Anel Perez
Solutions Architect
Amazon Web Services
Washington, DC USA
“It’s very clear when you have a passion for something because it’ll manifest itself in your life. Hone in on that.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationAnel Perez
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
I grew up in Providence, Rhode Island—my parents are both immigrants and come from large families, so I was always surrounded by family from all different backgrounds.
When I graduated from high school, I had a newborn baby and was working in retail, but I was struggling to make ends meet.
A friend of mine graduated from Year Up and found a full-time job, so I decided to give it a try because I could see myself working in a similar field.
I applied to many jobs but didn't land one until I finally found a contract position—it ended up opening a lot of doors by giving me experience, teaching me skills, and making me more marketable.
I kept doing contract work until landing a full-time position with a commercial real estate company—because it was a small company, I got a lot of good experience in multiple aspects of the company.
I eventually decided to go back to school and received my bachelor’s degree in information technology from Northeastern University.
After graduating, I felt that I had reached my full potential in my current position, so I decided to look for a new job—I ended up moving to New York and joining a larger corporate company.
I now work as a solutions architect for Amazon Web Services and feel very happy and secure with where I’m at.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Solutions Architect
I help my customers implement AWS technologies and overcome technical hurdles.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Technology
Engineering
Helping People
Day to Day
I spend most of my time having conversations with customers and understanding their needs. This can be a combination of conference calls or on-site meetings. During our conversations, we could be discussing an upcoming project / initiative or I could be demonstrating an AWS service that is of interest to them.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for professionals
Pursuing certifications can greatly accelerate your career and make you more appealing to employers. Also, remember that a job interview isn't just for a potential employer to get to know you; it's also an opportunity for you to interview them and figure out if you could be happy there.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
"You're not going to make it far."
Challenges I Overcame
First-Generation Immigrant
Financial
Interviewed By
To Be Determined
Workforce training that opens up opportunities
