A new year, a fresh commit. Here’s what I’m focused on in 2026.
Professional Growth
Certifications. I wrapped up 2025 by passing the AWS AI Practitioner cert in late December. This year I’m going after two more: the AWS Generative AI Professional certification and renewing my Solutions Architect Professional cert. The GenAI space is moving fast, and I intend to stay at the front of the pack.
LinkedIn video content. I’ve been consuming a lot of great content from others in the AWS community, and it’s time to contribute more. I’m planning to post regular video updates covering what’s happening at AWS and what I’m building. Short, practical, no fluff.
Commit more to GitHub. This is the big one. I build a lot of things that never see the light of day. That changes this year. I want to share more of what I’m working on—agents, infrastructure patterns, experiments—so others can learn from it (and so I can look back and remember what I did). If you’re reading this, you can follow along at github.com/chadmullen.
Personal
More time on the bike. I picked up a Santa Cruz 5010 in fall last year and I can’t wait to get to the mountains. The goal is simple: get out more, ride more trails, stress less.
Trestle with my son. My oldest turns 10 this year, and we’re planning our first trip to Trestle Bike Park together. He’s been asking about it for a while, and I think he’s ready. Honestly, I might be more nervous than he is.
Join Me
I’m treating 2026 as a year of building in public. More writing here, more code on GitHub, more videos on LinkedIn. If any of that sounds interesting, follow along. And if you’re working on similar things—cloud architecture, AI agents, figuring out how to balance work and life—reach out on LinkedIn. I’d love to connect.
Here’s to a good year.