#121 From Application Dev to AWS Hero: A Journey in Tech & Impact - with Johannes Koch

In this episode, I’m joined by Johannes Koch, Principal Engineer and AWS DevTools Hero, to talk about the real DevOps mindset, the evolution of developer experience, and how community work changed his career.

Johannes shares how starting in QA and support gave him a unique edge in understanding users, why building a proper CI/CD pipeline should come before writing code, and how the AWS Community Builders program helped him grow into his current role.

We also dive into:

• What DevOps culture actually means beyond automation
• His take on GitOps and why CI/CD is still underrated
• Behind the scenes of the AWS Heroes Program
• Creating content, mentoring others, and avoiding the trap of tech hype

Whether you're starting out in DevOps or deep into cloud architecture, Johannes' insights are packed with value for data and AI professionals.

Links:

• Johannes on LinkedIn
• YouTube: @cicdonaws
• AWS Community Day DACH