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I'm facing a dilemma whether to choose RE career or Penetration Tester career. I have a deep interest in both and want to become expert in both of them.But I wonder if it is possible for a human to be able to be expert in multiple fields? Are there people who are very good in RE and in Pentesting? some people told me to stop chasing multiple fields because I wouldn't be able to become expert. What do you think?

Thanks in advance.

Higgs
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  • If you're new to both fields, it's better to pick one rather than learning both skills simultaneously. If you'd like advice on what are the differences between both career paths and what are the kind of skills and personality for both type of jobs, you may rephrase your question in a way that makes it ask for objective differences rather than personal opinions. – NirIzr Mar 16 '17 at 13:37
  • Security research involves elements of both. RE is a prerequisite for vulnerability analysis and exploit development, and the developed exploits are then used in pentesting. – julian Mar 16 '17 at 15:02

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Preamble: I'm working as reverse engineer in the field of malware in an research institute

In my opinion, even though they may be some overlap, these are completely different disciplines and both leave room for further specialization.

For example, most reverses focus on either programs or firmware, while the mobile and bytecode are more exotic disciplines which are often combined with the main discipline.

Of course a good reverser will be capable of reversing both firmware and applications, but will have problems if the focus is shifted in either direction e.g. when a firmware reverser has to reverse highly obfuscated malware.

You can always try to be a jack of all trades, but you won't be able to specialize in each direction. Although both reversing and pentesting may seem manageable at first, you'll notice that they run deep on some topics.

edit: Nontheless, I'm voting to close this topic because its mainly opinion based. No one can make this decision for you. You could try reddit for other opinions.

Nordwald
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