DEV Community: Diary of a Tech Sis

AWS vs Azure vs GCP: My Crossroad Journey as a Junior MLOPs Engineer

Diary of a Tech Sis — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 14:38:18 +0000

Stepping into the AI cloud computing world felt like standing at a crossroad with three massive signposts: AWS, Azure, and GCP(Google Cloud Platform). Each one promising endless possibilities, job opportunities, and career growth. As a junior tech enthusiast eager to sharpen my skills and break into AI cloud technologies, I found myself asking the age-old question — which one should I learn first?

Market Demand: Which AI Cloud Platform is Leading?

Let’s face it — job opportunities and market demand often dictate where we focus our efforts. AWS, being the oldest cloud platform, dominates with the largest market share. Companies like Netflix, Airbnb, and Spotify rely heavily on AWS, making it a solid choice for anyone stepping into AI cloud technologies.

Azure, however, isn’t lagging behind. With Microsoft’s ecosystem deeply rooted in many enterprises, it’s the go-to for organizations like eBay, Samsung, and Boeing. It’s especially strong if you’re looking to work in AI solutions integrated with hybrid cloud environments or companies already invested in Microsoft products.

GCP may have a smaller slice of the pie, but its focus on AI, machine learning, and competitive pricing makes it a great fit for innovation-driven projects. Companies like Coca-Cola, Snapchat, and Ubisoft use GCP’s robust AI and data tools. The job market for GCP AI roles is growing, though not as saturated as AWS and Azure.

Job Opportunities: Where’s the Gold Mine?

From my research, AWS and Azure tend to have more job listings, simply because of their market share and adoption rates. However, more jobs also mean more competition. GCP, while having fewer openings, offers a unique advantage — less competition but still growing demand. If you’re strategic, mastering GCP could position you as a valuable asset to companies leveraging Google’s AI tech stack.

Ecosystem and Community Support
AWS has an expansive community, rich documentation, and countless tutorials. As a beginner, I appreciated the endless support available, from online forums to YouTube channels dedicated to AWS AI certifications.

Azure’s community is steadily growing, but I noticed the documentation sometimes felt a bit lacking compared to AWS. However, its seamless integration with Microsoft products means if you’re already familiar with tools like Office 365 or Windows Server, you’ll feel at home.

GCP, being Google-powered, has solid integration with open-source AI tools like TensorFlow and Kubernetes. Though its community is smaller, it’s tight-knit and very focused on AI and data science — a huge plus for anyone eyeing the future of tech.

Unique Features and Services

AWS is the all-rounder, known for its mature AI services, from SageMaker for machine learning to Rekognition for image analysis. It’s reliable, but the vast service catalog can be overwhelming at first.

Azure shines with its AI and cognitive services, offering pre-built models for speech recognition, language understanding, and computer vision. It’s a top choice for enterprises transitioning from on-premises AI models to cloud solutions.

GCP is the innovator. Its AI and machine learning services, like Vertex AI for building and deploying models and BigQuery for AI-powered data analytics, caught my attention. If AI research or data science is your focus, GCP is a strong contender.

My Path Forward: How I’m Navigating the Crossroad

So, how am I choosing? I’ve decided to start with GCP, given its strong focus on AI and ML, while keeping an eye on AWS for its market dominance. Once I build a solid cloud foundation, I plan to dive into Azure to expand my knowledge of hybrid cloud environments and Microsoft’s AI ecosystem.

Ultimately, no choice is a bad choice. All three platforms share core AI cloud concepts — like AI model deployment, data storage, and API integration — so the skills you gain in one will transfer to the others. The key is to start somewhere, stay consistent, and build on your knowledge.

If you’re like me, standing at this crossroad, my advice is simple: pick the AI cloud platform aligned with your career goals, learn its core AI services, and grow from there. AI cloud computing is the future, and whether it’s AWS, Azure, or GCP — you’re stepping into a world of endless tech possibilities.

"Trapped in Tutorial Hell? Signs You're Stuck and How to Escape Fast!"

