Codebreaker's Chronicles with Rajan Kumar Barik: A Journey, In His Own Voice

Rajan Kumar Barik
6 days ago
3 min read

Most people in the community know me as ANONDGR. What follows isn’t the story of someone who had it figured out early. It’s the story of a BCA graduate with no campus placement, no referrals, no strong network. Only skills, belief, and long, silent nights. This is my journey, told as it unfolded.

Where It Began

The first frame goes back to my very first semester of BCA.After finishing college assignments, I spent every remaining hour with a newly bought laptop. Not for marks, not for money, but curiosity. Before that, I used to wonder how people even used a laptop. Slowly, that curiosity shifted from how software works to how software breaks.

It became clear early on that college alone wouldn’t be enough. So I turned to YouTube. C, C++, Java, Python. Random videos at first, endless hours, no clear direction. Until one day, I decided to choose a path. That’s when cybersecurity entered the picture.

Learning by Doing

I began with computer networks, Linux, and core security concepts. At the same time, I ran a YouTube channel, sharing what I was learning, including steganography, malware, and viruses. Teaching became a way of understanding.

But theory wasn’t enough. I wanted real systems.

I didn’t know what bug bounty was back then. So I started with the closest environment I had, my own college. By my second year, after a long and difficult process, I had explored everything I could: websites, CCTV systems, and server rooms. Progress was slow. Nothing came instantly.

When Direction Appeared

In my third year, I finally discovered bug bounties. I started with foreign platforms while juggling college work. Then one LinkedIn post changed the direction of my journey. Someone had received recognition for reporting a valid vulnerability.

A little research led me to Com Olho.

That’s where things became real.

At the time, I wasn’t experienced in live bug hunting. I was a hardcore CTF solver, solving TryHackMe rooms daily and competing globally. But real world applications didn’t behave like CTFs. The mindset had to change.

I submitted my first few reports. They were duplicates. Rejected.I stopped logging in for months, assuming maybe this wasn’t meant for me.

April 25, 2025

One email changed everything.

I received a notification saying I had earned my first bounty. I didn’t believe it. I genuinely thought it was phishing. Then the money hit my bank account.

That moment rewired my mindset.

The Hardest Phase

By the end of April, my graduation ended. I returned home and reality hit. Family responsibilities. Financial pressure. The need for a job.

I applied everywhere, penetration tester, security analyst. The interviews went well. Feedback was positive. Then came silence. No calls. No offers.

Those nights were heavy. I questioned everything and even considered leaving cybersecurity entirely.

But the story didn’t end there.

The Return

By mid July, with nothing left to lose, I returned to Com Olho with full intent. Hunting became routine. HTTP requests filled my days. My bedroom turned into a lab. Burp Suite became part of daily life.

Ten to twelve hours a day. Every day.

Within two weeks, I submitted ten to twelve reports. My second valid bug was accepted, a P3 with a meaningful payout. When I told my family, they finally believed I could build something here.

From that point on, I didn’t stop.Today, I’ve submitted over a hundred reports and built a strong reputation.