The Foundation
I am not starting from scratch.
I have 8 years of professional experience in IT Operations and VIP Support. I know what happens when servers crash.
I know the pressure of being an IT Admin in a high-demand environment where every second counts.
I have "Battle Scars."
But now, I am pivoting.
My goal is fixed:
Cloud Security Architect.
The challenge?
Moving from "Fixing Systems" to "Designing Systems."
Moving from the How to the Why.
This is where AI stops being just a code-generator and starts being a career-accelerator.
It’s the "guy" riding shotgun—the „navigator“ in the passenger seat while I drive the car.
1. The Strategist, Not Just the Coder
I don't use ChatGPT or an AI of your choice just to write Python scripts or read about how to build in Terraform.
I use it to calibrate my trajectory.
I tell the AI:
"Here is my background (8 years IT-Ops).
Here is my goal (Security Architect).
Here is my current plan for the next 6 months. Challenge it.
Where are the gaps?
What would a Senior Architect advise me to skip?"
The AI becomes my sparring partner. It helps me see the chessboard from above, while I’m still busy moving the pawns on the ground.
2. "The End Result Can't Change"
I live by a simple rule: The plan can change, but the result cannot.
In the past, if I hit a wall, I might have stopped. Now, brick walls no longer stop me in my tracks. They are walls that are there for a reason. The reason? To prove how badly I want to get to the other side. Overcome the walls, shatter every single barrier.
Be brave, be bold. Be fearless.
In Short: don’t be afraid to try something and break something, because learning how to fix your own mistake makes you better.
Don't know the answer?
Try giving it your "best guess," trust your gut, and see what happens. You will learn more by attacking the problem than by giving up because you just hit a snag.
It is not a show-stopper.
It is just a detail.
When I get stuck, we (the AI and I) brainstorm alternatives. We pivot the tactic, but we never touch the objective.
• If a certification path is blocked, we find a project-based alternative.
• We write about it on dev.to.
• We message people in my network (like experts on AWS Guardrails) to get real-world feedback.
• If a technical concept
(like MCP) clicks, we double down.
We don't just "understand it"—
we draft, examine, and publish a deep-dive article immediately.
(Typing this on my phone)
The AI allows me to be agile without losing focus.
** 3. Simulating the "Senior" Mindset**
The biggest gap between an Engineer and an Architect isn't technical knowledge— it is decision making.
I use AI to simulate this. When I design a solution, I paste it into the prompt and say:
"Act like a harsh Senior Architect.
Where is the flaw in my plan? Where do you see gaps in my understanding?
Find the security flaw in this design that I missed."
It forces me to think about risks I haven't experienced yet. It helps me "download" the perspective of the role I want, before I even have the job title.
Hint:
You don't need the job title, the certification, or the pat on the back.
What you need instead:
The mindset. Think like an architect before you are the architect on paper.
** Conclusion: Becoming "Complete"**
I am building a more complete version of myself, day by day.
Like laying bricks to build a wall. Then another , then another.
I am building my own foundation. I am not waiting
Not applying to jobs I don’t want or to jobs I am not qualified for…just to have a job.
I take my 8 years of hard-earned Ops experience, mix it with the strategic insights from my AI dialogues or sometimes with real people, and apply it to the Cloud world.
AI doesn't replace the hard work.
But it ensures that every drop of sweat pushes me in the right direction.
Top comments (9)
I'm really inspired by your story, Ali. Switching to a new field, especially one that's so specialized, can't be easy. I can imagine the challenges you've faced and the uncertainty that comes with it.
I think it's brilliant that you're using AI to simulate a Senior Architect's mindset and identify knowledge gaps. I've had similar experiences with AI-assisted learning, and it's amazing how it can accelerate your skills growth - it's as if you're creating a faster, more efficient version of yourself with each step. It's like you're hacking your way to a stronger, more capable you.
However, even though it's an useful tool, and often just limited to being a tool, I've also had concerns about relying too heavily on AI. Have you ever struggled with this issue in your own learning journey?
Hi Aryan, thank you for reading and for this thoughtful comment! I really appreciate it.
You touch on a critical point: The risk of replacing 'learning' with 'copy-pasting'.
