Show 10: Amazon Web Services w/ Anderson .Paak in Las Vegas

I sometimes get asked how to pivot into a tech career.

It’s a privilege to be asked how not just because it signals that I have made impact on others, but also because of the unseen work in trying to figure it out for myself.

I have served over 1000 students & participants in technology, education, or mentoring programs over the past 10 years, with hundreds launching their tech careers or going into STEM programs at top colleges.

The most reliable answer I can give to how to best pivot into technology is to go to tech events. Better yet, immerse yourself at tech events often. Admittedly, it’s a lot easier to do in major cities, but at the very least, have a goal of going to at least one tech event per week on average. You never know what can arise.

You might meet a recruiter. You might meet a co-founder. You might even find out that you no longer like HealthTech, but you love what’s going on in FinTech.

Or maybe you will finally meet one of your favorite artists as he leaves a post-tech conference stage mid-performance and comes up the staircase to the VIP section where you are, then fist-bumps you, and then dances and sings with you and your techie friends.

OK fine—that’s not going to happen to you. But here’s how it happened to me.

In Summer of 2019, a special opportunity was announced by an organization called We Power Tech in collaboration with Amazon Web Services [AWS] to help bring diverse, emerging tech talent to the premier cloud computing conference called AWS Re:Invent.

The grant, which roughly had a value of $5000, provided the following:

🎟️ Full conference pass to AWS re:Invent

✈️ Flights to Las Vegas

🏨 5 nights hotel stay

☕ Access to grantee lounge + reserved keynote seating

🤝 Exclusive networking, mentorship, and curated events

🚗 Uber support to/from the airport

🎁 Swag

I won the grant.

In fact, I won it twice—for 2019 and 2021.

In fact, I helped nearly a dozen people win the grant for AWS Re:Invent for of those years that I won it.

As grant winners, we got free access to the workshops, seminars, and keynotes. We also were able to secure access to various corporate afterparties.

And at the end of the conference, there was a festival called Re:Play, filled with free food, activations, and concerts. The headliner for 2019 happened to be one of my favorite artists to this day, Anderson .Paak.

Anderson .Paak’s “Malibu” album from 2016 is one of my favorites of all-time. Songs like “The Bird” and “The Dreamer” resonate with more than ever right now. So when he performed those on that evening in Las Vegas, I was elated. I started howling in laughter when he took a moment to voice his observation that “there’s a lot of dudes in here!”

But a little while after that comment, I became confused as to why he abruptly exited stage left mid-performance. Then the sense of confusion turned to feeling petrified. He was coming up the stairs to the VIP section where the We Power Tech grant winners were. What was I going to do when I see him? And oh no, would I really have to dance now?

I had been watching the show right at the top of the stair case. With microphone in hand, we danced for a couple of seconds. He did the same with a few others. On his way back down the staircase, he gave me a fist bump. I forget what happened the rest of the night.

As I reflect on that moment, our fists colliding symbolized my two decades of concertgoing colliding with a career in/around technology that I had worked so hard to pivot towards over several years.

And so in the spirit of that joyful moment and those AWS Re:Invent weeks in 2019 and 2021, I want to encourage you to apply to the AWS All Builders Welcome grant by July 22, 2025 8pm EST for AWS Re:Invent 2025 (12/1/25-12/5/25).

Because I want my subscribers to win, below are excerpts of my actual responses to the questions from the 2021 grant application:

Question: What do you want to attend AWS Re:Invent 2019

Response: In short: A return to the tech skill building & networking goals I set for myself in 2019; and the start of authentic relationships that can help all of us, including the students with I work in NYC, diversify tech industries over the long run.

I made a personal commitment to transform my non-technical background and skill set in recent years, but 2020 has brought disruption to my life in the form of having to move twice in 5 months and forcing a harder pivot for my entrepreneurship venture. Yet, I was able to pick up agile development and project management skills that allowed me to collaborate virtually with a nationwide team of 19 for the rollout of an entrepreneurship learning site.... But there's a new iteration to come for that tool, and a new iteration for my own venture and I’m more determined and better equipped now to make additional connections and dive deeper into the AWS offerings that can help with these iterations.

Question: Please describe your background - what professional, academic, or extracurricular activities are you engaged in related to your field? 

Response: I grew up having many educational and career opportunities taken away from or inaccessible to me. It wasn’t until I started a business to improve workforce/career outcomes for organizations that I discovered the impact I could make in tech. In working with tech education non-profits, government agencies and schools/school systems, I have helped to prepare hundreds of low-income, underrepresented talent in NYC for tech careers and for enhancing their basic digital literacy skills.

My academic background is in the social sciences and I know that for me to advance and catch up in my career, I need to accelerate my learning of tech skills that are in great demand. I have started with project management and agile development, which led me to be the project manager for… a tool for immigrants to learn about independent contracting and business formation. I can’t express the pride I have in knowing that in its recent release, thousands of individuals and several colleges/universities and local government programs are using the tool.

