Over the last decade I've helped hundreds of companies build and scale on cloud.

But, in 2020, I felt something was missing.

I wanted to share everything I learned in my tech career with you.

So, I created ThoughtfulTechy Cloud.

My mission is to inspire millions of techies to follow their dreams through building a tech career.

I help technologists break into cloud, break free from IT support, and grow in an existing cloud role.

My results:

→ 72K+ people following on LinkedIn
→ 54K+ people following on TikTok
→ 15K+ people subscribed on YouTube
→ 12K+ people read my weekly newsletter
→ 19M+ Impressions (LinkedIn)

If you want to learn more about booking a 1:1:

→ GO HERE: https://topmate.io/thoughtfultechycloud/

If you want to learn more about ThoughtfulTechy Cloud join our community:

→ GO HERE: https://www.youtube.com/@ThoughtfulTechyCloud

Testimonials:

"I would like to thank you for the valuable insights you provide almost every day on your channel. It's really motivating!"

"I just watched one of your YouTube videos and it's what I was looking for. Your thoughts are amazing. l'd love to keep in touch with you and learn more."

"Great video Greg! Awesome way of breaking down the path into achievable goals. Thanks for the content."

Socials:

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Views are my own and do not reflect my employer

Today is my last day at AWS


After almost a decade I decided it’s time for a new adventure.

No words can really capture what an incredible journey it has been, from the pace of innovation to the brilliant people I’ve worked alongside. I grew and stretched myself in every dimension of my life.

There are too many people to thank individually but I want to acknowledge everyone that helped me grow along the way, all my colleagues that I helped to mentor throughout the years, and to all my amazing customers that I had the honor of serving.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart ❤️

Looking back, one of the most powerful takeaways from this experience is the confidence that comes from thriving at AWS for almost a decade. It has shown me I can succeed at whatever I set my mind to, no matter the challenge.

Regarding what’s next, in the near term I’ll be diving into some passion projects, reading, and visiting my Mama.

And I’m taking a close look at what’s next for me professionally. I’m beyond excited about the possibilities!

If you’re working on something interesting or just want to catch up, I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers to new adventures!

Greg Powell

Creator, ThoughtfulTechy Cloud | Helping You Easily Navigate Your AWS Cloud & Tech Journey

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Someone needed to say it


Might as well be me.

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Creator, ThoughtfulTechy Cloud | Helping You Easily Navigate Your 🤖AI ☁️Cloud 👨🏽‍💻Career Journey

In case you haven't realized this yet


Your quest to learn tech will only lead to more unknowns.

Tech is always changing and what you know will have to change too.

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How could someone with no AWS Certifications land a role as an AWS Solutions Architect? The secret is

-They knew how to build things 
-They had experience breaking things 
-They understood how to troubleshoot things

And they were able to share those experiences clearly in STAR format.

That's how.

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📌Join 20K Navigating Their AI, Cloud & Career Journey:
https://lnkd.in/gVKek9iG

The hardest part of being a Solutions Architect isn't what you think.


It's not the technical depth or the business acumen.

It's staying credible when you're constantly switching between both.

Monday: whiteboarding cloud ROI with the CTO.

Tuesday: optimizing API response times with the dev team.

The SAs who struggle over optimize for one audience and become useless to the other.

They become technical experts who can't talk business.

Or business consultants who can't build anymore.

The best ones don't try to be the smartest person in every room. 

They ask better questions than everyone else.

They know when to zoom out and when to zoom in.

No matter who is in the room.

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✅ Google Certified Cloud Digital Leader


Up Next: Google Cloud Generative AI Leader

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Repeat after me


“I will NEVER stop learning”

Say it out loud everyday.

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✅ Google Certified Cloud Generative AI Leader


Up Next: NVIDIA AI Infrastructure and Operations

The idea is simple.


Any specific tool, platform, or skill you learn in tech has a shelf life. 

What felt cutting edge two years ago might be irrelevant now.

The real advantage isn't your current knowledge. 

It's your learning speed. 

For you to be successful longterm your focus shouldn't be on clinging to what you already know. 

Your differentiator is being able to dive into something unfamiliar and get up to speed fast.

