I appreciate you for coming over this page and please allow me to build a better virtual relationship with you by introducing myself.

I value you and your time so let me start sharing a short story about myself.

My Background.

It was probably year 2002 when I went to my fathers office to discuss about my Engineering Admission. My father managed an Oil Refinery that he & my uncle had established together. We were standing right in front of our refinery when I told my father about my interest in Engineering. He simply said “Babu (my nickname), I never did any engineering to establish this refinery then why do you need to do this ? And he pointed to the refinery. I told my father that I wanted to do something different in the family but I wasn’t clear about what that different would be. I somehow managed to convince him about my admission but that discussion scene is still captured in my memory.

It was a question that went so deep that I always kept asking myself every moment after I completed my Engineering and every promotion that I got in my job.

Now when I try to connect the dots, I think he taught me a greatest lesson of my life, 

 “You don’t need any degree to do something Big or different but just a ‘Pure Intention’ “

Starting from Zero ‘0’

I completed my Engineering in Electronics & Tele-communications from Pravara Engineering College, Loni in Aug 2007. We had hit a core recession at that time and it was very difficult to find a job. Fortunately I cracked the opprtunity in Infosys BPO at that point of time with the goal to enter into Infosys IT after completing 18 months of on-job training but unfortunately I had to leave it before I could collect my first salary just coz my family wasn’t comfortable with the idea of BPO.

So back to zero, I had to start all again. I got into 6 months network training program of CMC after which I got chance to work at Reliance Industries as a consultant. I used to look after the internet of all the users in India and abroad. This is when I got the real taste of technology. I used to manage linux servers and the applications hosted on it.

My keen interest in Black Screen “Linux”:
I was working over linux servers all these years and I developed a keen interest for it. I got myself RedHat Certified(RHCE) and started exploring this space deep. I worked for several Insurance based clients and got a good hands-on over technology.

My first hit:
At this point I had around 3+ years of experience when I lost an Onsite opportunity which I was very much suitable for but just coz of some internal bureaucracy. This incident hit me hard and I resigned without any opportunity in hand. No, it was not a hasty decision but a very thoughtful and a confident decision taken in several days. It was much needed to boost my morale.

I have never lived life in a fear and thought if I couldn’t find myself an opportunity in next 2-3 months, what knowledge have i earned in these years. To my surprise I was able to crack a good opportunity and more importantly join an environment conducive to learning.

My Onsite Visit:
After 6+ yrs of experience I developed a keen interest for AWS Cloud Technology and wanted to take the next plunge so I got certified as Redhat Certified Virtualization Administrator (RHCVA). I didn’t have any cloud experience but I had presented several papers over it and knew what it is about. This was a time when was able to convince a US Director for a CloudOps position and Cracked the opportunity. I geared up fast and had few onsite short visits while my interest was a long-term opportunity.

 My second hit:
This was the time when I lost my second onsite long-term opportunity  just coz few management people didn’t approve the position. I felt powerless but then I revived myself with a thought of making my individual identity. I started training students over the AWS Solution Architect Associate Course.

The Problem statement:
I completed 4 batches, teaching around 25+ students. I also instructed them everything they need to know to get certified professional with a hands-on experience. yet, only 1-2 people could take the initiative and go for the certification. I noticed a problem here. While I could continue with the new batches but I felt, students need more that knowledge and practical hands-on experience. They had no clear goals and lived with a fear of being a failure. The challenge wasn’t technical but a non-technical in-fact.

This is when I thought to create this course, build a community that would do the handholding and empower you until you become a Cloud Champion that I Dream of.

Overall Journey:
As a Cloud Enthusiast & Solution Architect in recent years, I have worked with several companies helping them build automated, agile and governed solutions on Cloud. 

With my 12+ yrs of experience I have seen most of the technological changes and companies shifting from traditional systems to VM’s and now on Cloud. I have worked with various clients from IT, Banking, advertising, Health & Insurance domains but the real challenge stands in finding the right talent or skill among-st the techies.

With over 5+ yrs experience on Cloud I realized that something we build few months or a year back looks so obsolete today with the fast pacing technology.

With my expertise over AWS Cloud I am on a mission to explore the technology and share with the world by making the complex content much easier to grasp. Lets match-up the pace of learning with that of innovation.

Music & technology motivates me. I like swimming and enjoy motivational talks with folks. Teaching is my passion and I had conducted many learning sessions in corporate teams within my company. I have also trained many of my folks online / offline on various technologies & tools.

 My Vision:

 I know I am here to help you become an Independent Cloud Champion. This champion in my perspective has good knowledge, hands-on experience & right credentials to be called as a Solution Architect.

 I am on a mission to help 100000 people become an independent Cloud Champion. Someone who doesn’t live in a fear of job insecurity and is at the best of his knowledge and expertise.

 A champion who listens to the business challenges and talks about the possible solutions. Someone who has got a solution mindset and a pure intention to help Clients.

 If you resonate with my vision then let’s stay connected on this journey to become a Champion.

 I am glad that you got to know more about me and now we would definitely connect much better.

 Most of all, I see my next Cloud Champion in You. Yes, YOU!!!

Hope to see you in my next class!!!

 To the Cloud Champions,
 Shyam Kukreja.