I Quit My AWS Job With No Backup Plan – 2 Years Update

In Today’s Cloudbites:

📅 My Journey After Quitting AWS - The 2-Year Update

🤔 Want to become a part-time YouTuber?

☁️ Online Cloud Events to Look Forward to

🖼️ PLUS: OpenAI Launches AI Academy!

Read time: 6 minutes

Hi friends, welcome back to Cloudbites

In this newsletter, I'll share my 2-year update since leaving my AWS job to become a full-time content creator.

I'll reflect on my journey, key learnings and announce next steps, including a new course!

CLOUD COMPUTING ☁️

📅 My Journey After Quitting AWS - The 2-Year Update

Two years ago, I made the huge decision to leave my high-paying job at AWS without a backup plan to become a full-time content creator. Was it the right move? 

Today, I want to share an update on my journey, including the highs, the lows, and what I've learned along the way.

🤔 Why I Left AWS

My YouTube journey began during my internship at AWS, where I started sharing my learning process. 

After becoming a full-time Solutions Architect, I continued creating videos, but juggling the demands of a high-pressure job with a growing YouTube channel made me realize I couldn't give my best to both. 

Seeing the potential of the channel, I knew I had to make a choice so I decided to take a leap!

🎉 Biggest Wins Since Quitting

1. Full Circle Moments: Getting sponsored twice to attend AWS re:Invent as a creator felt amazing, especially after being an employee. 
   
   It was fantastic to have AWS support what I do and connect with many of you from the Tech With Lucy community!

2. Building Zero To Cloud: Quitting my job gave me the time to understand what learners really need – which turned out to be hands-on projects and interview prep, not just more certification courses.
   
   This led me to create Zero To Cloud, my own learning platform, which I'm quite proud of.

   

3. Time & Flexibility: The freedom this path provides has been life-changing.
   
   I've travelled to over 10 countries in the past year while still working!

💪 Biggest Challenges I've Faced

Despite the wins, the journey hasn't always been easy. Here are some of the challenges I've faced:

1. Staying Motivated & Productive: Surprisingly, it's not running out of ideas (I have endless video ideas!).
   
   The real challenge is staying consistent and productive without a boss or fixed schedule which requires self discipline.
   
   

2. Comparison: Being friends with other successful tech YouTubers is inspiring, but sometimes hearing about their huge successes makes me feel like I'm not doing enough.
   
   It's easy to compare when subscriber counts are public. I have to constantly remind myself that everyone's journey is different and focus on my own path.

🚀 What's Next?

For now, I plan to keep creating videos, exploring short-form content, and growing Zero To Cloud.

I'm not planning to go back to a 9-5 anytime soon, but I'm open to future opportunities.

Thank you all so much for your support over the years!

🤔 Want to become a part-time YouTuber?

If my journey has inspired you to think about starting your own YouTube channel, I'm excited to share my new course: "The Part-Time Tech YouTuber"! 

When I started, I had no clue about finding a niche, growing an audience, or monetization. 

I spent years learning through trial and error, watching countless videos, and figuring things out the hard way.

This course packages everything I've learned over four years into easy-to-follow lessons, video guides and steps.

☁️ Online Cloud Events to Look Forward to

#1 AWSome Day Online Conference (10th April, 2025)

Learn cloud basics, key AWS services, and cloud security in this 3-hour training session.

Click here to register.

#2 TechByte: 5 Steps for Laying the Right Data Foundation for AI Success (15th April, 2025)

Hosted by Google Cloud, this webinar explores how data empowers AI. Learn to build a strong data strategy and connect your data to GenAI tools.

Click here to register.

#3 Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Day: Fundamentals (9th - 10th April, 2025)

Get started with Microsoft Azure! This session covers cloud concepts, pricing, security, and cloud models. Plus, get 50% off the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals exam!

Click here to register.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 🤖

🖼️ PLUS: OpenAI Launches AI Academy!

OpenAI just launched a learning platform to help you build AI skills!

Whether you’re a total beginner or a pro looking to level up, OpenAI Academy offers curated lessons to help you master AI tools like ChatGPT, DALL·E, and more.

The best part? It’s free, interactive, and packed with real-world use cases and hands-on practice.

THAT’S A WRAP

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Thanks for reading! 😊

P.S. How was today's email? Reply directly with your feedback, or DM me on LinkedIn @LucyWang-