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Debian, Linux, Cybersecurity, Software, Technical Documentation, Project, HARDN, Cyber Synapse

Chauncey Pelton

Chauncey Pelton`s Journey

Chauncey Pelton is a Developer on Project HARDN
For those unfamiliar with the the project, it is our free, open source cyber security software.
Git source code here: Project Public Repository

Chauncey Pelton`s Journey to Cybersecurity

The best way to describe myself is as a fresh Computer Science graduate with a lot of passion.

That passion stems from me finally having found what I want to do with my time and from my eagerness to make up for lost time.
Beneath all that, my hope is that this new drive of mine to become a software developer will in some way allow me to continue supporting my family, as I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for them.

Even though I say "lost time", I definitely don't regret anything that has happened along the way, I just know I have a lot of catching up to do.

As a kid, I found computers fascinating, but growing up in the jungle of Papua New Guinea I had limited access to them.
High school in Thailand meant easier access, but for me that meant only video games.
For university I considered Computer Science, but I was told that students would need to be good with math.
That was a no go for me so I opted for English Literature instead.

From that point on I found myself on a path toward becoming a teacher, and it wasn't until I spent years in Indonesia and Thailand as an educator that I finally met someone who was able to open my eyes to computers again, and help me start on this new journey toward becoming a developer.

As a teacher I found myself manually copying and pasting student names and other personal details into letters that would need to be sent out to families.
With more than 75 letters to personalize, a lot of time was wasted.
It made me wonder if there was a better way, and sure enough, after talking with the IT Director, he taught me all about mail merges and how they can save time.

My next set of letters were sorted so much faster, and that's what hooked me.
I went back to the IT Director looking for more, so he told me I should check out Python and Linux.
The rest, as they say, is history.

I quickly dumped Windows for Linux, and spent the next few years learning as much as I could about Python.
That eventually led to me signing up for a Master's degree in Computer Science, and the culmination of that was in May 2025.

Open Source Software is now my new fascination, as well as finding ways to use Python to help speed up and automate boring tasks, but more than anything I am thrilled to have been invited to join the expert team of developers working on Project HARDN, an open source project focused on hardening GNU/Linux systems—specifically Debian.

About the Author

Chauncey Pelton

Chauncey Pelton

For LinkedIn Profile Click here

For GitHub Click here

For Personal website Click here

Chauncey Pelton is a talented developer and a cyber security specialist.
He spends his time helping people like you and me secure our systems.

See you in the next one!

If you wish to support our project

Donation link (Buy me a coffee):

https://buymeacoffee.com/Alex_Cyber_Synapse