A 5-week online cohort for senior engineers and architects, built around QCon talks.
Your time to step back from the day-to-day and think deeply about your work.
Join Principal Architect Luca Mezzalira and a small group of practitioners online. Each week, learn a framework, apply it in group exercises, and walk away with ideas you can use immediately.
Graduate with an article published on InfoQ.com and the InfoQ Certified Software Architect in Emerging Technologies (ICSAET) certification.
Next cohorts:
Cohort 1: Jan 19, 9:30am GMT (UK time)
Cohort 2: Jan 19, 10:00am EST (NYC time)
Limited to 20 seats per group.
Most companies reimburse for professional development.
Download our "Convince Your Boss" template.
Facilitated by Luca Mezzalira
Confidential peer group
Apply QCon frameworks
Access 100+ QCon videos
Get published on InfoQ.com
Earn ICSAET certification
In the real world, you wait years to see if your architecture was right or wrong. We designed this cohort to shortcut that process.
We've helped thousands of senior software engineers, software architects and technical leaders adopt the right patterns & practices for over 20 years.
Hear from recent graduates.
The single most valuable outcome has been improving how I write and think. I can now articulate trade-offs in a way that improves my proposals at work.
Chinmay Sawaji,
Senior Software Engineer @Klaviyo
This cohort gave me structured time each week to step back and think about what it really means to be an architect.
David Holliday,
Product manager / Product Owner @Munich Re
The Architecture Canvas was a game changer. We've made different decisions because of how we're structuring conversations. It wasn't just theory.
Ian Hockett,
Staff Software Engineer @Exact Sciences
What you'll get.
Use it this week, not "someday".
Apply frameworks from QCon talks to real problems in group exercises. Live online sessions are 4 hours per week, designed to fit around your job.
More perspectives,
better decisions.
Work through challenges with architects from different companies, industries, and contexts.
Don't just learn.
Contribute.
Your capstone is a technical article you'll refine over 5 weeks and publish on InfoQ.com. A permanent artifact of your expertise.
Get
certified.
Complete the cohort and activities to earn the InfoQ Certified Software Architect in Emerging Technologies (ICSAET) certification.
How each week works.
Format
1. Watch a curated QCon talk on your own time
2. Join a 4-hour live session with Luca Mezzalira and your cohort
3. Apply frameworks in small-group exercises using real problems
4. Take away something you can use at work that week
Weekly homework
Each week, you'll complete a time-boxed exercise applying the session's framework to a real challenge from your work.
Capstone project
Throughout the cohort, you'll also draft a technical article. Each week builds on the last. In Week 5, you present your article to the cohort. The best get published on InfoQ.com
The 5-week learning journey.
WEEK 1:
Architecture
The evolving role of the architect and resilience patterns for distributed systems. Articulate trade-offs and make recommendations like you would to a CTO.
WEEK 2:
Decentralized Decisions
Empower teams to make their own architectural decisions. Define guardrails that prevent system-wide issues without slowing anyone down.
WEEK 3:
Platform
Platform engineering as a sociotechnical practice. Balance standardization with flexibility and get developers to actually adopt what you build.
WEEK 4:
AI
AI agents and multi-agent architectures. Integrate AI into your workflow responsibly and apply systems thinking to scale it.
WEEK 5:
Capstone Presentations
Present your capstone article to the cohort. The best articles get published on InfoQ.com.
Who this program is for.
Senior engineers and architects who want to pressure-test their thinking with peers and apply frameworks immediately.
- Senior Software Architects
- Senior Software Engineers
- Principal Architects
- Principal Engineers
- Senior Staff Engineers
- Technical Leads
You'll leave this cohort able to:
Apply architecture frameworks to real problems the week you learn them.
Socialise technical decisions so they get implemented, not just debated.
See your challenges from angles you wouldn't get inside your own org.
Use AI techniques properly in your architecture work.
Publish on InfoQ.com and earn the InfoQ Certified Software Architect in Emerging Technologies (ICSAET) certification.
Most companies reimburse for professional development.
Download our "Convince Your Boss" template.
Your facilitator: Luca Mezzalira
Luca Mezzalira is principal solutions architect at AWS, an international speaker, and an author. Over the past 20 years, he's mastered software architectures from frontend to the cloud, providing the right solution for the context of the job at hand.
“The online cohorts are not only useful only for the attendees. It was useful for me as a facilitator, because the reality is, I'm learning as any other person. It's a win-win for all of us."
Credentials
- Principal Solutions Architect at AWS
- Author: "Building Micro-Frontends" (O'Reilly)
- 350+ speaking engagements including QCon
- Consulted 100+ teams on distributed architectures
- The voice behind Dear Architects
- Tech content creator
Luca Mezzalira
Principal Solutions Architect
QCon Speaker, O'Reilly Author, YouTuber
Frequently asked questions
What is the weekly time commitment?
Each weekly session is a 4-hour deep-dive workshop. This is a significant time investment because we are not just watching talks.
We are undertaking the challenging, practical work of applying these frameworks to real-world challenges alongside your senior peer group.
Is this just another course on architecture patterns?
No. This program assumes you already have deep technical expertise.
Our focus is on the skills that define the next level of leadership: justifying long-term investments and securing buy-in from complex stakeholders.
Why a cohort instead of just watching the talks?
Because the real work happens when you have to defend the trade-offs in your own context.
This cohort gives you the confidential peer group and expert mentorship to do that work, and you'll earn the InfoQ Certified Software Architect in Emerging Technologies (ICSAET) certification as a result.
What are the technical requirements and tools required to participate in the online cohorts?
Certification is awarded based on active participation in the cohort and completion of the capstone assessment in Week 5.
What is the code of conduct?
This is for senior software architects, software engineers, and technical leaders with at least 5 years of experience who are involved in setting technical strategy.
Reserve your spot
Start your 5-week learning journey today.
Cohort 1: Jan 19, 9:30am GMT (UK time)
Access to January 2026 online cohort
Available in an European morning timezone
Weekly sessions
Group discussions
Access to QCon recordings, templates, and frameworks
Publish your article on InfoQ
All amounts are stated in United States Dollars.
Purchase may be subject to sales tax.
Cohort 2: Jan 19, 10:00am EST (NYC time)
Access to January 2026 online cohort
Available in a North American morning timezone
Weekly sessions
Group discussions
Access to QCon recordings, templates, and frameworks
Publish your article on InfoQ
All amounts are stated in United States Dollars.
Purchase may be subject to sales tax.
The buyer will receive an invoice marked paid upon completion of payment.
Most companies reimburse for professional development.
Download our "Convince Your Boss" template.
Sign up for updates
Join the waitlist to be the first to hear about new cohort dates and region-specific timezones (e.g., APAC, EMEA).
We'll only email you with relevant updates about this program and our conferences.
