I joined AWS in November 2019. Start as a data center project engineer, but there were promotions, team name changes, and mergers, and I'm working under my current title. The scope of work has not changed much.
After graduating from graduate school, I joined a Japanese telecommunications company. I experienced about telecommunication facility maintenance, contract work with customers, overseas technical sales, and data center electrical design/construction management. I changed my job to a foreign facility management company in 2016, and joined AWS after experiencing the operation of owned building and vendor management of building operations as an engineering manager at a foreign financial company.
While doing facility management work, I realized the importance of engineering, and in particular how equipment design affects operation. Meanwhile, a senior who has been worked to me since the first company joined AWS, and I wanted to be involved in data center engineering work again, and since an engineering team position was opened in Japan, Then I joined AWS.
What I belong to is called CRE (Colo Regional Engineering), and it is a engineering department in charge of sites built by external DC operators(colo site). Our main job is assessment work for colo site design. Risks hidden in design and equipment are thoroughly identified during the assessment, and remedy or risk mitigations are carried out. The subject of the assessment covers a wide range (electrical, mechanical, control, structure, architecture, etc.) and has been confirmed to a very deep. Also, since I am in charge of not only Japanese but also overseas sites, I can gain knowledge and experience not only domestically but also as a world-class engineer.
The most rewarding part is being a game changer. You can influence technically to standard by implementing new technology promoted by AWS or best practice widely known in overseas. And conversely, you can influence the best practice that Japan is more advanced than anywhere else to global standards by developing technical papers. In the case of Japan in particular, changing something is challenging, but what I can influence standards with my own words and it was very proud when a more reliable data center is built as a result.
I think English is one of the reasons for those who can't take the first step even if he/she is interested in AWS in Japan. AWS is a global company, so of course you are required to use English on a daily basis. However, there is a big gap between the level of English that Japanese people think of the minimum necessary and the level of English that we Japanese employees, including myself, actually use on a daily basis. I myself can't understand movies without subtitles, and I often use translation software. But I can get the job done. English is just a tool; We always what we talk rather how we talk. Of course, it is necessary to make an effort to improve English proficiency after joining the company, but by listening to English spoken by Japanese people, you will improve your level more quickly. If you don't have an English allergy, but think you don't have confidence, AWS's doors are wider than you might think.