⊹ shamsul arafin
About

From Dhaka to Dresden,
by way of everything else.

I'm Md Shamsul Arafin — most people just call me Shamsul. I was born in Chandpur, Bangladesh in 1990, and I trained as a software engineer.

Bangladesh, 2010 – 2022

I started my working life young, supervising a customer-care shift team of 100+ at Banglalion WiMAX while I was still studying. In 2013 I enrolled at Green University of Bangladesh for a BSc in Computer Science and Engineering — graduated in 2016 with a CGPA of 3.84 / 4.00, with a side of programming-contest finals (ACM-ICPC Dhaka Regional 2014/2015, NCPC 2014/2016).

For six years I built websites and e-commerce platforms — mostly WordPress and WooCommerce — for ShopnoSoft and Shadow Media & Communication. I also led an IT support team at PriyoShop. The capstone of that period was pixel-bd.com, a full WooCommerce e-commerce site I designed and shipped end-to-end at ShopnoSoft Ltd in 2022.

Poland, 2023 – 2026

In January 2023, I moved to Poland. I had a CS degree and a portfolio. I spent ten months looking for an IT job. Nothing landed.

So I took a job at Mast Kebab, a 32-branch chain. I started as a kitchen helper. By August I was head chef. By the following January I was running the branch as manager and main chef, leading a team of four. It taught me operations under real pressure, leadership in a foreign language, and the kind of discipline that only comes from a job where you can't have a bad day.

Through all of it, I kept studying. I completed Zero To Mastery's Complete Python Developer certification on evenings and weekends. I knew I'd come back to tech eventually — the question was when, and how.

Germany, 2026 –

My wife had been living and working in Germany. In late 2025 I applied for family reunification, got approved, and on 12 January 2026 I officially registered as a resident of Dresden. In May I'll collect my three-year residence permit. In June I move permanently.

And this time, I have a clearer plan. I'm refocusing my career on cybersecurity — specifically SOC analysis. The reason is simple: I have the engineering fundamentals, I have operational and leadership experience from running a branch, and cybersecurity is one of the few tech fields where the demand isn't shrinking, and where AI doesn't easily replace the work.

The plan, briefly

  1. Take a restaurant or hotel role in Dresden to keep money flowing while I study.
  2. Pass CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) by August 2026.
  3. Complete TryHackMe SOC Level 1 and LetsDefend in parallel.
  4. Add a second cert (Microsoft SC-900 or AWS Cloud Practitioner).
  5. Get hired as a SOC Analyst before the end of 2026.

Why I'm doing this in public

The visible learners get hired faster. Public commitment forces private discipline. And honesty about my career gap is stronger than hiding it.

So this site exists: short notes most days, full lab writeups on weekends, weekly reflections on Sundays. Real progress, in real time. If you're a recruiter, a fellow career-changer, or just curious — welcome.

Off-screen

I speak Bengali (native), English (B2), Polish (working), and I'm learning German. I'm married. I cook well — three years at a kebab counter will do that. I read a lot. I'm a quiet person in person and a steady worker in any team.

The fastest way to reach me is email: arafinshamsbd@gmail.com. I read every message.