My AWS Community Builder Journey
Tags: aws, career, cloud, learning
Published: 2023-11-11 12:22:46


**Alexander Graham Bell’s quote, “When one door closes, another opens..." perfectly encapsulates my journey.**
My whole life, I have never officially joined any group or community. The truth is, I enjoyed the liberty of doing things in my own way and at my own time. On the other hand, I relish the opportunity to collaborate with others at any given moment.
I was introduced to cloud computing when I was doing my master’s at the University of Liverpool. The enthusiasm was one of the main reasons that prompted my relocation to the United Kingdom, not just to learn more about cloud computing but also to pursue a career in it.
Moving to a new world, there was a need to break into the IT industry, to which I belong, while looking for ways to have a career in the cloud. Searching on the internet like people do, I found Academy Z echoing things that would fulfil my cloud dream within the shortest possible time. I fell for it and signed up for the program. The program was meant to prepare one to land a cloud job with requirements such as attending lectures, passing top certifications, engaging in hands-on labs and boot camps, collaborating as a book author, and blogging.
Blogging was the only area I did not have prior experience in, apart from my academic writeups. I decided to take part in all the other requirements as a tick-box exercise and specialise in blogging, as it was going to be a new experience. Thus, knowing the huge knowledge gained with the other benefits of research and authorship when I was pursuing my Master's, I was so excited and could not wait to start.
My name was put forward for blogging, and topics were supplied to write on. When I sent my first draft for feedback, I was unexpectedly accused of plagiarism and promptly dropped from the blogging project. Despite my protest, it was a mere draft that was not even published yet, and my plea to stay on was not accepted.
This was the most embarrassing moment in my life. Looking inside myself, given my name being "Al-Amin,” meaning “The Trustworthy Person,” which is the most precious value I stand for, my academic and professional achievements include certifications, diplomas, BSc, and MSc, along with the challenging work involved in building my career, working all the way to middle management at every company I worked for. This accusation felt like everything I had done in life or career was discredited at that moment.
Despite the fact that blogging was the key motivating factor for me in the program, I was completely demotivated by all the other activities. From that instant on, I stopped attending lectures and contributing to all the other projects. However, Academy Z has a vibrant community of amazing professionals all over the world. Without such a network, I decided to be part of a small community of like-minded professionals with the aim of achieving the AWS Pro Certification.
Being part of this small community of four professionals, I decided to pull myself together to show the world who I really am. As a newcomer to the UK at the time, I was struggling with adapting due to cultural differences, weather, and so forth. The setback of dropping me from that project caused me to be full of rage, and I had to do something about it. Thinking about what could be done within a brief period that could be published, which no one has ever done, was what crossed my mind. The first thing that I could think of was certifications, even though it took me four years to complete my first ever certification, MCSA Server 2003, back in the day. But in the mood I was in, certainly I could overcome any challenge, and it was going to be something that would go a long way in my career.
In an impressive turnaround, I embarked on a journey and secured six cloud certifications in two months, published on LinkedIn. This accomplishment led to an exponential increase in my followers, from 500 to 1500+. The post gained 75,000+ impressions, 1200+ reactions, and fourteen reposts. Not only did my post gain more traction than the whole blog post project for Academy Z, but all their publications for that year.
Following this triumph, Academy Z invited me to come back to class, which was a big win for me. In less than a month, I had a full-time permanent role at Sigma Connected Group. Within six months, I applied for a job and was successful in landing a role at the BBC. In the following year, 2022, I took on another six certifications, this time in four months, to prove a point again. Links to the posts below
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6893868486003937280/ 
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6950563459021340672/
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7012535417916768256/
What I have learned is that the only thing that kept me from shattering into pieces was a small community of four brilliant professionals. Pursuing my career in the cloud, knowing the advantages of AWS, and wanting to continue with content writing, the AWS Community Builder program was on my list of places to apply. I was elated when I received confirmation that I had been selected for the program on my first try.
The AWS Community Builder program offered a plethora of resources for personal and career development and diverse ways to create content.
The moral of my story is that we may face challenges along the way in pursuing our dreams, but one should never give up; just see those challenges as tests between you and your success. Alexander Graham Bell quotes: “When one door is slapped in your face, don’t stop looking; check others."
I hope my story inspires others facing similar challenges, and I am keen to hear about the strategies you used to overcome obstacles and achieve success.