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When the Grind Drains You: The Dark Side of Bug Bounty
Introduction: The Highs and Lows of the Hunt
These days, it’s pretty common to see bug hunters grinding hard, pulling long hours, pushing limits. And when someone finally hits a bounty, they share it and honestly, they should. Finding a bug, even a low-hanging one, takes serious effort. For a new hunter, that first bug can feel like a massive win. But on the flip side, others are out here chasing criticals, and when they don’t find anything big, they start feeling like the smaller bugs aren’t even worth being happy about.
So what happens? You sit in front of your screen for hours, sometimes days, hunting endlessly. And then weeks go by. Maybe a month. Still no valid bug, still no bounty. That’s when it hits you: What if I’m not cut out for this?
This blog is about everything that happens in between bug hunting, the burnout, the frustration, the self-doubt that creeps in when things just don’t go your way. I’m sharing my own thoughts and experiences too, because I know I’m not the only one trying to figure out how to keep going despite the mental weight. And of course, we’ll also talk about how to deal with it, how to handle the lows without losing the love for the hunt.
