I never set out to become a trainer. If you had asked me a few years ago whether I’d be teaching Terraform to a global audience, I probably would’ve laughed and said I’m just posting videos of myself coding online. But between YouTube, this blog, and now the response I’m getting from Udemy, it’s forced me to stop and ask: am I a trainer now? The answer might be more complicated than I expected.

The Identity Crisis

The last few months have had me asking a question I never thought I’d seriously consider: Am I a trainer now? It’s wild to think about because I’ve always seen myself first and foremost as an engineer and an architect. But, teaching? In reality, that has always just been part of the job.

Over the years, I’ve had to level up my teams, explain design patterns, guide implementation decisions, and sometimes, just help folks understand the “why” behind the “what.” So yeah, I guess I’ve always been teaching — just not with a mic and camera. I was chatting with my friend Chris Williams the other day and told him I wasn’t sure I wanted to be that trainer guy. His response? He smiled knowingly and said, “You kind of already are.” And he’s not wrong. But I still see myself as someone who solves real-world problems with code and architecture. Recording myself doing that? That’s just a different format of the same mission.

This all became real with the launch of my first course on Udemy. And I gotta say — I’m blown away by the response. It’s absolutely crushed my expectations. What started as a side project has turned into something much bigger, with people all over the world tuning in to learn Terraform through my lens.

As promised, I’ve continued adding value to the course. Recent updates include a sojourn into the AzureAD Terraform provider, as well as a spicy section on the AzAPI provider. There’s a growing trend of folks YOLOing their way into AZAPI — if that’s you, no judgment. For me, AZAPI is a tool I use for those edge cases where AzureRM just doesn’t cut it. The AZAPI team is building some cool stuff, and I’m hopeful those features make their way to AzureRM. AFAIK, no technical reason they couldn’t — just takes some alignment and roadmap wrangling.

So here I am, a self-declared “non-trainer” who now spends weekends producing course content. If you’ve ever watched one of my sessions, you already know — I try to keep things lighthearted, toss in a joke or two, and just have fun with it. It’s how I work with my teams, and it’s how I want these sessions to feel — like you’re on my team. If you’re on Udemy for Business, you can access the course for free. Otherwise, hit me up for a coupon — I publish them regularly on LinkedIn, and I don’t want anyone paying full price.

Conclusion

So, am I a trainer now? Yes, but maybe I’ve been one all along. What I do know is that I love solving real problems, building systems that perform and scale, and helping others do the same. If that happens through coding, white boarding, or a Udemy course — so be it — I’m not gonna get hung up about labels. After all, as a tech lead or a solution architect — it’s just part of the job.