Studying Cloud in the Clouds
30,000 feet in the air, EC2 console open, mind focused.
I didn’t take this flight to relax—I took it to keep building.
Right now, I’m preparing for the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam, targeting a November 2025 pass. But it’s not about chasing certs for me. It’s about creating stability, scale, and sovereignty in my career.
Where I’m Coming From
- 5+ years in network engineering, field installs, and security
- Daily hands-on with Cisco Meraki, Ruckus, Fortinet, and OPNsense
- Deploying and automating network infrastructure for hotels and venues
- Experienced with Ansible, Docker, Proxmox, and bare-metal troubleshooting
- Comfortable in switch stacks, VLANs, low-voltage cabling, and VPN configs
I’ve built networks from the ground up. Now I’m moving into cloud networking, where those skills still matter—but the tools and scale shift.
Why AWS
Because I want to design networks that don’t stop at the building.
I want to:
- Automate secure infrastructure across regions
- Deploy global architectures with Terraform
- Integrate networking, security, and compute into scalable systems
- Understand the economic and technical trade-offs of cloud design
I’m not here to be trendy. I’m here to be reliable, scalable, and paid well for work that stays in demand.
My Current Study Stack
- AWS SkillBuilder
- Tutorials by Stephane Maarek
- Real AWS Console Practice
- EC2, IAM, S3, VPC basics (deep dive underway)
- Building in parallel with what I already know (subnets, firewalls, segmentation)
This isn’t a pivot—it’s a progression.
Next Steps
- Keep building projects that bridge networking and cloud
- Create automation tools that solve real field problems
- Pass SAA in Nov 2025 and line up cloud hybrid roles where I bring both worlds together
I’ll keep documenting the path.
Because one day, someone else in the field will be trying to make the same shift—and they’ll need the blueprint I wish I had.
📸 Photo: Me mid-flight with AWS console open
💭 Still working. Still building. Cloud ready.