My Unsuspecting Journey into the Cloud

When I look back, I never really set out to be “an IT person.” If anything, my path has been a series of pivots — some intentional, others surprising — that eventually landed me right where I needed to be: working in technology, cloud, and IT security.

From Languages to Logs

I actually started my career in the U.S. Air Force as a cryptologic linguist. My days were filled with codes, languages, and intelligence — not servers or networks. But it was there that I first learned how important information is, and how much impact comes from securing it. That seed stuck with me.

Creative Detour: Building a Studio on Wheels

After the military, I leaned into my creative side. In fact, I literally built a production studio inside a box truck and traveled around the country helping artists and business owners tell their stories. It was scrappy, fun, and taught me more about operations, project management, and problem-solving than any classroom could.

The Shift Into Cybersecurity

Eventually, I felt the pull back toward technology. I transitioned into cybersecurity, where I worked as a Security Analyst. It was here I cut my teeth on SIEMs, incident response, vulnerability management, and phishing campaigns. I learned how to stay calm when alarms went off, and how to think three steps ahead when protecting systems.

Falling Into the Cloud (and Loving It)

Security opened the door to cloud. I started with AWS and Azure certifications, and suddenly realized that this was the perfect intersection of my background:

• The discipline of the military
• The creativity of building a studio
• The analytical skills from cybersecurity

All of it came together in cloud engineering — building secure, scalable systems that don’t just work, but work the right way.

Why I’m Sharing This

I call it “unsuspecting” because if you had told me ten years ago that I’d be knee-deep in AWS configs and Lambda functions, I wouldn't have even known what you were talking about. But every twist in my path gave me the skills I rely on today.

I’m sharing this story because a lot of people feel like their path into IT has to be linear. It doesn’t. Sometimes the best engineers are the ones who took the scenic route.

And if my journey proves anything, it’s this:

👉 IT isn’t just about technology — it’s about adaptability, problem-solving, and a willingness to keep learning.