It's the most wonderful time of the year...
And a good reason to write another blog post, this time about the AWS Community Builders Program and my experience with it. Make sure you check the posts from fellow Community Builders too.

What surprises you most about the community builders program?

I think when I joined I wasn't expecting there to be quite a lot of rewards, such as when you create a really cool project, when you create a lot of content or when your content gets a lot of views, to name but a few.

What’s your background and your experience with AWS?

I started my career in tech in 2015. Before that I had done a variety of jobs, including waitressing, translation and teaching English. I started off doing web development and then did full-stack development. I've been working with AWS for just over 2.5 years now. Before that I had no idea of the Cloud and AWS. In my current job we work with AWS a lot, and when I first started there in 2020 I really wanted to learn what it is and why it's so popular. It was a steep learning curve for me, but certification courses that I took, as well as various AWS resources in the Training portal helped me a lot. I liked AWS so much that I decided to take up a Site Reliability Engineer position at my company because I knew it would mean getting involved with AWS to a greater extent. I believe that finding out about AWS has been a life changer for me.

What’s the biggest benefit you see from the program?

For me, it is the access to people from all over the world, including AWS employees, who are as passionate about AWS as I am, and do their best to help out with any questions I might have on my cloud journey. Even though I've never met most of the program members, it does feel like a friendly, supportive and inclusive community.

What’s the next swag item that you would like to get?

I'm always cold, so a pair of gloves, a hat or a scarf would definitely not go amiss :)

What are you eating for dinner today? Share the recipe!

I'm going out for my work's Christmas party, and one of the dishes I will be eating is Slow roasted soy marinated pork belly - butterbean and sage cassoulet lemongrass anise and cider broth. Here is an example recipe:

Is there anything else you would like to say about the Community Builders program in 2022?

To the organizers/program leaders: thank you very much for creating a safe place for us to learn and ask questions, for putting in a lot of effort into our lifelong learning and for being there when we need you.

To potential applicants: If you like to/want to learn about Amazon Web Services and what they can offer, and share your learnings with the wider world, please consider applying for a place in this program. It's a great feeling to be a part of this group of people with such a varied experience who can help you and who you can help solve AWS-related issues. It will undoubtedly be beneficial for your personal and professional development, like it was for me.

Merry Christmas, everyone!