Hi, I'm Devon Garbalosa — a technologist, builder, architect, and leader with a developer's heart and an operator's mindset. I've spent the last decade building scalable, secure, and thoughtful software systems that help real people solve real problems.

My Background

I started my career in data engineering before falling headfirst into Laravel — a framework that didn't just give me better tools, it gave me purpose and belonging in tech. Since then, I've built and led engineering initiatives across highly regulated enterprise environments, working across infrastructure, architecture, and leadership to guide globally distributed teams and build platforms used at scale.

I live with ADHD, and it's a huge part of how I move through the world. It's shaped how I lead, how I learn, and how I design systems that make space for clarity, flexibility, and flow.

What I Do

I specialize in Laravel application architecture on top of modern cloud-native, event-driven systems. When I'm not deploying infrastructure or mentoring engineers, I'm writing, gaming, or exploring national parks — 34 and counting.

• Platform architecture and developer onboarding
• Serverless cloud systems using AWS (Lambda, SQS, S3, EventBridge)
• Infrastructure as Code and compliance-aware deployment pipelines
• AI/ML integration including OCR/ICR and Human-in-the-Loop workflows
• Technical storytelling across dev, exec, and customer contexts

Why I Write

This blog is my way of thinking in public. Writing here helps me reflect, stay honest, and capture the shape of my thoughts before they get lost in the noise of daily life. It's about mental health, transparency, and sharing what it feels like to build — in the messy, human, sometimes chaotic way that real building happens.

I write for anyone who's navigating leadership, code, learning, ADHD, or just trying to make a little more sense of things. Whether you're early in your career or ten years in, I hope what you find here helps you feel a little more seen.

Let's Connect

I love connecting with others — developers, leaders, writers, mentors, or just curious people asking better questions. If anything I've written resonates, I hope you'll reach out. We grow better together.

Currently: Leading product engineering efforts at a major financial services company, thinking about what it means to be a finisher, and sketching ideas for the kind of firm I hope to build one day.

All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.