Milan Ramirez’s Post

Not an April Fool’s Joke- today is my 5-year Amaversary since embarking on my corporate recruiting journey at AWS! What a ride it's been! 🎢✨ At Amazon, a 5 year anniversary is commemorated by an orange badge, a visual reminder of your achievement to colleagues. For me, this badge color tells a story of professional growth beyond tenure at AWS. As I sit back and reflect on this milestone, I can't help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude for the incredible people who have made this journey possible. From the different managers I’ve had at AWS, who have been the guiding light through thick and thin, and to the leaders who have entrusted me with opportunities to grow- I owe you all a debt of gratitude that I can never fully repay. 🙏 To my colleagues- you are the heartbeat of our team. Your unwavering support, endless encouragement, and occasional office shenanigans have made every day a joy to come to work. And to my hiring managers, where do I even begin?  Your trust in my abilities and collaborative spirit have transformed challenges into triumphs. Here's to many more successful partnerships and hires together! Last but certainly not least, a huge shoutout to the real MVPs of this journey: the candidates! 🌟 Your talents, stories, and journeys have inspired me beyond measure. It's been an honor to connect with each and every one of you, and I can't wait to continue matching you with your desired  opportunities. Let's keep crushing those interviews and landing those dream jobs! 💪💼 As I raise a glass (or maybe a cup of coffee) to celebrate this milestone, I'm reminded that it's the people who make every moment memorable. Here's to five years of growth and endless possibilities! 🚀✨ Cheers! 🥂 #amaversary #Gratitude #AWS #CheersToFiveYears 

I had an awesome virtual video conversation with 🇺🇦 Maksym Lushpenko, CEO and Founder of Brokee earlier today. It was an honor to chat about your journey in tech and the story behind Brokee. Thank you for your words of encouragement and advise for my career and development in this tech space Maksym! 🤝 Brokee in Maksym's own words "Even though our initial focus for Brokee was skills assessment for hiring needs, we are starting to see more feedback that it could be great for training and skills development. Doesn't mean we'll pivot immediately, but will keep an open mind and see where this takes us." 💡 I am looking forward to reconnect with our team Courtney, Michele, Sheena, Cristen, Ebony, Briana, Sharnell Angel, John, Samuel, Joseph, Donnell... this Monday at 7pm est for another Amazon Web Services (AWS) troubleshooting session. (I actually learned a lot from all of you during our last troubleshooting session, thank you all). 💻☁️⬆️ #Cloudcomputing #DevOps #CloudEngineer #Troubleshootingsession #Teamwork #SkillsDevelopment #Learning #Growth #Collaboration #AWScommunity #AwsCommunityBuilders #AWS #CloudComputing

Wow. That went quickly.   Five years at AWS. Five years of Day 1, Leadership Principles, and "Be Peculiar". Five years of some of the smartest, most results-driven, metrics-focused, and - most importantly - authentic and decent people I've ever had the good fortune to work alongside.   People ask me a lot what it's like to work at AWS, and I honestly get to say it's the most fulfilling position I've ever held. Like any organization, there are flaws and disfunctions, but the sophistication, vision, velocity, as well as the inspirational teams I get to work with and support on a daily basis at AWS keep me inspired and motivated.   I get to work with some of the most demanding and passionate technology partners in the world, across the largest and most complex customer problems as they - and their customers - seek to realize the massive potential value held within their data estates. Across engineering, marketing, sales, business development, channels & alliances, training & enablement, legal, procurement….there isn't a line of business which doesn't benefit from the value AWS brings to our partners - and I get to help my team be the one to facilitate. The sheer breadth and depth of the role brings fresh challenges and opportunities daily, with the never ending efforts of the people around me to always be 'bar raising' is a massive part of enjoying what I do. I'd like to take the opportunity to recognize some of those people at AWS who have been my motivation over the years. You're all the reason I'm where I am today, and why it's still Day 1. Thank you. (And yes, a list of this many individual is risky, and I'm definitely going to miss someone - and I apologize profusely in advance) Aarti Comstock Adam T. Ross Airlee Gigun Alan Braun Alayna Broderson Allan H. P. Lee Andy Perkins Antony Prasad Thevaraj Atul Sahni Beth Bickett Bill Lanzer Birendra Gosai BP Yau Brent Sahl Brent Young Bruna Pinto Carter Johnston Charles Lewis Chhavi Naswa Chris Grusz Chris Rosen Christopher Sullivan Christina Zigliotto David Littlewood Dilip Rajan Emily Tyack Greg Scanlan Gunjan Ramteke Heather DeVore Hitesh Kumeria Jagjit Dhaliwal (JD) Jeanine Reidel Jeff Grimes Jennifer Valverde Jesse Northrup Jing Zhu John (Kim) Patel, PhD John Sconyers Josh Greene Julie Ness

