EP4: My 2026 AWS Cloud Architect Roadmap

AWS certifications, system design, and growing in public

Howdy Friends,

Happy New Year 🎉

I hope this year gives you the energy, focus, and courage to work on the things you truly want to achieve.

I started this year by spending quality time with good people, and that gave me clarity.

I do not want to try or start anything completely new this year. Instead, I want to continue the work I have already begun.

Building my personal brand, CloudWithAlon, for better visibility and better opportunities.

Learn. Share. Repeat. Stay consistent.

However, I do want to publicly commit to a few goals. Writing this down pushes me to stay accountable and consistent.

My 2026 Goals

AWS Certifications

So far, I have completed certifications using free vouchers from my office. If I continue to receive these vouchers, I plan to pursue certifications across different AWS levels.

• AWS Certified AI Practitioner
• AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer Associate
• AWS Certified Security Specialty
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional

I am purely focused on the AWS cloud. No distractions until I fully learn it, apply it, and truly digest it.

Architecting and System Design

This year, I will focus more deeply on real world architecting skills, especially system design and other skills that uplift my overall thinking.

I will start reading engineering papers, design more architectures, and strengthen my fundamentals. By the end of 2026, I want to be confident in designing systems end to end so that I can learn new topics faster and clearly share and discuss them with others.

Building in Public and Personal Branding

I will continue improving my presence on the internet by sharing what I learn and build. One major step for me this year is speaking on camera. This is a key challenge I want to overcome. The goal is better visibility and better opportunities through consistent personal branding.

Learning and Building With AI

I will actively learn AI, not just as tools that make daily tasks easier, but from an architect and system design perspective.

I want to understand workflows, architectural concepts, and how AI systems are designed and scaled.

What You Can Expect From CloudwithAlon in 2026

• Practical system design breakdowns
• Real world AWS architecture decisions and tradeoffs
• Lessons from certifications
• Honest notes from building in public

I do not want to add more goals and get distracted. Focus and consistency are the priorities this year.

I feel good documenting this journey and sharing it with you. At the end of the year, we can look back together and celebrate what we have accomplished.

What are you continuing this year instead of starting something new?

Let us build, learn, and grow together in 2026.

Thanks for reading,
Alon