After years in Software Engineering, I decided it was time for a change. With AI rapidly automating most of the coding work, I felt the field was losing the spark it once had for me. So I'm making the switch to Data Engineering, a field I have always been drawn to, and this is the story of my plan, my progress, and what is driving me forward.

A year after creating my blog and barely keeping it alive, I finally gave it the attention it deserved. What started as a simple theme change turned into a full redesign with new features, a new workflow, and a renewed excitement to actually write. Here's what changed, what I built, and why I'm genuinely happy with where it ended up.

A few months into my transition from Software Engineering to Data Engineering, I stumbled onto a way to get a free Snowflake certification voucher. It took a bit of hunting, a live training session, and a tight 10-day study window, but I walked away with a certificate and zero cost. Here's exactly how it happened.

I missed my chance at Google Summer of Code during my undergraduate years, and it always stuck with me. When my MSc made me eligible again, I wasn't going to let it slip by a second time. I found an interesting project, put together what I thought was a solid proposal, and gave it my best shot. It didn't work out, but I'm still glad I tried.

This article shares a first hand account of passing the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam with a score of 819, starting from zero cloud experience. It outlines an eight week preparation plan using Udemy coursse and Tutorials Dojo practice exams, with AI tools to fill knowledge gaps. It also covers exam day strategy, time management tips, and plans to move into Data Engineering next.

After missing the application deadline more than once, I finally made it into the MSc in Computer Science program at the University of Colombo School of Computing. The road there involved a surprisingly tough entrance test, a postponed interview, and a last-minute dress code decision. Here's how it all went, in case it helps someone going through the same process.

How I passed the AWS AI Practitioner exam with a score of 793, the cost math that led me to take it first, and how I prepared in 4 weeks starting from zero cloud experience. Plus a few tips on exam day that I wish I knew beforehand.

In this post, I share insights from a transformative session on open source contributions led by Malinda Alahakoon and Jayasanka Weerasinghe, and how it inspired my career transition plans.

After two years in a stable remote job, I walked away. Not out of burnout, but something deeper - a quiet rebellion against maintenance mode and meaningless meetings.

This is a personal reflection on why I keep jumping from one project to another without finishing - driven by excitement, perfectionism, and Shiny Object Syndrome. I explore the mindset behind it and share the small but practical changes I’m making to finally break the cycle and follow through.

In this post, I share how I built my personal blog sithira.me using the Tailwind Next.js Starter Blog template. I cover the reasons behind building it, the tech stack I used, my writing workflow, and my future plans for the blog.