Y'all know what this picture means. Yes...after 6 years, 5 months, and 27 days I've decided to take a role outside of Amazon. I thought about not even making a post, but I have too much to be thankful for. Some of my best memories are tied to re:Invent. I am proud to have contributed 5 out of my 6 years. I held my first chalk talk in 2018. I totally bombed, but having the flu didn't help. I came back in 2019 and built a serverless workshop with Collin Forrester We impacted 185 customers and earned a 4.45 CSAT. Then COVID happened and I missed out on 2020. I met with customers and re-connected with colleagues in 2021. In 2022, I built a content moderation system with Oliver Panasewicz and Armando Carrasco Vargas that was accepted into Builder Fair (and we won a sweet jacket!). In 2023, John Goodson and I presented cloud migration strategy to over 400 people across two sessions and a simulcast. Turns out our session was rated highest in the New to AWS track! I was employee #351 hired in to our Chicago office; today there are over 3k people in ORD. What used to be one SA covering 1600+ customers is now a team of 6-8 with many supporting roles. I feel very fortunate to have been with amazing people on the inside as AWS grew. Mark Kazzaz, CPA is responsible for starting this whole thing. He shared the Solutions Architect job posting and convinced me I stood a chance. When I paired the responsibilities with the Leadership Principles, I instantly knew I found my dream job. Shane Martinez was my first manager. He helped me see myself better than I could on my own. He pushed me to grow and try new things, even if they failed. His guidance, wisdom, and continued mentorship have changed the trajectory of my life. I'll be forever grateful. Thank you Theresa Meyer for helping me back into a people leader role that aligns with my true passion, building great teams and culture. Thank you Eric Espeseth for your continued support and guidance along the way. The first piece of advice I got at Amazon was "Say 'no' to the right things." It helped me get through the initial firehose and later focus on what mattered for our business. Holding a high bar is hard over time; it gets heavy. My advice is to respectfully challenge everything and seek data to drive decisions. Do so as a collective group and share the weight.

Final Countdown. Last Week. Bittersweet. 🤝🏽❤️🫡 “People will get in their feelings when you proceed with opportunity and advancement - the same people that were stagnant on assisting and slow to be responsive.” Might be a bit forward, but I think there are more individuals out there with the same thought. Your JOB does NOT define you. SO! On that note... it’s with mixed emotions to say that I will be leaving AWS/Amazon after 10+ (green – almost had that full red!) years of commitment, dedication, escalation, and somewhat a bit more ownership than I would have liked. These past 2 years held a lot of emotional decisions, and I do admit I would’ve loved to have taken more time to better communicate on my end. We can’t dwell on the past though. *Could conversations and agreements have more commitment to them? Of course. *Could open ears and acknowledgments been taken more seriously? Sure. But I will say one thing, AWS/Amazon has brought me job experiences, built confidence within, and presented opportunities I couldn’t have imagined. I’ve often said, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.” From “thinking this is it”, to traveling all over, to seeing GROWTH, I’m forever thankful. I take pride in self-GRIND and Networking and I appreciate the individuals that followed with trust. I wish it were different. I have been committed 7 roles deep. Relate that to dog years..a long time haha. The jobs/experiences from AtoZ (inside joke) I have learned, I feel with full confidence I can run and run well! Let’s have a bit more commitment outside of what we know and what we’re used to. Laughter is contagious and Smiles are free. Live and Love life! Saludo everyone! Onto the next chapter! #dayone #AWS #Amazon #Logistics #Installation #Network #Engineering #Integration #Technician #Technical #Program #Management #Implementation #Design #DataCenter #Infrastructure #ListGoesOn #thankyou

Breaking news: Adam Selipsky CEO of AWS is stepping down and SVP of AWS sales Matt Garman will replace him. What's coming next for AWS? Sales are increasing due to the demand for AI services and Matt is well positioned to help drive increasing growth for the company. Are you ready to take advantage of the next wave of cloud growth? If you need help building your cloud skills and experience we can help with our Cloud Mastery Bootcamp program (starting soon) - comment or DM me!

