A 12 Weeks to IAM : A Boredom Challenge That Will Either Push or Drive Me Insane

In 2024, I was laid off from a company that I thought I never would have to worry about leaving. The culture was amazing, pay was great, and there was room for growth if you showed you were dedicated. Of course, when you get too comfortable, the universe makes a way for you to break out from that comfort zone. My next goal was to find a job in cybersecurity, most specifically Identity and Access Management (IAM), so I talked to a few friends that were working full-time and/or contract jobs, and passed my CompTIA Sec+ exam, which solidified my plan to begin my career in IAM. Only it didn't work out that way; 4 months after being laid off, I landed a job as an IT Analyst at a wonderful company, and 5 months after, I was promoted to Senior IT Analyst. In the past two years, I never forgot about my goal of becoming an IAM Analyst, but it always seemed like I never had time. Deep down I knew that the problem wasn't that there was no time, it was that I wasn't using my time efficiently -- mo