Yes, I definitely struggled with this in the beginning and still do at times .
It's tempting to just take the „solution“ and move on.
You can never trust an AI these days because AI would be able to correct itself and if it doesn’t know something just say „sorry I don’t know“
But AI isn’t capable of that because it’s just a huge library and not really an AI but a text generator that’s connected to data libraries.
To counter this, I established a strict rule for myself: 'Never implement what you can't explain myself to someone else that isn’t a techie‘
If my 'Virtual Mentor' gives me an architecture or a script, I treat it as a proposal, not the absolute truth.
I force myself to verify it against official AWS documentation or I message someone in my network that works at AWS or with AWS or when that’s not working I ask the AI:
'Why did you choose this over Option B?'
If I can't defend the decision in a mock-interview, I haven't truly learned it yet.
You can’t just blindly trust AI. You hsve to take the AI‘s „draft“ for what it is. You have to verify stuff yourself.
It’s about using AI as a compas to find the direction, not as an autopilot to sleep at the wheel.
I have another article about my AI hallucinating and telling me there is an event in my city and I should go there.
It didn’t exist but the AI was insisting that I should go there.
My print was unrelated to that AI output so I dug deep and messaged my network and we discussed it.
AI needs guardrails and you have to actively Programm responses like „ I don’t know“ into the AI.
Consumer grade AI‘s don’t have that. They just make up stuff and even insist that it is „the truth“ even if it isn’t.
Once I figured that out by reading official documentation from AWS I made an article about it here in the platform.
Feel free to do your own research and google stuff. Yes actually use Google or even a book to learn what an AI can’t do.
TL;DR : AI isn’t artificial intelligence
It’s a text generator that’s connected to library.
These are my takeaways from using paid versions of AI.
I agree with you that blindly copying AI-generated code isn't enough, and it's crucial to understand the underlying concepts. I'd want to explain it in a way a 10-year-old could grasp. That being said, my question was more about the broader implications of relying on AI for daily life tasks.
You make a great point about AI being a faster search and verification engine in many cases. My question is this: do you ever think about taking a step back from relying on AI for everything, not just in coding or career paths, but also in our daily lives? When do we know it's okay to use old school methods for finding information, and when does our reliance on AI become too much?
Well AI is confident in lying or being wrong or just inaccurate. I have enough evidence of this to last me a long time. Won’t stop me from using it. Just more selectively then I used to use it.
It’s a tool like any other. To much of a good thing…
Also copy paste stuff becomes boring fast (at least for me)
I like reading physical books on law, on physics or science in general.
I love technology and I enjoy using it. It’s just knowing that generated text isn’t learning / teaching you.
Going back to the original way of thinking, writing and problem solving is crucial and a skill in itself.
Like a knife needs sharpening my brain needs books and genuine knowledge and human written articles to function.
How about you ?
Thank you for sharing your perspective - it really resonates with me. I'm also a big fan of diving into official documentation and philosophical texts, and I enjoy coming across article writers who seem genuinely passionate about their subjects.
What I've found most beneficial in my own learning journey is the connections I've made with people who are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about what they do. Human exchange, like this conversation, adds a richness and depth to my understanding that I don't always find in online resources or books. It's a big part of what makes learning fun for me.
It was and is a pleasure writing and exchanging thoughts with you.
It is quite rare for me to be so public and write articles and share my thoughts in comments but stuff like this with you. It’s worth the risk of exposure that I take here
It's an honor for me then good sir! Looking forward to more conversations. (≧︶≦))(￣▽￣ )ゞ
Ali, this is the piece.
"Think like an architect before you are the architect on paper" — that's the whole game. Most people wait for permission. You're building the mindset first and letting the title catch up.
And your "harsh Senior Architect" prompt? That's exactly right. You're not asking AI to validate you — you're asking it to challenge you. That's how judgment develops.
One thing I'd add: your 8 years in ops isn't something you're pivoting away from. It's your competitive advantage. The architects who've been in the trenches at 3am when systems fail — they design differently. They know where the bodies are buried. That experience is going into everything you build next.
Keep publishing.
THANK you very much ! It’s not easy staying consistent at times but it’s definitely worth it.