Diary of a Tech Sis — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 16:33:10 +0000

Today, I want to talk about something that almost every techie, especially those diving into programming, data science, or machine learning, has faced — Tutorial Hell. Yes, that endless cycle of watching tutorial after tutorial, convincing yourself you're learning, but never actually building anything. 😩

I remember when I first got into tech. It was exciting — the possibilities felt endless, and I wanted to absorb everything at once. Python, TensorFlow, web development — I hopped from one YouTube tutorial to the next, downloading every Udemy course that had 'Complete' or 'Masterclass' in its title. It felt productive. I was filling up my brain with information, right? 🧠

Wrong.

Weeks turned into months, and despite all the hours I spent watching videos and copying code line by line, I couldn’t build anything from scratch without pulling up a tutorial. Then, one day, I was out with a friend, and we were talking about our tech journeys. He looked at me and asked one simple question:

"What have you built?"

That question hit me like a truck. 🚚

I had watched every Python tutorial religiously, yet I couldn’t name a single project I had created from scratch. It was slightly embarrassing. That’s when I realized I wasn’t actually learning — I was just cycling through tutorials, mistaking consumption for creation.

Signs You're in Tutorial Hell 🔥

If you’re wondering whether you're stuck in Tutorial Hell, ask yourself the same question my friend asked me: What have you built?

Still unsure? Here are some red flags:

Dependency on Tutorials: You can't start or finish a project without a tutorial open in another tab. 📚
False Sense of Progress: Watching 10 hours of videos feels like work, but you're not coding or solving problems yourself. ⏳
Fear of Blank Screens: An empty IDE scares you because there’s no step-by-step guide. 💻
Constantly Starting Over: You keep hopping from one tutorial to the next, hoping the 'next one' will magically make you an expert. 🎬

How I Escaped Tutorial Hell 🛠️

Here's how I broke free (and how you can too!):

Building Small Projects: I forced myself to build small, simple projects without tutorials. A basic calculator, a to-do list app, or a simple data visualization using Matplotlib — anything to push me to think for myself. 🧪

Project-Based Learning: I picked tutorials that encouraged customization and solving bugs without spoon-fed answers. I also found GitHub project-based learning resources and followed YouTube playlists that emphasized building over watching. 🎯

Incremental Learning: Instead of bingeing TensorFlow videos, I built a basic neural network and gradually added complexity. One concept at a time. 🧩

Documentation First: I trained myself to check official docs and Stack Overflow before running back to YouTube. 📄

Accountability: I joined coding communities and started sharing my projects online. It kept me motivated and opened the door for valuable feedback. 🌐

Final Thoughts 💭

If you're reading this and nodding along, you might be in Tutorial Hell too. The good news? There’s a way out — but it starts with closing that YouTube tab and opening a blank file in your IDE.

It’s scary at first, but trust me — the magic happens when you stop consuming and start creating. ✨

I’ll be compiling a small list of projects you can use to escape Tutorial Hell — stay tuned! 🔥

Tutorials aren't the enemy — but relying on them is. The way out is simple: build something. Start small, break things, and learn by doing. Close that extra tab, open your IDE, and just create. 🚀

Don’t Skip the Junior Dev Phase — A Lesson from Supplements

Diary of a Tech Sis — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 20:13:36 +0000

On this fateful journey to becoming an MLOps Engineer, I started with the first module of the course “Get started with Azure AI Services”. I scrolled down to the end of the tutorial, wondering when this journey would end.

I imagined how my first interview would go — me wowing my interviewers with mind-blowing projects they never saw coming, landing a six-figure job, or maybe founding the next unicorn startup that would revolutionize the tech world.

But as my mind swirled in this world of imagination, reality hit me — no GitHub repo, no portfolio, no freelance gig, 50+ interview rejections, and sadly, no tech startup.

Lost in discouragement, my hand accidentally kicked a supplement bottle on my desk. The tablets scattered across the table — just like the chaotic plots of a dataset I had been working on.

In that moment, something clicked: It’s okay to be a JUNIOR DEV.

