Meet AWS Hero Chris Williams: From Pre-Med to Cloud Architecture

AWS Hero User Group Leader

In this engaging interview, we sit down with Chris Williams, an AWS Hero and community leader who currently serves as the Developer Relations Manager for HashiCorp in North America. Chris’s journey into technology is as unique as his approach to building communities and solving complex technical challenges.

An Unexpected Path into Tech

Chris’s tech journey began unexpectedly during his college years while studying pre-med. What started as setting up a simple network for playing Doom with his roommates led to him being hired by his university to rebuild the entire Computer Science department’s network infrastructure. This opportunity not only paid for his tuition but also launched his career in IT.

From VMware to AWS: Evolution of a Tech Career

Before becoming deeply involved with AWS, Chris ran a VMware user group and hosted a technology podcast. Recognizing the transformative potential of cloud computing, he pivoted his focus to AWS and started the AWS Portsmouth user group. His community contributions eventually led to him becoming an AWS Hero after three nominations.

Notable Projects and Achievements

One of Chris’s most impactful early AWS projects involved helping a printing software company streamline their deployment process. Using CloudFormation, he reduced their implementation timeline from six months to just 29 minutes - a transformation that convinced him of cloud computing’s game-changing potential.

The Architect’s Approach

As an enterprise architect, Chris developed a structured methodology for approaching projects, influenced by the TOGAF framework. He emphasizes four key areas when starting any project:

Requirements
Risks
Assumptions
Constraints

His signature approach involves getting stakeholders from all levels - from C-suite to engineers - in one room to hash out these elements before beginning any work.

Community Impact and Education

Chris is passionate about education and helping others transition into tech careers. Through his podcast, The Brownbag, he’s helped document paths from various non-technical roles into IT careers, including stories of waitresses becoming data analysts and truck drivers becoming network engineers.

Advice for Cloud Beginners

For those starting their cloud journey, Chris emphasizes:

Turn on billing alarms first
Understand the “four food groups” of IT:
- Networking
- Storage
- Compute
- Security

He believes these fundamentals are essential before diving into more advanced cloud services.

Chris can be found through his blog at mistwire.com, on LinkedIn, and through various contributions to freecodecamp.com. He encourages people to reach out to him for career guidance and technical advice.

Interview Questions

When did you start your tech career?

I started in tech unexpectedly during college. While studying pre-med, I set up a network for playing Doom with my roommates, which led to me being hired to wire the university's CS department.

What are your community activities and what makes you special in the community?

I run the AWS Portsmouth user group and host a technology podcast. I'm known as a 'human router' in the AWS community, connecting people with the right expertise.

What was your first tech project and/or AWS project?

My first significant AWS project involved helping a printing software company streamline their deployment process. Using CloudFormation, I reduced their implementation timeline from six months to just 29 minutes.

What was your first touchpoint with the AWS community?

I was running a VMware user group and hosting a technology podcast. As cloud computing emerged, I pivoted my focus to AWS and started the AWS Portsmouth user group.

What was your favorite project in your tech career?

Helping a printing software company reduce their deployment time from 6 months to 29 minutes using CloudFormation. That transformation convinced me of cloud computing's game-changing potential.

What would you tell your younger self before starting your tech career?

Turn on billing alarms first! And understand the 'four food groups' of IT: networking, storage, compute, and security. These fundamentals are essential before diving into cloud services.

Do you have any online presence and who would be your target audience?

I can be found through my blog at mistwire.com, on LinkedIn, and through various contributions to freecodecamp.com. My content is aimed at helping beginners enter tech, including career transition guidance.