Helping early-career professionals open new doors

When Aaliyah Gaines got furloughed from her childcare job in 2020, she immediately worried about how she’d pay her bills. She was afraid of the unknown so she browsed online job boards to see what opportunities were out there.

Her brother, who worked for Amazon, pointed her to Amazon.jobs, where she found AWS’s Data Center Work-Based Learning Program, which consists of 12 weeks of paid on-the-job-training in AWS data centers and doesn’t require a college degree or any prior work experience. She applied and a recruiter called and invited her to interview within a couple of weeks.

The next thing she knew she was learning about fiber optics racks and installing fiber cables. In October 2022, she’ll celebrate two years as a full-time AWS employee.

“I feel like AWS gave me a chance. When I applied and got the internship, I was overwhelmed with happiness because I was ready to get out of the childcare field and do something closer to my major, which was cybersecurity,” she said.

Gaines is one of thousands of AWS employees known as “early-career talent,” which includes student interns, recent graduates at all educational levels from high school to PhDs, career-switchers seeking entry-level roles, and military veterans and their spouses. AWS provides pathways into high-demand tech roles through company-sponsored development and education programs.

Kordell Williams never saw himself working in tech because he didn’t know where to begin. He was intrigued when he discovered the Data Center Work-Based Learning Program and after completing it, he couldn’t believe AWS would invest in his career development again.

“AWS sent me to Northern Virginia Community College for three months, fully paid for, so I could become a certified Engineering Operation Technician. I learned about electricity and data centers and what it means to be an AWS employee,” Williams said. “AWS has changed my life for the better, not just career-wise, but personally, too. Being in a more significant role has put a different perspective on my life.”

Williams now sees career options in every direction within AWS. He’s already pursuing another AWS pathway into software development engineering and he’s taking advantage of free AWS certification courses so he can gain more experience for his resume. In his current role, he monitors alarms within the data center that signify any issues relating to electricity or cooling. The role is “very laid back,” he said, and he’s grateful to be there every day.

“I highly encourage anyone who is looking for a better outcome or opportunity in life to consider these different career pathways,” he said.

When Theo Johnson saw how much AWS was willing to invest in him, it made him want to invest in himself, too. Theo works in an AWS data center as an inventory control quality assurance specialist thanks to an upskilling and development program that moved him from a fulfillment center (FC) role to a data center (DC) role—called FC to DC—which is part of an AWS program called Grow Our Own Talent. Theo didn’t know what a server rack was or what fiber was, but AWS believed in him.

“Once you get here, they’ll train you, they'll pay for you to go to school, they'll pay for you to actually get certified,” Johnson said. “When I first saw my compensation letter, I broke down and cried just to see my worth. They saw the value in me and they were taking the time put in the effort to train me up. AWS will invest in you, so you may as well invest in yourself.”

AWS Grow Our Own Talent helps employees with nontraditional experience and backgrounds develop skills in data center roles through up to six months of on-the-job training and placement. It’s open to people with little or no relevant work experience, and no college degree is required. It’s part of Amazon’s Upskilling 2025 pledge to invest $1.2 billion to provide skills training and education to U.S. Amazon employees.

“There are so many opportunities out here that I did not know about until I joined AWS,” Johnson said. “I'm a living proof and a testament that AWS opens doors to so many opportunities.”

For those looking to develop technical expertise in cloud computing, AWS’s Tech U is a program where learners with little to no technical experience can expand their knowledge through hands-on training in preparation for cloud roles at AWS.

Shefali Emmanuel started at AWS in June of 2020 in Tech U after finishing her bachelor’s degree in computer science. While her degree is built on the foundations of computer science, she said Tech U offered her a new opportunity—especially since she hadn’t done any internships during college.

“It allowed me to learn this additional computer science context from a cloud-computing point of view,” she said.

The 48-week resident training program for select new AWS employees is split into two phases. Through paid, on-the-job training, Tech U residents gain real-world cloud skills via problem-solving, classroom learning, mentorship and coaching, AWS Certifications, shadowing customer meetings, and other role-specific milestones. After completing the program, Emmanuel co-authored a blog series with fellow Tech U graduate Carole Suarez about “how to land your early-career cloud role.”