I have also designed a few prototypes/MVPs that won hackathon and social impact prizes, but admittedly, I usually felt helpless in the development stage because I have always had to pass on that part of the product life cycle to experienced engineers. My core part of my plan for catching up in my career path is to accelerate my knowledge of cloud computing, particularly via the leading provider, AWS.

Question: Please tell us if you are currently working or studying.

Response: I’m currently running my business, GrantAnswers, which provides data, strategy, and product solutions in the workforce development and education spaces. I am also studying for Project Management credentials.

I co-teach Python for Data Science, Web Development w/ JavaScript classes at The Knowledge House (TKH), which has the mission of to lifting entire communities out of poverty by creating a pipeline of talented and capable workers equipped with the technology and skills that provide economic opportunity, living wages, and career mobility. I was behind the scenes in helping to shape the vision for TKH in 2013.

Question: Please tell us about your work or what you are studying.

Response: As an example of the work at my company, we have helped a technical education non-profit create its tech career curriculum, teach career classes, and strengthen employer partners, leading to 280+ tech placements and an increase in operational budget of over 100%. I’ve helped with fundraising efforts that have recently led to $570,000 in giving, including donations from tech companies.

I personally have co-taught 12 cohorts (200+ participants) of NYC’s Tech Talent Pipeline Bridge-To-Tech classes for low-income and foreign-born New York City residents. Many went on to advanced bootcamps, and some recent alumni have just accepted engineering offers at McKinsey and Bloomberg.

I've co-trained 800+ of TKH's students from intro to advanced classes, and some alumni have gone on to work for companies like Citi, McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, Facebook, and Microsoft. This involves creating curricula, preparing talent for interviews, and co-teaching the courses.

Question: What professional, academic, or extracurricular activities related to your field are you most proud of?

Response: Seeing former students I have helped to train for tech careers now working as engineers and data analysts at companies like Goldman Sachs, Citi, Bloomberg, and Facebook instills a great sense of pride. I’m proud that I have channeled my life’s frustrations in a constructive way to help others who often don’t live nor look like me.

Even though I’ve made a commitment to improve my own tech skills in these very challenging times, my journey helps me empathize with underdogs in tech so that I will likely always be involved in training/educating others in their career journeys. At the same time, since I got a late start in my career because of immigration status, their accomplishments give me a sense of purpose and redemption.

What brings me most fulfillment is that all of the TKH students I have worked with are are low-income or come from racial/ethnic groups that are historically excluded from tech. I'm also proud of my impact on the organization itself. I’ve helped with fundraising efforts that have recently led to $570,000 in giving, including donations from tech companies.

Question: Do you consider yourself an AWS community leader? If yes, please provide examples. (do you organize AWS events or AWS user groups, or create educational content, to help others learn about AWS and build technical skills?).

Response: Maybe not in the typical community building sense, but:

1. From late 2018-early 2020, I made it a requirement for students whom I was training to attend AWS Loft events and workshops in SOHO, NYC in-person.

2. I shared this application for AWS re:Invent and the one in 2019 with dozens of students and colleagues

3. Since 2018, I was advocating for a tech education non-profit that I serve to include AWS certification as a curriculum goal. In 2020, the non-profit pivoted to a year-long program model that culminates in AWS certification training, with all costs covered for students throughout their training

Question: Anything else you'd like us to know about?

Response: When I look at my resume, I don’t have big name companies or schools. Maybe I’m ok sometimes at hiding it, but when I have attended big tech events, I have deeply felt imposter syndrome. So one very personal motivation for going to AWS Re:Invent is to continue to assert to myself that I belong there, and that I belong in tech.

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Concert access + more:

1. Raphael Saadiq is extending his one-man show nationwide. Tickets are here.

2. 8/16/25, 6-10pm: Brooklyn- Funk Flex R&B Birthday Party w/ Carl Thomas / Christopher Williams / Soul for Real

3. $30 Tickets for various concerts nationwide via Live Nation are still available. Our favorites include:

   • Jonas Brothers x All American Rejects

   • James Taylor

4. 8/17/25, 7-10pm: Manhattan- Funk Flex R&B Picnic 

   • Look at all the free NYC City Parks Foundation concerts here

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About the author:

Cris M. is the award-winning Founder & CEO of GrantAnswers, an NYC-based data, strategy & consulting firm founded in 2013. His journey to becoming an award-winning entrepreneur has been highlighted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, MTV, and Forbes. He has helped +1000s launch careers in tech & secure acceptances to top colleges & programs. His speaking engagements for the likes of Columbia Business School, Teach for America and the US Chamber of Commerce encompass immigration, career development, entrepreneurship, and tech diversity & inclusion. He is also an avid concertgoer for +25 years and counting, and likes to tell stories about it.