Hi, I’m Dmitry Golovach

I’m a Principal Network Engineer at SiriusXM currently transitioning into Solutions Architecture. After 10+ years building and securing large-scale network infrastructure, I’m expanding into cloud architecture, distributed systems design, and eventually technical entrepreneurship.

This blog documents my learning journey, sharing practical tutorials, certification prep guides, and real-world architecture patterns.

What I’m Working On

Current Focus (Q1 2026):

  • AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) certification
  • Studying with Adrian Cantrill’s course + Tutorials Dojo practice exams
  • Building hands-on labs in AWS Free Tier
  • Documenting everything I learn here

The Roadmap:

  1. AWS SAA-C03 (Jan-Mar 2026) - Foundation in cloud architecture patterns
  2. AWS SAP-C02 (Apr-Jul 2026) - Advanced solution design and migrations
  3. Software Architecture (Aug-Nov 2026) - Microservices, distributed systems, design patterns
  4. Enterprise Architecture (Dec 2026-Feb 2027) - TOGAF, business-IT alignment
  5. Technical Founder Skills (Mar 2027+) - Lean startup, product validation, scaling

Technical Background

Network Engineering (10+ years):

  • Cisco data center technologies (NX-OS, VXLAN, VPC)
  • Network security and segmentation
  • Large-scale infrastructure design
  • BGP, OSPF, spanning-tree protocols

Development & Automation:

  • Go, Python, TypeScript
  • Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation)
  • Docker, Kubernetes
  • CI/CD pipelines

Cloud & DevOps:

  • AWS (current learning focus)
  • Linux systems administration
  • Automation and scripting
  • GitOps workflows

Why This Blog?

I’m learning in public because:

  1. Teaching reinforces learning - Writing forces me to truly understand concepts
  2. Helping others - Many engineers are on similar transitions from infrastructure to cloud
  3. Building credibility - Documenting my journey shows real-world progress
  4. Creating a knowledge base - For myself and anyone preparing for AWS certs
  5. Accountability - Public commitment keeps me on track

What You’ll Find Here

AWS Certification Guides:

  • Study plans and timelines
  • Week-by-week learning notes
  • Practice exam insights
  • Hands-on lab walkthroughs

Architecture Patterns:

  • Solutions design best practices
  • Trade-off analysis
  • Real-world case studies
  • Migration strategies

Technical Tutorials:

  • Step-by-step implementations
  • Code examples in Go/Python/TypeScript
  • Infrastructure automation
  • Network-to-cloud transitions

Learning Journey:

  • Progress updates
  • Challenges and how I solved them
  • Book and course reviews
  • Lessons learned

My Approach

I believe in:

  • Hands-on learning over passive video watching
  • Understanding why over memorizing facts
  • Real implementations over toy examples
  • Honest progress over highlight reels

I’m not an expert - I’m a practitioner learning and sharing as I go. If you find mistakes or have better approaches, please reach out!

Let’s Connect

I’m always interested in connecting with others on similar journeys:

Whether you’re:

  • Preparing for AWS certifications
  • Transitioning from infrastructure to cloud
  • Learning solution architecture
  • Building startup products

…I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a message on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Last updated: January 2026