Meet Miguel A. Calles

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Miguel A. Calles. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Miguel A., thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
I still suffer from a bit of impostor syndrome. It is one of those fears that keeps haunting me. I have found that to help me overcome the syndrome, I keep producing content, creating solutions, and solving problems.

I had wanted to write a book for almost ten years before my first book was published. I wanted to write a novel. I rewrote the opening scene a few times before I decided to stop. I did not think the book would do well, and I was unsure where the story would go. Instead, I kept writing blog posts on cybersecurity, short stories, and software development in the cloud.

After a few years, I realized I had been writing “books” for most of my career. I wrote books in the form of manuals, designs, and specifications for my employer. I already was an author. When I realized this, I submitted a proposal to a publisher and referenced my blog posts as supporting evidence. My proposal was accepted, and the Serverless Security book was published a year later.

I had imposter syndrome the entire time I was writing the book. The fear of being told, “Your book is garbage,” crippled me from writing for several months. I eventually put my fear past me, took a couple of weeks of vacation, and got busy writing. Fast forward a few years, I finished writing my second Mastering AWS Serverless the day after the 2024 New Year’s Day, and it is being published in the Spring of 2024.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I have been an engineer at heart since I was thirteen years old when I went on a field trip to visit an engineering company that built equipment for space systems. I attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to learn about Electrical Engineering and Material Science and Engineering. After I graduated, I worked for an engineering company that built equipment for space systems, military defense systems, naval ships, radars, and many other amazing products that keep the world safe.

Technical writing has been a core part of my engineering career. I wrote various types of documents and manuals for the missions I supported. I also solved problems and created solutions. About six years ago, I changed companies to work on cloud computing, specifically serverless computing. I learn a lot about Amazon Web Services and their various cloud offerings.

One day, I realized there was a lack of book materials on the cybersecurity of serverless computing. I had written blog posts to share what I had learned, but I could not find a book on the topic. I contacted a publisher and highlighted this gap. A year later, my book, “Serverless Security,” was published in 2020 by Apress.

In 2023, a publisher contacted me asking whether I was interested in writing a book on serverless computing. I enjoy creating serverless solutions and have wanted to teach others how to develop serverless applications. My first book mainly explained cybersecurity for serverless applications instead of creating them. This was an opportunity to teach others how to make a serverless application on AWS step by step.

On January 2nd, 2024, I submitted the last of the first drafts for the new book. I have been working closely with BPB Publications to edit the book. I am excited that my second book, “Mastering AWS Serverless,” will be published in Spring 2024.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I have always been a late bloomer. My career started to pick up during my early 30s. What helped me start advancing my career were these three things.

1) Be willing to take on challenges: It is difficult to learn anything new, but no one can take that away from you when you know it. That knowledge and sense of accomplishment are always yours. You can use it on challenging projects as a reminder and encouragement that you have worked through challenges in the past. You can use the knowledge and experience as a tool in your toolbelt to approach problems in the future.

2) Always solve the problem even if it means not getting the credit: The first time I solved a major issue on a problem, someone else got the credit. My manager met with me in private and told me, “I know you are the one that solved the problem. Unfortunately, you are not the one who will get the credit. Even though you will not get the recognition, you should be proud that you solved the problem. You helped the company and the project be successful.” I took that to heart, even though I was discouraged at first. Eventually, I got recognition when I solved the second major issue on the same project with the same personnel. Several engineers and experts spent weeks working on this problem but were unsuccessful. After everyone else had given up, I was still in the lab trying to find clues to solve the problem. I eventually found it, and our customer could accept the system’s delivery.

3) Always train your replacement: One of my mentors gave me this advice. He warned me that when you get too good at something, there is a risk that the leadership will keep you there for fear they will not find someone as good as you. He said that if you train others on what you know, others can fill in the gap when you move on. The leadership will allow you to move on to bigger and better things since they know someone can use the documentation and training you provided to keep things moving. By doing this, I have been able to change projects, change focus areas, and start initiatives.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
Unfortunately, I cannot remember the book title, which immensely helped my productivity. I realized I tended to procrastinate on large projects. I found myself focusing on small tasks at work instead of working on a big project that affected many stakeholders. One day, I listened to an audiobook about procrastination. The main takeaway was to dedicate 30 minutes to work on a task you procrastinate on. It did not matter whether you finished within 30 minutes. The important thing was starting the tasks. The author found that many people completed the task within five to ten minutes. Those persons were amused that they had been procrastinating and fretting over a task that only took a few minutes. I tried this concept on a large technical project. I found it did not work even after trying it a few times. I realized I had to adjust this principle since technical work sometimes takes two to four hours to “get started.” When I dedicated two hours to “start” or “continue” a technical task I procrastinated on, I found I had started making progress.

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Image Credits
Photo by Cory Knowlton. Serverless Security book cover by Apress.

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