Treat learning itself as your main skill because everything else is temporary.

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Today is my Birthday!!! 🎂


Another year wiser 🤓

I bet you can’t guess what my beautiful wife Leila got me for my birthday gift!

Your Go To Attorney When Family Court and Immigration Intersect.

Stop collecting certifications. Start building systems.


I see this pattern constantly with aspiring Solutions Architects. Talented people investing hundreds of hours into certifications believing they're the golden ticket to landing their dream role.

Then they hit the interview, specifically the system architecture portion and struggle.

Why? Because certifications teach you what exists, not why you'd choose one approach over another. They don't prepare you for the probing questions that reveal whether you truly understand the trade-offs.

The interviewer isn't looking for someone who memorized services. They want someone who can:
🔸 Justify architectural decisions 
🔸 Navigate constraints and trade-offs
🔸 Explain the "why" behind their choices 
🔸 Demonstrate they've built real systems

Certifications have value. They're great for filling knowledge gaps and learning fundamentals. But they're a supplement, not a substitute for hands-on experience.

If you're early in your career this is where you invest your focus and energy: 
🔸 Build projects
🔸 Break things
🔸 Fix them
🔸 Deploy something real

Your resume gets you in the room.  What you've actually built AND your ability to articulate it gets you the offer.

First stop following last day at AWS after almost 10 years?

Disneyland!

When you choose to close a chapter this big you must celebrate 🤩

If you’re studying hard and earning certs, that takes real dedication. Be proud of that.

And when you’re ready build something. 

Anything. 

It doesn’t have to be perfect.

That little project might just be the thing that changes everything for you.

Early in my career I knew I wanted to work in tech. I just didn’t know how to get my foot in the door.

Pursuing and earning my first cert is what built that confidence. 

It gave me something tangible to stand on. 

But the real learning didn’t kick in until I was actually in the thick of it making mistakes and solving real problems along the way.

The cert got me started. 

The tech industry taught me everything else.

I wish somebody had told me this when I first got started


Now you know.

After ~10 years of focusing almost exclusively on AWS, I’ve started diving into Google Cloud and I’m kicking it off with the Cloud Digital Leader certification prep.

What I like about this cert is that it’s not just “which service does what.” It’s about how Google Cloud approaches digital transformation, data, AI/ML, security, and cost governance from a business-outcomes perspective. It forces you to think less in terms of instances and clusters and more in terms of value, agility, and impact.

If you’re coming from an AWS background like me, exploring Google Cloud is a great way to stretch your thinking in a new direction, see different design patterns, and expand your knowledge. Cloud careers are only getting more multi-cloud, so it makes sense to lean into it.

📌 Train for FREE:
https://lnkd.in/dD_mGedw

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Google Cloud - Cloud Digital Leader

On pace to finish the Google Cloud Digital Leader training today 🤩

Exam scheduled for Monday!

It’s time to give yourself a gift. 


Close your eyes and think of three moments you were incredibly proud of yourself. 

Could have been today, yesterday, last week or ten years ago. 

Doesn’t matter when, just three moments you were proud of yourself. 

For each moment visualize where you were, how you felt, how you were breathing in that proud moment. How accomplished you felt. 

Soak in the feelings for each of those moments.

In that state, what could you accomplish?  

What obstacles could you overcome?

What actions would you take?

The truth is you would be unstoppable.

Every time you are feeling less than the highest form of your true self come back to this exercise to rediscover the powerful, unstoppable you.

I wish I had discovered this sooner.


I'm finalizing prep for the NVIDIA AI Infrastructure & Operations Fundamentals Certification. I'd already taken NVIDIA's training course, which gave me a solid foundation.

But Ashish Prajapati's Udemy course is what's really connecting the dots. I'm about halfway through, and I appreciate the detailed breakdowns of exam concepts and the creative analogies that make it easier to understand, synthesize, and remember key details.

If you're working on this cert I'd recommend adding this course to your overall prep.

CompTIA A+ will always have a special place in my heart ❤️


This certification took the raw talent I had and gave me a clear path to direct that energy.

At the time I didn't know how to do that on my own.

And that's how the CompTIA A+ opened the door to launching my tech career.

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