From Sociology to Tech
Growing up, I would be called on by family members to troubleshoot issues with a computer or the Internet. At the time, I didn’t consider working in the technology field. I studied sociology in college and was all set on law school.
While working in case management, I learned a few aspects of computer and IT support from helping colleagues fix minor issues with their computers. Because I worked in the company’s IT building, technical support was just a walk up the stairs. Lots of ideas and collaboration took place, and it was the first time I heard about AWS and Azure. There, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career involving technology.
In September 2019, I enrolled in Generation USA, a 12-week intensive program in partnership with Amazon Web Services & Miami Dade College to become a Certified Cloud Support Practitioner. There, I developed knowledge on AWS cloud fundamentals including: EC2, S3, VPC, IAM and Databases, the Well Architected Framework and Cloud Adoption Framework, AWS Security and Networking best practices, coding with Python, HTML, CSS, and learning Linux OS. In November 2019, I received the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification after passing the exam. Then in January 2020, I began an internship with Belle Fleur Technologies, an AWS Advanced Consulting partner.
Throughout the internship, I was introduced to the agile development environment as a Solutions Architect intern, where I explored various roles as part of the agile team. As a Product Owner, I helped to capture any requirements and features that customers envisioned for their projects, then communicate the requirements to the development team. At the same time, I learned the fundamentals of Data Analytics & Visualization with products such as AWS Glue, Amazon Athena, and Amazon QuickSight. In March 2020, I became certified as an AWS Solutions Architect Associate.
My learning did not stop there. As society shifted to more virtual settings in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was curious to further my cloud computing knowledge by learning Microsoft Azure at Miami Dade College. I also needed to refresh my coding skills, and participated in a JavaScript virtual study group with women students and technologists from all over the world. In August 2020, I was excited to have passed the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals certification.
Today, I am currently seeking full-time opportunities to work in the field of Cloud Computing, while creating data visualization projects in my spare time. My quest for knowledge continues as I am currently learning Salesforce Fundamentals. In the future, I hope to further my knowledge in Information Systems by completing a Master’s Degree. I’m looking for more resources pertaining to career changes to technology and if there are opportunities open for people with nontraditional backgrounds. Feel free to contact me with any tips!
