Current Position and Field

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Q: Can you describe your current position and what field or space you work in?

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A: Sure. To begin with, my name is David. I work at Amazon on the AWS Professional Services team. Professional Services is like a consulting division within Amazon. Many people don't realize that besides the marketplace where you can buy things on the Amazon website, a big part of Amazon is Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS is a large cloud provider, powering a lot of work done in the cloud instead of locally on your computer. Think about Google Drive or your email, which are all cloud-based. AWS helps businesses at large scales to collaborate globally and scale operations in ways that aren't possible otherwise. I work with government agencies and nonprofits to help them transition to AWS and the cloud.

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Typical Day at Work

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Q: What does a typical day at work look like for you?

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A: One of the things I really like about my job is that I get to work with many government agencies and nonprofits, so it's always something different. An agency or nonprofit will come to us with a problem, and I spend the next few months building a solution for them. I love it because I get to constantly learn new tools and stay on the cutting edge of technology. Additionally, I get to partner with industry to see what their needs are and what new solutions they are looking for.

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Cutting Edge Work and Machine Learning

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Q: What would you consider cutting edge in your work, specifically in machine learning?

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A: There are two components of my work that I consider cutting edge. The first is the cloud. We're seeing that more and more work is moving to the cloud as things scale. For example, ChatGPT is a super powerful AI model that wouldn't be possible without the cloud. The second component is machine learning, which is changing rapidly. For instance, the underlying theory for ChatGPT didn't exist two years ago, and now it's used by hundreds of millions of people. Being at the forefront of helping government agencies and nonprofits utilize new tech is super exciting.

 

Career Journey

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Q: Can you give an overview of your career journey, including your college background and what got you interested in your current work?

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A: I went to Georgetown University and studied international relations, aiming to join the Foreign Service or become a diplomat. While at university, I taught myself how to code to beat my friends in fantasy football. I never took a single coding class but ended up making an AI to play fantasy sports, making some money on FanDuel and DraftKings. I interned at the State Department full-time for a bit and realized it wasn't for me. I pivoted to coding, where I felt a flow and passion I didn't experience with writing essays.

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It was tough getting my first job out of college without a formal coding education. I got lucky when someone took a chance on me, mentored me, and showed me the ropes. I worked in a media agency for two years to build experience before joining Amazon. I love my job because it sits at the intersection of meaningful and interesting work, helping government agencies, and ultimately impacting the broader population with exciting technology.

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Emerging Career Opportunities

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Q: What do you think are the most interesting career opportunities emerging for people entering the job market in the next 5 to 10 years?

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A: Predicting what will happen in 5 to 10 years is difficult. Things are moving so quickly that job titles like "prompt engineers" might emerge due to AI interactions we can't imagine yet. Instead of trying to predict future job markets, it's better to build up underlying skill sets like critical thinking and problem-solving, which are valuable in any field, including tech.

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Advice for Young People

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Q: Do you have any specific advice for a young person interested in the work you're doing, such as skills they need or how to gain experience?

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A: The biggest recommendation is to do side projects. If you only do what's expected at your job, you won't excel or break into the next level. Side projects allow you to learn new things and see a project from start to finish, which you might not get in a typical job. Work on something you're passionate about, as it will make learning enjoyable and more productive.

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Don't focus too much on the college degree or internships. Learning through side projects can be more valuable.

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Career Reflections

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Q: Is there anything you would have done differently in your career journey?

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A: Looking back, I might have gotten a CS degree instead of an international relations degree. Learning coding from scratch the way I did was challenging. It's better to learn it from the ground up in an official environment. But my experience shows that even non-traditional backgrounds can lead to success.

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Short-Term and Long-Term Plans

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Q: What are your short-term and long-term plans for your career?

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A: In the short term, I don't see myself leaving my current job. I love the variety and learning opportunities. Long-term, like many coders, I dream of starting something on my own. I like the concept of "solopreneurship," which is popular in the coding community. Instead of scaling a business to go public or sell, solopreneurship is about building something impactful with just yourself or a small team.