Start here, go anywhere. 🚀☁️🛰️ Every AWS builder has their own reasons for choosing AWS. Check out this playlist of team members talking about the people & programs that make AWS an exciting place to work.

After 4 years, and 8 months of Day 1s at AWS I've decided to accept a position that will challenge me and allow me to serve students in my city through program management and operational excellence. When I joined AWS as an educator, I was intentional about what I wanted to gain and how I intended to contribute. Careers are yours to own. Your path should align to Your values and Your goals. Here are some lessons I'm taking into my next chapter that I've learned on my wild, exciting, career journey thus far: 1. Be clear about what you Enjoy, are skilled at, and areas you want to develop. This will serve you well when vetting roles and interviewing. Thanks for teaching me this Jacqueline Kennedy, Ed.D. 2. Set clear goals and milestones for your personal and career plans. I use FutureMe to send 6 month and 12 month letters to myself to celebrate milestones I plan to accomplish within that time frame. FutureMe 3. Choose a manager that you admire. Managers are so important to your success. Ask questions to understand who they are at work and if they make time for play. Thanks Mayce Blackmon Heather DeJong Angel Duncan, MBA Brooke Spearmon, MBA Kirsten Blair and Marianna Holiday. 4. Nurture your network. I tend to prefer deep personal connections rather than transactional relationships. Make time to talk to people within and outside your organization that have common values and varied roles. My network encourages me to Dare Greatly. Thanks for being a safe place to rumble Farzin Nickman Jamica Bush, MBA ☁Brad Burnett kevin Simon Cassandra Babilya Alexis (Alie) Sanders, MA Hatun Kruger Travis Butler Tia Barnes, MBA Jonathan Lewis☁ Farhin H Kimberly V. Bethany Bell Amanda L. Sargent, LMSW Desalyn Swank Eddwina Flowers Lakendra Simon 5. Do work your way. I have a unique approach to solving problems and getting work done. I've stopped apologizing for being an ISFJ, Learner, mother and wife who's deliberative, and sometimes awkward. These are my super powers and have served me well. There are so many colleagues and friends that have made me better and I'm forever grateful for all AWS has been to me. It has truly been one of the best career decisions I've ever made.

If you’re wondering where the future of #AWS is headed, this blog post on our new CEO Matt Garman is a must-read. ✅ His 18-year tenure has taught him the importance of knowing things in depth and in detail – plus so much more. Link below!

🌟 After a journey filled with challenges and growth, I’m beyond thrilled to share that I’ve accepted an offer to join AWS! 🌟 The road to this moment has been anything but straightforward. There were countless late nights spent honing my skills, tough decisions that tested my resolve, and moments of doubt where the finish line seemed out of reach. I pushed myself through 700 LeetCode problems, crafted and sent over 1,000 resumes, and interviewed with more than 20 companies. Each experience, no matter how challenging, was a stepping stone that brought me closer to this opportunity. Looking back, every bit of the struggle was worth it. This offer is not just a new beginning, but also a testament to the power of perseverance, resilience, and unwavering determination. I’ve learned so much along the way—about the industry, about myself, and about the importance of never giving up. I want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who supported me through this journey. Your encouragement, guidance, and belief in me made all the difference. Whether it was a kind word, a piece of advice, or just being there when I needed it most, I’m incredibly grateful for your support. Now, as I step into this new chapter at AWS, I’m filled with excitement and anticipation for the challenges ahead. I’m ready to contribute, grow, and make an impact in the world of cloud technology. Here’s to embracing new opportunities and continuing the journey of lifelong learning and growth. 🚀 #AWS #NewBeginnings #Perseverance #Resilience #Grateful #CloudTechnology #HardWorkPaysOff