Why Leaving Amazon Early Was My Smartest Move

Usman Aslam
ILLUMINATION
Published in
5 min readDec 12, 2023

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Image Credit: Mo Padri on Shutterstock

Dive into my 16-year journey in the tech industry, where a significant chapter unfolds at Amazon.

Here, I didn’t just conduct 80+ interviews but accomplished the remarkable feat of earning all 12 AWS certifications within a year.

Little did I anticipate the prevailing trend of many leaving Amazon before their second anniversary — a choice that would soon become my own.

Feel free to explore and save the curated lists included at the end of this story. Follow me for future stories and subscribe for email updates.

In this story, you will get a glimpse of my decision to exit AWS before the second anniversary. From harsh onboarding to the pitfalls of Amazon’s PIP culture, you’ll explore the hidden challenges that led to a career-defining choice. You will gain insights into the flaws of the promo process, illusory wealth, and the RSU vesting system.

Let’s cut to the chase and talk about why leaving AWS before my second anniversary was my best decision.

1. Harsh Onboarding Experience

The excitement of joining Amazon was overshadowed by a harsh onboarding process.

Despite having a generous three months, I was handed a document with outdated videos and left to navigate a sea of…

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Usman Aslam
ILLUMINATION

Ex-Amazonian, Sr. Solutions Architect at AWS, 12x AWS Certified. ❤️ Tech, Cloud, Programming, Data Science, AI/ML, Software Development, and DevOps. Join me 🤝