Hey, I’m Derrek

I’m a System Administration Manager at SAIC with over a decade of experience keeping complex infrastructure running — from Navy shipboard IT to enterprise mission systems. I’ve spent my career in the deep end of the tech stack, and now I’m deliberately pushing into cloud engineering, AI/ML, and data science.

This site is where I build in public. Every project, writeup, and lesson learned from that transition lives here.

Background

I earned my BA from the University of Iowa before enlisting in the U.S. Navy from 2013 to 2017, where my path took an interesting turn. Rather than working strictly within a traditional IT role, I was assigned to Navy Space Forces — operating out of scope from my IT training while simultaneously building a foundational understanding of how systems, networks, and infrastructure actually work under pressure. That combination of formal IT training alongside real-world operational experience in a non-traditional environment gave me a perspective most people in this field don’t have.

After separating from the Navy, I moved into civilian IT and never looked back. I worked my way through the stack — from hands-on systems administration to managing teams and infrastructure supporting mission-critical government environments at SAIC.

What I Work With

Over the years I’ve gotten my hands dirty with a wide range of technologies:

  • Operating Systems & Virtualization: Windows Server, Red Hat Linux, Solaris, VMware
  • Scripting & Automation: PowerShell
  • Networking & Security: Cisco (CCNA), CEH-level security practices
  • Cloud: AWS, Microsoft Azure
  • Mission Systems: Specialized DoD and enterprise mission-critical environments

Certifications

  • CompTIA A+
  • CompTIA Security+
  • CompTIA SecurityX (formerly CASP+)
  • Cisco CCNA
  • Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
  • AWS Cloud Practitioner
  • Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
  • Certified Scrum Master
  • AI for Scrum

Where I’m Headed

I’ve spent years making sure systems stay up. Now I’m focused on building on top of them.

My current focus is developing hands-on skills in Microsoft Azure, Python, AI/ML, and data engineering — and documenting every step of that journey here. The goal is to bridge the operational depth of a seasoned sysadmin with the engineering skills needed to build intelligent, cloud-native systems.

If you’re on a similar path or want to connect, find me on GitHub or LinkedIn.

This site is itself a project — built on Hugo, deployed via Azure Static Web Apps, and updated through a GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline. Read about how it was built →