Still Becoming: My Journey Back Into Tech Through Cloud, Community, and Courage

𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐌𝐲 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝, 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞
For a long time, I believed that "real" tech careers followed a straight line.

You learn.

You get a job.

You grow.

You never really stop.

That was the version of the story I thought I was supposed to fit into.

But my journey did not look like that.

It started with curiosity, a coding bootcamp in 2022, and a strong belief that I was stepping into something I could build a future on. I was excited, hopeful, and convinced that the next step would naturally be getting my first opportunity in tech.

But life shifted.

What was meant to be a short break away from technology became a much longer pause than I had planned. And as the months passed, the excitement I once had was slowly replaced by doubt.

Had I fallen too far behind?

Could I still build a career in technology?

Would anyone give me a chance?

I was not starting from zero, but I also was not where I thought I should be.

And that in-between space became one of the most difficult parts of my journey.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤

My journey back into technology began when I received a scholarship to join the AWS re/Start program.

I did not walk into the program feeling like I had everything figured out. I walked in feeling uncertain, behind, and quietly questioning whether I still belonged in tech.

But AWS re/Start became more than just a training program.

It became a bridge.

A bridge between the person who once dreamed of building a career in technology and the person who was trying to believe that dream was still possible.

It was there that I discovered cloud computing and a side of technology I had never explored deeply before.

The idea that someone could design infrastructure, automate processes, and build the invisible systems that power applications around the world fascinated me.

That curiosity slowly grew into a love for cloud and DevOps.

𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐀𝐦 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that discovering what you love does not mean you immediately become great at it.

I am still learning.

I am still making mistakes.

I am still figuring things out.

There are days when I spend hours trying to understand why a Terraform configuration is failing or why an AWS service is not behaving the way I expected. There are moments when I read documentation several times before a concept finally clicks.

Sometimes I wonder if I know enough.

Sometimes I wonder if I am moving fast enough.

But every error message has taught me patience.

Every failed deployment has taught me how to troubleshoot.

Every small project I complete reminds me that progress does not always arrive as a big achievement.

Sometimes it looks like a configuration finally working after hours of trying.

Sometimes it is understanding a concept that confused me for days.

Sometimes it is having the courage to share what I am learning, even before I feel like an expert.

And perhaps that is what has surprised me most about this journey.

While I am still learning, still building projects, and still searching for my first opportunity in the industry, I was selected as an 𝐀𝐖𝐒 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐲.

For me, that was not a sign that I had reached the finish line.

It was a reminder that you do not have to wait until you have everything figured out to show up, contribute, and be part of the technology community.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐩 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲

One of the things that has helped me the most on this journey has been community.

Through AWS communities, learning spaces, and conversations with people on similar paths, I realized that many of us are quietly rebuilding.

Some are changing careers.

Some are returning after long breaks.

Some are learning while battling the fear that they are too late.

That realization changed something in me.

I stopped waiting for the day when I would feel completely ready.

I started showing up as I was.

I started sharing my learning journey; the wins, the challenges, the concepts I was still trying to understand.

And slowly, I realized that confidence is not something that appears before you begin.

Sometimes confidence is built because you begin.

𝐓𝐨 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐈𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠

There is a version of tech that is often celebrated.

The promotions.

The titles.

The success stories after everything has already worked out.

But there is another version of the story that deserves to be told too.

The one where you pause.

The one where you question yourself.

The one where you are learning, applying for opportunities, and rebuilding your confidence one day at a time.

If that is where you are right now, I want you to know that you are not behind.

A career break does not disqualify you.

A slower journey does not make your dream less valid.

You do not need a perfect timeline to belong in technology.

You only need the courage to start again and the patience to keep going.

I am not a finished product.

I am not an expert who has figured everything out.

I am a woman in tech who is still learning, still building, still applying for opportunities, and still discovering what I am capable of.

And maybe that is exactly what a real journey looks like.

𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈.