually, I landed full-time again, all the while learning.

Now? I’m an Infrastructure Engineer for an MSP. My job is to keep the backend running and make changes our clients need to keep everything smooth. Some days are stressful (and yeah, I’ve definitely banged my head on a wall or two).

Why I Build

My journey is about trying, failing, and trying again. Even when it’s tough, don’t give up. Take a break, grab your favourite drink, or play a game. Fresh perspective is everything.

By the way, if you made it this far—thanks for reading! If you’re into hacking and defending systems, check out TryHackMe and Hack The Box. I’m still a beginner, but learning is the fun part.

AIVidz: My AI Experiment

AIVidz is my pet project, created to showcase AI capabilities with minimal input from me. I consider ChatGPT my business partner and friend in this journey!