What I learned about AWS Community Builders

Hey everyone, I'm Victoria - a software engineer based in London. And no, I'm not a Community Builder yet :) Recently I started sharing my tech journey online, check out my LinkedIn and let’s stay in touch!

Long story short, I fell in love with this program but learned about it too late to apply this year. To make lemonade out of lemons, I have decided to research criteria for the AWS Community Builders program, create a plan for this year to build a portfolio for myself and share it with others!

What is AWS Community Builders program?

If you have ever searched for AWS-related topics online, chances are you have already come across some content created by AWS Community Builders.

The AWS Community Builders program offers technical resources, education, and networking opportunities to AWS technical enthusiasts and emerging thought leaders passionate about sharing knowledge and connecting with the technical community.

Source: https://aws.amazon.com/developer/community/community-builders/

Here are some benefits of the program:

• Getting insights from AWS product teams and exciting updates on the latest services and features.

• Weekly webinars to learn from subject matter experts on a variety of AWS topics.

• AWS Promotional Credits and other helpful resources to supercharge your content creation process.

• Amazing community of like-minded developers!

There is swag involved too! 😉

For the application, you will need to submit at least two pieces of publicly available content that you have created. Your area of interest should broadly align with the content you submit for review, so choose it wisely!

Here are the categories represented in the program:

• Cloud Operations

• Containers

• Data

• Dev Tools

• Front-End Web and Mobile Development

• Machine Learning and GenAI

• Networking and Content Delivery

• Security and Identity

• Serverless

The program runs for one-year intervals, and it is absolutely free! The intake for 2024 closed on the 28th of January, and the next one presumably will take place in January 2025.

So let’s get prepared.

Excited? Let’s plan the plan!

Becoming an AWS Community Builder is quite a unique journey for each individual, and that's what makes it great. No solution fits all, and you can find your voice by doing a huge range of exciting activities.

I have come across some incredible creators who write technical articles, create videos on TikTok and YouTube, organise meet-ups, speak at public events, contribute to open-source projects, and so much more.

To create a plan for myself, I considered two important criteria:

1. Personality. I used to be a teacher, and I enjoy breaking down complex ideas into easily understandable chunks. My goal is to democratise AWS knowledge and bring it to everyone happy to listen. During this year, I hope to find more opportunities to practice public speaking and bring people along to my AWS journey.

2. Ability to stay consistent. I’m a huge advocate of consistency as a way to build a new skill. For me, it is going to be authoring technical blogs. As a career changer, I know the struggle of starting something new, and I hope my blog will become a source of ideas for brave individuals who are keen to learn more about AWS cloud.

My recent discovery

Every content creator needs inspiration. In this section, I gathered some resources I found to keep myself motivated and stay up to date with the industry news. Some of that is UK-specific, but I hope you will be able to find alternatives around the world!

• AWS User Groups — over 400 AWS-focused groups across different locations and topics of interest. It is a great way to meet like-minded people to share ideas, ask questions and learn about AWS services. I am definitely joining AWS User Group UK!

• Serverless London Meetup —my absolute recommendation! Check my recent post on Linkedin where I share my excitement about Gregor Hohpe’s talk about Application Architecture as Code!

• AWS Cloud Women UK — a community for women passionate about AWS cloud. Great selection of events.

• AWS Cloud Clubs — if you are a student, you can join AWS Cloud Clubs or even become a Cloud Capitan and lead a club in your region!

Final thoughts

While I did some research about the AWS Community Builders program, I found so many AWS enthusiasts around the world who create amazing AWS content and share their experiences.

Becoming an AWS Community Builder should not be the ultimate goal, but rather a recognition and an amazing opportunity to join a community of bright technologists who are passionate about the AWS cloud.

Let’s keep in touch to support each other on this journey, stay accountable and create so much needed sense of community!