Book Reading Odyssey on Designing Data-intensive applications
Tired of trying to tackle dense technical books alone? Not able to go beyond a few chapters? Welcome to the DDIA Odyssey.
🤔 Is this odyssey for me?
Learning independently isn't effective: You never manage to go beyond a few chapters.
Your have a demanding job: and need help to fit learning into your life.
Studying alone is too hard: Live group discussions is what you need.
DDIA is too difficult to grasp: Making complex topics intuitive and applicable.
You strive to build conceptual rigour: and not just interview prep.
🎖️ Skeleton Structure
37 week cohort • Limited seats • Starts on 4th Sept 2025
TL;DR
- Sessions moderated and delivered by Bhavin Doshi
- Read ~15 planned pages weekly in your own time
- Discuss your doubts, confusions and thoughts in weekly live discussions (Thursday evenings)
- Get real-world context of the book through live masterclasses and case studies (selected Saturday mornings)
- Live prep sessions for you to read effectively
- Live and recorded push sessions to get you to read
- Live pull sessions to put you back on track if you are struggling to read
- Recordings, transcripts and notes shared for future personal use
- Lifetime access to private community
Reading:
Weekly reading of pre-planned content of ~15 pages happens in your own flexible time. Read the book at realistic pace in 36 small parts over 36 weeks.
Initial Prep for reading:
Live "Learning to learn" session to coach you for reading with the right technique
Live "Plan your reading" session to guide you to create a personalized reading plan that fits your own unique schedule and constraints
Push for reading:
Recorded 5-minute Video Primer that helps you kickstart your reading of a weekly section.
Recorded 30-minute Reading Walkthroughs for tough sections that you aren't able to finish reading, despite trying your best. Play the video and read along with guided instructions.
Find your reading flow in our optional live Study With Me sessions - choose from 5 silent, facilitated sessions every week.
Tue, Wed, Thu: 8 AM to 9 AM
Mon, Tue: 8 PM to 9 PM
Pull for reading:
When you are off-track, not reading, struggling with various situations, not knowing how to break free.
- Optional live "Stay on Track" accountability sessions (3 per month).
- Discuss your specific situations, and get personalized and specific suggestions about fitting reading in an unforgiving life.
- Discuss your specific situations, and get personalized and specific suggestions about fitting reading in an unforgiving life.
Learn Live and Go Deeper:
Gain profound clarity for your doubts and confusions in live 36 Weekly Moderated Discussions (60m). Detailed plan here.
Thursdays 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Discussions are ~75% on book contents, with organic tangents being expanded during discussions.
Go beyond the book with 11 Masterclasses and 11 Case Studies (all live, 90m) that connect theory to the real world context. Detailed plan here.
Selected Saturdays 9:30 AM to 11 AM
Stay Connected:
Never miss a thing with recordings, transcripts and notes for all sessions.
Join a lifelong conversation with permanent access to our private community.
We require that you have a physical copy of the book for active participation. If you don't have it already, you can order one from here.
🎭 Detailed List of Sessions
You can find a detailed list of sessions, with their sequence, agenda and structure here.
🎯 A Note on Commitment and Fit
This program is a significant commitment. To ensure it’s a valuable investment of your resources, please consider the following. This program is likely not for you if:
You are not actively seeking significant career growth. The curriculum is challenging by design. It’s intended for those with a strong ambition to advance, which turns that challenge into inspiration.
You are looking for short-term training. We build deep, foundational expertise over the long term. This is not a bootcamp for immediate interview prep.
Your career goals are different. We are focused exclusively on the path to Software Architect (Senior/Staff/Principal) and senior technical leadership (EM/SEM).
If you would like to clarify your fit for the program, please email us at support@pakkanimbu.com to arrange a call.
🙋🏻 Frequently Asked Questions
This is the #1 reason people join our cohorts. The Odyssey is specifically designed to solve this problem for busy professionals. We tackle the root causes of inconsistency with a three-part system:
Effective Techniques: We teach you how to read dense material and build sustainable habits.
Peer Accountability: Seeing others read consistently provides powerful motivation, and seeing them occasionally fall behind normalizes setbacks, making it easier to get back on track.
Structured Support: Our live discussions are the perfect place to address struggles and get help when you feel stuck.
Stay on Track sessions: Based on our experience, a typical working software professional face significant challenges in reading atleast four to five times during the length of this odyssey, which results in them stopping the reading. These sessions are crucial for regaining perspective, apply coping techniques and regain momentum.
Study with me sessions: Its much easier to read when you have company, rather than read alone. The silent study with me sessions also act as accountability tools to keep you disciplined to read, especially when you find it the toughest.
Absolutely. You are free to join multiple (or all) "Study with me" sessions. You can bring your DDIA reading, or any other reading, or your own work as well in those silent sessions.
No, they are optional. They are available for you to get support if you think you will benefit from them.
Our year-long structure is intentional and based on years of experience with working professionals. Here’s the reality: deep learning can't be rushed.
Realistic Pace: Working professionals can realistically absorb about 15-20 pages of a concept-rich book per week alongside a demanding job.
Context over Content: This program isn't about quickly skimming content (you can do that on YouTube). It’s about gaining deep context, connecting ideas to your work, and building a lasting foundation. This is a marathon for mastery, not a sprint for interviews.
Currently, we do not offer a masterclass-only package, as we believe the true value lies in the complete cycle of discussion, application, and deep-dive learning.
Absolutely. You would receive an invoice from us within 24 hours of paying for the odyssey. That is sufficient for getting a reimbursement from your employer. A certificate of completion will be issued once you have successfully finished the program. In rare cases, if your employer requires any additional information for reimbursements, we will help with that!
Of course. We want to ensure this is the perfect fit for you. Please send an email with your contact details to support@pakkanimbu.com, and we will schedule a call with you.