About me
My story so far
Growing up, I was always captivated by the sight of airplanes soaring through the sky. I often found myself wondering where they were coming from, where they were headed, and what the world looked like from the cockpit.
Every weekend, when the weather was good, my father, brother, and I would spend hours on the observation deck at Varna Airport (LBWN), watching in awe as Soviet-era aircraft like Tupolevs, Antonovs, Yaks, and Ilyushins took off and landed. Those moments sparked a lifelong fascination with aviation.
It took me many years to finally afford the start of my aviation journey. In Bulgaria, there are no government-funded programs to support pilot training, nor do we have an airline-backed academy.
If you aspire to become a pilot, you must be prepared to finance your training entirely on your own—and it’s anything but cheap. Read about my journey, so you don’t do the mistakes I made. If you’re interested in my background, see below…
Career path
My professional journey is a reflection of my curiosity and constant drive for growth. It has been anything but traditional—I started with Economics and Accounting, moved into IT with a focus on web development, then shifted towards networking, and ultimately found my true calling in IT—cybersecurity. Despite all these changes, one passion has remained constant: aviation.
That’s why, in 2024, I decided to part ways with IT and dedicate myself entirely to flying.
June 2024 - present
Learning and development
I am full time working on obtaining my CPL(A). So far, I have my PPL(A), NVFR, IR(A) and just one step before going commercial.
Oct 2023 - Mar 2024
Swissport
Ramp Agent at Sofia Airport
While pursuing my ATPL(A) studies, I took the opportunity to work around the airliners at Sofia Airport. This allowed me to build connections within the aviation community and gain valuable insights into the career path I’m passionate about.
Feb 2018 - June 2024
CyberGeeks
Founder and Lead Network Security Engineer
At CyberGeeks we helped organizations build and maintain secure digital environments. On a daily basis my job was to design and implement enterprise network solutions while working remote or onsite with the in-house network / security team.
Mar 2019 - July 2023
Palo Alto Networks
Professional Services Consultant
Part of the Professional Services team in EMEA. Consultant for Big Tech companies in continental Europe. My specialty was migration from legacy firewalls to Palo Alto Networks NGFW, deployment and management of on-prem GlobalProtect, Prisma Access, Cortex XDR, IPSec site-to-site VPN, Access Control, and more.
Education
2023 - 2024
Sofia Flight Training
ATPL(A) Theory
All exams passed in BG CAA, in 2024.
2017 - 2019
Varna Free University
Master’s Degree in Cybersecurity
2015 - 2016
SoftUni
Software development
2008 - 2013
University of Economics - Varna
Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting
Languages
- English - Full professional proficiency and ICAO English Level 5
- French - Professional working proficiency
- Russian - Limited working proficiency