Tweet
The Road to POLICY @ DEF CON 32 // Blog Series
DEF CON is all about the People - from a former Goon gone Fed
My first DEF CON was DEF CON 30, back in 2022. While I had spent several years working around and within the cyber policy world in Washington, DC, that 2022 Hacker Summer Camp was one of my first real exposures to hacker culture and the DEF CON experience.
I remember walking around and being enthralled by all the unique villages, and blown away by the opportunities to play and experiment with things in physical environments. As someone who had relatively little hands-on-keyboard experience at that point, I had a blast messing around and learning more about how different types of attacks actually worked at the same time.
What has kept me coming back is the people. DEFCON is a community-driven conference, from the attendees, to the speakers, to the massive group of volunteers that make the event happen. I worked as a Goon the last two years and saw firsthand all of the work that goes into executing the event. And, I’ve made some close and long-lasting friends. I’ll keep coming back to DEF CON for the people, and if I learn some cool new hacking stuff along the way, that’s bonus points!
Will, a new fed!
DEF CON is all about the People - from a former Goon gone Fed
My first DEF CON was DEF CON 30, back in 2022. While I had spent several years working around and within the cyber policy world in Washington, DC, that 2022 Hacker Summer Camp was one of my first real exposures to hacker culture and the DEF CON experience.
I remember walking around and being enthralled by all the unique villages, and blown away by the opportunities to play and experiment with things in physical environments. As someone who had relatively little hands-on-keyboard experience at that point, I had a blast messing around and learning more about how different types of attacks actually worked at the same time.
What has kept me coming back is the people. DEFCON is a community-driven conference, from the attendees, to the speakers, to the massive group of volunteers that make the event happen. I worked as a Goon the last two years and saw firsthand all of the work that goes into executing the event. And, I’ve made some close and long-lasting friends. I’ll keep coming back to DEF CON for the people, and if I learn some cool new hacking stuff along the way, that’s bonus points!
Will, a new fed!
Comment