Hi, my name is Turhan, and I started the Network Security program at Linnaeus University in 2024.

Computers have always been one of my passions, but I was always scared of the engineering behind them. After years of putting it off, I had a wake up moment one day and asked myself: what do I know the most about? Well, it’s computer games… Not a very promising interest for the future if you’re just a regular gamer. So I started thinking about how I could flip that -1 multiplier. Playing games just took my time without giving me anything back (I know there are benefits to playing video games too, but I mean in terms of building a career). What if the thing that took my time could start giving me something instead? That was the moment the “-1” (which had probably grown to something like “-50” by then) started turning into a “+1”, with the hope of making it a “+50” one day.

Games are not magic. Behind every online match, there are servers, networks and packets flying around the world in milliseconds. Behind every cheat, there is someone who found a weakness in a system. And behind every anti-cheat, there is someone protecting it. I realized that the thing I loved the most was actually built on the exact engineering I was scared of. So I stopped running from it. That’s why I chose the Network Security program at Linnaeus University. I wanted to understand how things really work under the hood, and how to protect them. And honestly, it has been worth it. I have configured routers and built networks with different communication protocols and configurations, each with its own use case. I have set up VPN tunnels, done ethical hacking and so much more fun stuff that once seemed very scary to me.

The best part is that the gamer in me never left. Today I build my own games for the web, solve online ethical hacking challenges and work as a freelance web developer. The same love has just evolved.

So here is the mistake I made, and I hope you don’t make it too: I waited too long because I thought I wasn’t “technical enough.” You don’t need to be. I am 27 today, and I only started getting interested in computers when I was 22. It’s never too late. You just need to be curious and start. If you love something, even if it’s “just” games, look at what’s behind it. That might be your way in.