# My TryHackMe Journey (2022–2025)
## The Beginning 2022: Curiosity Over Comfort
In 2022, I wasn’t a “hacker.” I wasn't even someone who fully understood how the internet worked. I was a curious student intrigued by cybersecurity, armed with a Linux virtual machine, a lot of free time, and one name I kept hearing over and over: **TryHackMe** and **HackTheBox**.
I still remember the first room I launched. The terminal blinked at me. I didn’t know what to type. I had no idea what an IP address meant. But that room changed everything. That was the spark.
## What is TryHackMe?
**TryHackMe** or **THM** is an online cybersecurity platform that teaches hacking through hands-on labs, gamification, and a guided learning experience.
Here’s what sets it apart:
**Learning Paths:** Red Team, Blue Team, Jr Pentester, SOC Level 1, and more.
**Room Types:**
* Guided rooms: Concepts with tasks and hints
* CTF rooms: Realistic scenarios, minimal help
* Challenges, Raw puzzle-solving (web, reverse, crypt, etc)
**Streak System:** Daily XP to keep you coming back.
**Community Events:** Advent of Cyber, Cyber Mayhem, Industrial Intrusion
It’s beginner-friendly but grows with you, and for me, it becomes a daily dojo.
## Year by Year Breakdown
### **2022: Learning the Basics**
* Completed Intro to Cyber Security and Linux Fundamentals
* Learned about Nmap, file permissions, SSH, and basic web exploits
* Discovered the Blue Team Path: started thinking like a defender
* Struggled with terminology, but the guided rooms kept me going
### **2023: The Grind Era**
* Began serious streak tracking
* Completed Pre Security, Jr Pentester, Blue Team, and most of the Red Team path
* Started solving rooms without hints
* Took part in the **Advent of Cyber** for the first time
* Started building internal wikis, note templates, and Bash recon scripts
### **2024: Growth Beyond the Platform**
* Entered TryHackMe CTFs: Learned the pain of going solo
* Realized many teams join for the XP, not the challenge
* Tackled harder challenge rooms (reverse engineering, binary exploitation)
* Used knowledge from THM in bug bounty, internships, and HTB
* Wrote my first public write-ups
### **2025: Peak Form**
* Reached Top **168** global rank
* Maintained a **132-day streak**
* Hit **111,493 points**
* Used THM for CRT (Certified Red Teamer) prep (Active Directory, BloodHound, LDAP)
* Published blogs and got recognized in the community
## Blue Team Path: The Underrated Gem
Many people chase red teaming for the adrenaline, but the Blue Team taught me:
* **Windows Internals**
* **Log Analysis with ELK & Splunk**
* **Network forensics and incident response**
* **Attack detection and mitigation**
It helped me secure internship projects and analyze real incidents. Some tools I picked up:
* Wireshark
* Sysinternals Suite
* OSSEC
* Volatility
THM made these topics accessible through labs like Log Analysis, Memory Forensics, and SOC Level 1.
## Rooms That Reshaped My Mindset
**Summary:** Both platforms offer incredible value. TryHackMe eases you in with a structured approach and gamification. Hack The Box hits hard but teaches deeply. I use both and recommend them based on what you want to master.
## The CTFs: Teamless but Not Clueless
* Joined multiple TryHackMe CTFs
* Found out quick: **“team” doesn't mean support**
* Ended up grinding most challenges solo
* Got salty but got stronger
Learned:
* How to break crypto challenges
* OSINT under pressure
* Full pwn from enumerations to privilege escalation
The competitive pressure gave me thick skin. Even without help, I emerged with skill.
## Challenged: Where THM Tests You
The **Challenges** section became my gym:
No hints. Just terminal + brain
My fav categories:
* Reverse Engineering (with Ghidra + Radare2)
* Web (NodeJS + SSRF FTW)
* Crypto (simple XOR to RSA weaknesses)
These were raw, creative, and deeply satisfying. My problem-solving hit a new level here.
## TryHackMe vs Hack The Box
**Summary:** THM taught me; HTB refined me. THM is where you grow roots. HTB is where you swing your sword.
## Stats & Recognition
* Rank: **#163 global**
* Points: **111,493**
* Streak: **132 days**
* Published **15+** writeups on Medium
* People now ask me for career advice
## Real Lessons THM Taught Me
* Always enumerate
* Never guess — prove your assumption
* Take notes. Better: take structured notes
* Red between the flags
* You can start from zero and still go pro
## Advice for Newbies in 2025
* Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle
* Start with Pre-security or Blue Team
* Don’t fear the terminal
* Solve one room every day → streaks matter
* Write. It cements memory
* Solo or teamless? Still Compete. Growth > scoreboard.
## Final Words: More Than Just a Platform
TryHackMe wasn’t just an app on my browser. It becomes:
* A habit
* A trainer
* A mentor I never had
* A record of how far I’ve come
From that first “whoami” to ranking among the top 200 globally, the journey wasn’t easy. But if I could do it, so can you. Just log in.
