Burnout is too common among working people, especially those in the information security industry. Our understanding of security is undergoing massive change and growth, and for that to be a successful process, we need people who are passionate and energized.

Like many, I spent the majority of 2020 burning too hot and I burnt out as a result. What confounded me is that I was just doing something I loved: learning and improving my pentesting skill set. The price I ended up paying was steep, and it took a lot longer to cover my debt to my passion than it did to destroy my passion.

This talk will be about my personal journey OUT of burnout, what I learned, and how others can recover from burnout and avoid it going forward. Perhaps more importantly, I'll discuss things that contribute to burnout that are out of our control. If we've done everything we can to improve our situation, but burnout potential is still high, it may be time to find a different situation.