DEF CON 34: Volunteering, Learning, and Exploring

This year, I attended DEF CON 34 in Las Vegas, and one of the best parts of the experience was getting to participate rather than simply attend.

Volunteering

I volunteered with both Red Team Village and Blue Team Village.

At Red Team Village, I helped with setup and event operations, including attendee traffic flow. At Blue Team Village, I greeted attendees, answered questions, provided directions and information, assisted with badge sales, and helped people as they entered and exited the village.

Volunteering gave me a different perspective on DEF CON. I wasn’t only there to learn. I got to contribute to the community and meet some great people along the way.

Exploring DEF CON

Outside of volunteering, I explored the villages and learned about areas of security beyond what I normally work with and study.

Quantum Village especially stood out to me. I’ve developed an interest in physics and quantum mechanics, so seeing the intersection between quantum computing, cryptography, and cybersecurity was fascinating. I didn’t understand everything, and that was part of what made it exciting. It showed me another area with a lot left to explore.

The Experience

The people were one of my favorite parts of DEF CON. I met volunteers, security professionals, researchers, and others who were simply curious and excited to share what they knew.

DEF CON 34 reinforced something important for me: learning doesn’t only happen through books, certifications, or labs. Sometimes it happens by volunteering, meeting someone new, asking questions, or walking into a village where you know almost nothing.

I left DEF CON with new ideas, new people to learn from, and an even longer list of things I want to explore.