If you're like me — overly ambitious — you might find yourself living in your destination rather than your present. While dreaming big is great, it can stop you from appreciating the process when you're so focused on the future.

The lesson supplements taught me?
If I drank all 60 pills at once, I wouldn’t instantly become healthier — I’d become a ghostwriter.

Instead, I take them one day at a time — and that’s exactly how growth works in tech too:

One line of code.
One pull request.
One small project.

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin. — Zechariah 4:10

So here’s my advice: Be a Junior Dev.

Show up every day.
Write messy code.
Celebrate small wins.
Learn from the mistakes.

One day, without even realizing it, you'll look back and see how far those small daily efforts have taken you — maybe even to that unicorn startup you dream about.

Over to you...
What’s one "Junior Dev moment" you’ve experienced — a small win, a silly bug, your first "Hello World" program, or a tough lesson — that reminded you growth happens one step at a time?

Let’s share our journeys and inspire each other! 🚀

THE NEXT STEP: The 100 days Tech Challenge

Diary of a Tech Sis — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 19:48:00 +0000

I realized I was falling into the same spiral again, create one post, get motivated, and stop. Imagine a vehicle that drives for only five (5) minutes and stops? It wouldn't get very far, would it.
So I went to find the root of this dreaded curse that has plagued me for these five (5) years. A curse that, if I don't lift it, could alter the next ten (10) years of my life. Where potential never becomes kinetic. Forced to say the dreaded words "I always wanted to start a blog but I let laziness eat it up."

So I searched and toiled and found some principles that I would love to share and implement on my journey

“Knowledge isn't power until it is applied.” ~ Dale Carnegie

THE 5 SECONDS RULE

From the book "The 5 Seconds Rule" by Mel Robbins. It advocates that people should start completing a possibly unpleasant task within 5 seconds; otherwise, they may try to postpone the completion of the task. Basically, if you are about to procrastinate on a task, just count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and do it. It sounded silly to me at first, but so far it has drastically cut down how much I procrastinate.

IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

When you feel the urge to procrastinate, count “1, 2, 3, 4, 5” and begin immediately.

Start small

Now if you are a little like me, I tend to over glamorize the 'destination' so much that I forget to enjoy the process. It makes me discouraged when I haven't coded for 4–8 hrs. Until I read "Atomic Habits" by James Clear, which explains how starting small makes habits more sustainable—even if it is one percent (1%) change every month, it is better than nothing at all. Always start your goals with something small. Make it so disgustingly small that it is impossible to procrastinate. For example, I want to watch a tutorial video "How to build an LLM from scratch". The video is about 1 hour long. You can make a goal to watch 5 mins of the video and implement it every day. See how it relieves the pressure and, with time, you will have the capacity to go hours on end.

IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

Break tasks into tiny, manageable steps. For instance, if you’re watching a tutorial video, commit to just 5 minutes a day.

Focus on incremental progress (even a 1% change every 2 weeks) e.g. every two weeks add 5 extra minutes to your video watching commitment.

A Little Drop of Water Makes a mighty Ocean ~ Anonymous

Supportive ecosystem: Get an accountability partner or a community you can be accountable to. Or you can join a challenge if you are a competitive person. Find an accountability partner or join a community where you can share your progress, Consider joining a challenge if you thrive in competitive settings.

IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

Find an accountability partner or join a community where you can share your progress.

Consider joining a challenge if you thrive in competitive settings.

Systems work: Now, without systems, an organization can't work; how can we apply that to you. A system can be as simple as by 9am every weekdays, I will code 5 mins a day. And you set an alarm. I might sound simple but it has help me a lot in working efficiently.

IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

Set a specific time each day (e.g., 9 AM) to start working on your goal.

Change your mindset: A man notices that elephants in an elephant camp are tied to a small rope around one ankle. He asks a trainer why the elephants don't break free. The trainer explains that the elephants were tied with the same size rope when they were babies, so they grew up believing the rope was stronger than they were. The elephants never tried to break free, even though they were strong enough to do so. This story shows how mindset can limit your progress. Do you tell yourself every day "I can never understand that programming concept" or "I can never break into tech"? That could be what is limiting your progress in your tech journey. Make up your mind and say to yourself, "I can do anything I put my mind to."

IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

Use daily affirmations to reinforce a positive mindset (e.g., “I can do anything I put my mind to”).

Treat yourself: Yes, you heard me, Treat yourself. It can be as simple as after I get to the 30mins markup in the video, I will watch a movie or I will buy a treat. Something that can keep you going.

IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

Reward yourself after small milestones—whether it’s a movie or a small treat—to stay motivated.

Redefine failure: Failure is success older brother. What do you do to yourself when you fail. do you beat yourself up or do you learn from your mistake. A baby doesn't fall down after walking a couple of steps and say he isn't walking again because he failed.

IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

At the end of each week, review your progress and note what worked or didn’t.

CONSISTENCY not Perfectionism: It took a while to relearn this part. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT. In fact, I have come to believe perfect doesn't exist, instead if you show up every day counts better than showing up perfect. Come on you are just human cut yourself some slack.

IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

Learn from any setbacks without being too hard on yourself, and adjust your plan as needed.

Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” – Dwayne Johnson

Hey everyone, thanks for taking the time to read through my journey and the principles that have helped me break free from that unproductive cycle. I wrote this post because I was stuck in a spiral of creating one post, getting motivated, and then stopping—like a vehicle that drives for just five minutes and then halts. That realization pushed me to dig deep, overcome a five-year curse, and set a course for the next ten years of my life where my potential can truly turn into kinetic action.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, or experiences related to this journey. Please leave any questions you have in the comments below. Your feedback not only sparks additional discussion but also helps create a community where we all learn from each other. So, what do you think? Let’s keep the conversation going!

GET UP!!! Welcome to Diary of a Tech Sis

Diary of a Tech Sis — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 13:36:52 +0000

Hello, world! My name is Aibuedefe Ede, and I have a confession to make. I’ve had this idea for a little over two years now, but the fear of standing out, the fear of taking the first step, and the fear of not knowing the outcome held me back. The constant awareness of my weaknesses overwhelmed me daily. It wasn’t just the fear of what people might think, but also the fear of what I would think about myself. I listened to all the podcasts, watched countless YouTube videos, and read numerous books.

Sometimes you have to do it afraid ~ Anonymous

I recently returned home after completing my NYSC program and stumbled upon my diary from five years ago. I saw the same goals I had written in 2020, now appearing as my 2025 New Year goals. It dawned on me—it was all potential energy, with no kinetic energy. All I did was dream. Now, I had to wake up and get moving, or I would forever be stuck in a dream, trapped in my comfort zone. I had potential but never the courage to showcase it. So, cheers to my first step. The journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step. As I take this step, my potential will be revealed to the world.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step ~ lao tuz

I’m using this as a medium to challenge you: GET UP! The first step may not be perfect; you might even fall flat on your face. But the fact is, you got up. A couple more steps, and that potential energy will transform into kinetic energy. A sleeping giant poses no threat—so you need to GET UP! Start that blog, launch that startup, send that text. You miss every shot you don’t take.

print ("GET UP!!!")

With this, I’m thrilled to welcome you to Diary of a Tech Sis — a space where I’ll be documenting my daily journey as a tech enthusiast. This blog is more than just a collection of posts; it's a reflection of my growth, challenges, wins, and everything in between as I navigate the ever-evolving world of technology. I am excited to take this journey with you.

Let's Connect! 🚀

I wrote this post to remind myself—and you—that fear is part of the process, but it shouldn’t hold us back. Taking that first step is often the hardest, but it’s also the most powerful. If you’ve been waiting for a sign to start something new, this is it!

💬 I’d love to hear from you:

What’s one thing you’ve been afraid to start?
Have you ever taken a bold first step? How did it feel?
Share your thoughts in the comments below—I’d love to read your stories!

If this post inspired you, like, share, or tag a friend who needs that extra push to get started. Let’s grow together, one step at a time.

DiaryOfATechSis #FirstStep #TechJourney #GrowthMindset