Alijah Alvarez

Cloud Developer | Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) | Building in Public

📧 alijahalvarez7@gmail.com | 💼 LinkedIn | 📍 Houston, Texas

About Me

I'm a Certified Pharmacy Technician transitioning into cloud development and software engineering. Currently building hands-on AWS projects while working in pharmacy to fund my tech career pivot.


My path: Started with AWS Cloud Practitioner certification, won a scholarship to AWS Cloud Institute (which Amazon shut down mid-program 🙃), and now I'm self-directing my education through AWS Skill Builder, personal projects, and relentless job applications.


What I'm doing now: Applying to remote jobs daily, building portfolio projects in Python and AWS, targeting AWS certifications (Developer Associate + Solutions Architect Associate by end of 2026).

✅ AWS Cloud Practitioner Certified 🎯 AWS Developer Associate (Target: June 2026) 🏗️ Solutions Architect Associate (Target: Sept 2026) 📚 AWS Cloud Institute (Discontinued by Amazon)

My Cloud Journey Timeline

How I went from pre-med dropout → pharmacy tech → aspiring cloud developer (despite Amazon killing my program)

January 2026
Won AWS Cloud Institute Scholarship
Full scholarship to AWS Cloud Institute's 9-month Cloud Application Developer track. Started learning Python, AWS services, and cloud architecture fundamentals.
March 17, 2026
Amazon Shuts Down Cloud Institute
"After careful consideration..." Amazon pulled the plug on the entire program. Lost: the roadmap, the credential, the "AWS Cloud Institute Graduate" resume line. Gained: determination to build my career anyway, 1 year of free AWS Skill Builder access, and certification exam vouchers.
April - June 2026
Sprint for Certification Vouchers
Completing Cloud Institute Q2 courses to earn AWS certification exam vouchers (Cloud Practitioner + Developer Associate). Building portfolio projects simultaneously.
July 2026 - June 2027
AWS Skill Builder Deep Dive
12 months of AWS Skill Builder access. Following Cloud Developer Learning Path: Python, Lambda, DynamoDB, API Gateway, CI/CD, Docker, Kubernetes. Target: AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification by September 2026.
December 2026
Land First Cloud Developer Role
Target: Entry-level cloud developer position ($60k+). Resume line: "AWS Cloud Institute (discontinued program) + 3 AWS Certifications + Portfolio Projects". Amazon killed my program. I'm building my career anyway.

Portfolio Projects

Desktop Companion App

Interactive desktop companion with PyQt6 transparent overlay, typewriter text bubbles, RPG-style audio cues, and screen scanning capabilities. Features idle animations, message library system, and always-on-top window behavior.

Python PyQt6 Pygame OCR

Sorrow Detector Overlay

Real-time lyric overlay with OCR screen scanning, timestamp-synced text rendering, angled text with trigonometry-based positioning, and transparent click-through window. Detects keywords and displays synchronized lyrics with animations.

Python PyQt6 Tesseract OCR Threading

2hugen.com (In Progress)

Touhou character generator using AWS serverless architecture. RAG-based character generation with DynamoDB for data storage, Lambda for compute, Bedrock for AI, and Amplify for hosting.

AWS Lambda DynamoDB Bedrock API Gateway

Personal Website + Roadmap

This website! Responsive portfolio with integrated visitor counter using AWS Lambda + DynamoDB. Tracks my journey from pharmacy tech to cloud developer, including the AWS Cloud Institute shutdown.

HTML/CSS AWS Lambda DynamoDB Responsive Design

Technical Skills

Cloud & AWS

  • AWS Cloud Fundamentals
  • Lambda, DynamoDB, S3
  • API Gateway, Route 53
  • Bedrock (AWS AI Services)
  • Amplify Hosting

Programming

  • Python (PyQt6, Threading)
  • JavaScript (Basic)
  • HTML/CSS
  • Git/GitHub
  • Problem-Solving

Professional

  • Customer Service
  • Detail-Oriented
  • Fast Learner
  • Self-Directed
  • Documentation

Currently Learning

  • Docker & Containers
  • CI/CD Pipelines
  • Infrastructure as Code
  • Networking (CCNA prep)
  • Solutions Architecture

Professional Experience

Walgreens
Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)
May 2024 - Present | Houston, TX
Process 150+ prescriptions daily in high-volume retail environment with 99%+ accuracy. Handle insurance billing/adjudication for Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial plans. Manage controlled substance inventory with DEA compliance. Skills directly transferable to IT: customer service under pressure, technical troubleshooting, attention to detail, documentation, and system navigation.
AWS Cloud Institute
Full Scholarship Recipient - Cloud Application Developer Track
Jan 2026 - June 2026 | Remote
Won competitive full scholarship to 9-month intensive cloud development program. Completing Python fundamentals, AWS services (Rekognition, Lambda, DynamoDB), and cloud architecture coursework. Note: Program discontinued by Amazon in March 2026 - continuing self-directed learning through AWS Skill Builder.
Walgreens
Pharmacy Technician Trainee
Dec 2023 - May 2024 | Houston, TX
Completed comprehensive on-the-job training program. Mastered prescription processing, insurance claims, quality assurance protocols, and pharmacy management systems. Demonstrated ability to rapidly learn complex technical workflows.

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Powered by AWS Lambda + DynamoDB

What's Next

Immediate goals: Land a remote job (pharmacy tech or entry-level cloud/IT), complete AWS Developer Associate certification by June 2026, build 2-3 more portfolio projects.


Long-term vision: Transition fully into cloud development/DevOps by end of 2026. Work with AWS infrastructure, Python automation, and serverless architectures. Maybe build the next big thing. Or at least build cool shit and get paid for it.


Current status (March 2026): Actively applying to remote jobs, building projects, studying AWS, and refusing to let Amazon's program shutdown define my career trajectory.