Let me tell you what I was when I started doing reverse engineering on ECU firmware.
I was a calibrator. I’d been working with WinOLS for years. I wrote no software. I had no computer science background.
And I learned to work in Ghidra effectively.
What you need (that isn’t programming):
- Patience
- Systematic thinking
- Existing calibration knowledge
- Tolerance for ambiguity
What you don’t need:
- Ability to write code
- Computer science degree
- Experience with other disassemblers
The realistic use case:
Most calibrators don’t need Ghidra for routine Stage 1/2 work. You need it when you hit a wall — a new ECU with no DAMOS, a protection you can’t explain.
Ghidra Fundamental is designed for calibrators who’ve never opened a disassembler before.