by Jan Michael Carpo, Reporter
In the bustling city of opportunities, where dreams converge with determination, the life stories of Romeo Roncale and Karla Dimapindan stand as a beacon of inspiration for aspiring Cloud technology specialists. Romeo and Karla are just two of the many graduates who leveraged the re/Start program, a cohort-based workforce development training program of Amazon Web Services (AWS) that helps prepare an individual for careers in the cloud and connects them to potential employers.
Karla is currently employed as a Business Development Manager with eCloudvalley Digital Technology in the Philippines while Romeo serves as a Cloud Associate, also at eCloudvalley Digital Technology. A tale of transformation from uncertainty to success, both journeys began with one pivotal decision – to embark on a new career through cloud technology training.
AWS re/Start graduates Karla Dimapindan and Romeo Roncale
Romeo, 28 years old, first found himself drawn to the realm of Cloud technology as a young professional seeking a purposeful career. A computer engineering graduate, he first served as an onsite engineer for 5 years, then taught as a subject teacher for a Senior High School for 1 1/2 years. To help augment the family income, he also worked part-time as a motorcycle taxi driver at night. Despite his busy schedule, the prospect of working with cutting-edge solutions and innovating in the digital world sparked a fire within him.
However, with no prior experience in the field, Romeo faced challenges in accessing opportunities in this fast-paced industry. But one fateful day, fate intervened.
“During the pandemic, while I was attending a webinar, I saw that they were promoting a Facebook group called AWS Siklab and I heard that they were looking for re/Start scholars,” he shared. “I applied by taking their examination and after a few weeks, I received an email saying I was accepted as one of the scholars.”
The program’s promise of hands-on training and a supportive community appealed to him, and he knew that it would be the stepping stone that he needed to pursue his Cloud technology ambitions. It turned out to be the best decision he had ever made.
Today, Romeo works as a Cloud Engineer at eCloudvalley. He says he is enjoying the experience and the learning opportunities that come with the job. “It gives me great satisfaction. Looking ahead 5 years from now, I anticipate successfully completing numerous projects, particularly ones focused on automation and innovation within the team,” he shared with enthusiasm.
Romeo recounts the rigorous training he had to go through during the program. He was able to gain in-depth knowledge of various services of AWS through real-world simulations and practical exercises. The guidance of experienced mentors and collaboration with peers also bolstered his understanding of cloud computing fundamentals and industry best practices.
“The program was challenging, but that’s where the growth happened,” he shared. “The AWS re/Start is the stepping stone in my career. It prepared me by providing an overview of how cloud computing works, how to use it, and how to innovate. They taught us the basics of Linux, security, programming languages and also the cloud — like how to provision an ec2 instance — and how to make your own network using VPC, among others. We learned to think critically, which is a vital trait in the Cloud technology field.”
It was practically the same for Karla, who, prior to joining the AWS re/Start program, had worked in the construction industry in diverse roles, primarily in sales and business development. A Bachelor’s Degree holder in International Studies with a major in European Studies, she also had her own share of difficulties to face.
“When my dad passed away, I was forced to go back to the corporate world as the eldest of the siblings,” Karla shared. “My dilemma then was: should I go back to sales for monetary purposes just to support my family or should I pursue a passion that has the same goal, but the process needs a lot of patience, hard work, and grit?”
In the end, driven by her passion for empowering and helping businesses on their innovation and digital transformation journey, Karla decided to enrol in the AWS re/Start program and pursue a career in cloud technology.
“I love navigating through the ever-evolving tech landscape and I find immense fulfilment in connecting people to technology by guiding them through the intricate process of digital transformation. In addition to my work in construction, I have also gained valuable experience in the retail industry, providing critical support in optimizing operations and enhancing customer experiences as a virtual assistant,” she added.
Unlike the training she received in her previous jobs, the AWS re/Start program offered much more to her. The training was so intense that by the end of the program, Karla became the only woman left standing in her class. “In spite of this, what stood out the most about my experience was the unwavering support and guidance provided by the program’s instructor, and also my classmates, who were very open to help and answer my questions whenever I needed clarity on the lessons,” Karla explained as she fondly recalls the mentorship she received throughout her journey.
“My time at the AWS re/Start program had been an incredible journey of personal and professional growth. This intensive training program has provided me with a platform to dive headfirst into the world of cloud computing and AWS. Its classroom type of training with a dedicated instructor also made a lot of difference compared to self-paced training,” she beamed.
Recognizing the value of AWS re/Start graduates
Upon completing the program, both Romeo’s and Karla’s hard work paid off as they both secured a role at eCloudvalley (ECV), a digital transformation and innovation service provider that offers services ranging from cloud migrations to app development, cloud security, managed services, training and certification as well as SAP and similar other services.
eCloudvalley recognizes the value of AWS re/Start graduates. In fact, aside from Romeo and Karla, ECV had also welcomed 3 other graduates of the program into the company. Karla and Romeo are now also being asked to contribute to real projects alongside experienced professionals.
“Karla’s performance is beyond my expectations,” says Jon Nucum, Director for Business Development of ECV. “I know she has advantages already since she is with the AWS re/Start program but the way she does things from asking questions to helping customers, she does it from the heart. You don’t learn that in any program.”
For her part, Romeo’s mentor, Reena Sarmenta who serves as the Head of Cloud Services at ECV, says that her protegee has served as a key contributor to the team. “Romeo leverages the knowledge and skills he has gained from the AWS re/Start program to confidently navigate within AWS and help our customers in both minimizing business disruptions and in proactively providing recommendations for improvements and optimization. He has also made sure that we are able to deliver against commitments we have made with our customers, meeting and even exceeding our SLAs,” she says.
In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, both Romeo’s and Karla’s stories stand as a testament to the power of determination, resilience, and the transformative impact of the AWS re/Start program. With a heart full of gratitude and a future full of promise, their journey continues, inspiring others to reach for their dreams in the vast horizon of Cloud technology.
“My journey didn’t end with the program. It was just the beginning,” Romeo shares with pride. As he looks back on his transformation, Romeo encourages aspiring Cloud technology specialists to seize the opportunity and embark on their own journey with the AWS re/Start program.
The next AWS re/Start cohort is scheduled to start around mid-January next year. Potential learners could check out this site for more details: https://www.edukasyon.ph/awsrestart.
The beginning of a journey (into the cloud)
Here’s a piece of even great news for those who wish to take the same path as Romeo and Karla!
Just this month, Amazon launched “AI Ready,” a new initiative of the cloud giant that aims to provide free artificial intelligence skills training and education to two million people globally by 2025.
In a press release, AWS shared that it intends to meet this commitment by launching new courses and learning initiatives in AI and scaling existing programs. As part of this goal, the company has announced the availability of the following:
- Eight new, free courses to help adults upskill in AI and generative AI;
- A new Amazon Web Services (AWS) Generative AI Scholarship program with online learning platform Udacity; and
- A new collaboration with Code.org designed to help students learn about generative AI.
The same press release stated that Amazon is launching “AI Ready” to help anyone with a desire to learn about AI and benefit from the tremendous opportunity ahead.
“Artificial intelligence is the most transformative technology of our generation. If we are going to unlock the full potential of AI to tackle the world’s most challenging problems, we need to make AI education accessible to anyone with a desire to learn,” said Swami Sivasubramanian, vice president of Data and AI at AWS.
“The goal of AI Ready is to help level the playing field of AI education, supported by the new initiatives we’re launching today. We will also scale our existing free AI training programs and courses as we continue to remove cost as a barrier to accessing these critical skills,” he added.