Emmanuel’s passionate about sharing her experience because it has taught her how essential it is to continuously learn and be curious, which is her favorite Amazon leadership principle.

“My advice is to invest in yourself and invest early,” she said. “Whether that’s in the form of upskilling, certifications, volunteering to work on projects, or taking some classes—just invest in yourself because it’s crucial to your career longevity.”

Emmanuel and Suarez are solutions architects, roles that combine business acumen with software engineering—and roles that neither one of them knew much about until Tech U.

“I’ve always loved teaching, learning, and helping others out and never thought I’d be able to combine all of that with technology and business,” Suarez said. “Being able to combine all of those aspects into a role where I had the freedom and resources to create new initiatives or mechanisms, collaborate with others, and specialize in areas I never knew about really opened up the doors for me.”

Many of Suarez’s college peers did internships as software development engineers (SDE) and product managers. When she joined Tech U with an educational background of mechanical engineering, she experienced imposter syndrome—a feeling of self-doubt about her professional abilities—as most of her peers in the program came from computer science or computer engineering backgrounds and worked as SDE interns.

“The best way to learn if a career in tech is right for you is to try it out. There are so many roles out there with varying levels of technical depth and breadth required,” Suarez said. “It doesn’t matter what you studied previously or where you are in your career today—what matters is your desire to learn, grow, ask questions, seek mentorship, and try your best.”

She eventually built up her confidence as she learned solutions architect-specific skills. The learning curve was steep, but she knew it was important for her to take a growth path and not plateau in her career.

“There are so many opportunities out there. It’s ok to be interested in one thing and dive deep into it, such as security, and then later if you want to dive deep into data analytics, go for it,” she said. “If you want to switch from being a solutions architect to a professional services consultant, that’s fine too. I found it’s also important to network and get to know other colleagues.”

While there’s a technical bar that has to be met to join the program, Tech U residents join the program with varying experience. Vincent Sanders started Tech U in January of 2019 in the solutions architect track. His prior work history included teaching English as a second language in Japan, where he also developed some Java programs—mostly classroom games—for colleagues. He learned about Tech U through a coding bootcamp he attended.

“I came to Tech U with zero cloud experience and learned so much. The program is proof that AWS is willing to invest in early-career talent,” Sanders said. “I was at AWS for nine months before I met with a single customer. That is quite an investment AWS made in me and I hope that I can continue to add value and prove that the investment has paid off.”

Sanders has already expanded his career in a new direction, moving from his solutions architect role to software development engineering. The ability to find a role that was a better fit for him also meant a lot.

“Breaking in to tech can be a herculean task, especially without a tech degree. When you’re just starting out, you have to find someone willing to take a chance on you. AWS was willing to take that chance on me and I’m very thankful,” he said. “I switched roles to become an SDE because the position is a better fit. There aren’t many places you can work where there are so many opportunities to grow and learn where you fit the best.”

A consistent theme across early-career programs is mentorship. Now that Emmanuel has been full-time for a couple of years, she says mentorship is an important way to stay take ownership over your own professional journey. At AWS, she feels fortunate to have access to mentors with decades of experience, in addition to other Tech U graduates and peers.

“We’re encouraged to seek out mentors and AWS leadership is very supportive. They know it’s crucial to our success in general,” Emmanuel said. “My current mentor has upwards of 35 years of experience, and just the support, guidance, and feedback you get here—things like this are almost unheard of at other companies.”

That career guidance adds to the inclusive culture that AWS continues to build and improve upon. Associate Solution Architect Daria Pshonkina, who also went through Tech U, said it made her feel instantly welcomed and cared for when she joined AWS.

“I have felt a great deal of empathy, support, and inclusion from my team members, and I feel at home at AWS,” she said. Since day one, I was fortunate to meet great people—whether they were my managers, mentors, or onboarding buddies—and everyone is open to help at any time.”

Are you interested in developing your tech skills through one of AWS’s early-career talent programs? Learn more about Tech U, Work-Based Learning Programs, or opportunities for students and recent graduates.