#138 From Brain Tumor to Teaching 500,000 Sysadmin Students with Hiroko Nishimura
Aug 23, 2024
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Hiroko Nishimura is a former special ed teacher who became a technical instructor and overcame a brain tumor. She shares her inspiring journey from childhood in Japan to navigating life in the U.S. after a major health crisis. Hiroko discusses her transition from system administration to empowering over 500,000 students through her teaching. She reflects on cultural challenges, rediscovering coding, and the importance of learning in public. With humor and warmth, she highlights resilience and the community she's built around cloud computing.
Hiroko Nishimura's journey from Japan to the U.S. exemplifies resilience as she adapted to a new culture and language challenges.
After undergoing life-saving brain surgery, Hiroko demonstrated remarkable determination by relearning essential skills and redefining her life post-recovery.
Transitioning from special education to IT, Hiroko leveraged her bilingual skills and passion for technology to excel in the tech industry.
Through the creation of AWS Newbies, Hiroko fostered a supportive community for beginner cloud learners, emphasizing the importance of learning in public.
Deep dives
Hiroko's Early Life and Challenges
Hiroko Nishimura was born in Kyoto, Japan, and moved to the United States at the age of seven, due to her father's job. Upon arriving in the U.S., she faced a significant culture shock and struggled to learn English, often feeling isolated and overwhelmed in a new environment. This challenging transition required her to quickly adapt, as she transitioned into the school system with very limited knowledge of the language. With determination, Hiroko was able to excel academically and quickly catch up with her peers, showcasing her resilience and ability to overcome difficulties.
A Life-Altering Diagnosis
In her early 20s, Hiroko's life took a dramatic turn when she was diagnosed with a vascular tumor in her brain after experiencing a seizure. The diagnosis led to life-saving surgery, but the recovery process was long and filled with challenges as she had to relearn basic functions like walking and talking. Despite the medical professionals initially projecting a grim future, Hiroko refused to accept limitations and worked hard to regain her independence. This journey of recovery highlighted her determination and resilience, as she fought to redefine her life after surgery.
Transitioning to a Tech Career
After obtaining degrees in special education, Hiroko faced difficulties in pursuing a traditional teaching career due to her health challenges. Seeking a stable income and the ability to work in a more accommodating environment, she explored opportunities in IT, using her bilingual skills in English and Japanese to land her first job in a Japanese recruitment firm. Through hard work and continuous learning, Hiroko shifted from an entry-level position in IT to more advanced roles, gradually discovering her passion for technology and cloud computing. This transition marked the beginning of her career in tech, showcasing her ability to adapt and thrive despite obstacles.
Contributions to the AWS Community
Hiroko's journey led her to discover the world of AWS, and she quickly became an advocate for those seeking to learn cloud technologies. She recognized a gap in resources for beginners and created a blog, AWS Newbies, to share her knowledge and experiences with others. Her commitment to learning in public empowered countless individuals to pursue AWS certifications, resulting in a supportive community surrounding her work. This initiative not only solidified her expertise in the field but also transformed her into a respected figure within the tech community.
The Impact of Learning in Public
Through her journey, Hiroko embraced the concept of learning in public, which allowed her to synthesize her knowledge and share insights with others. This approach contributed to a deeper understanding of cloud computing for both herself and her audience, enhancing her ability to teach effectively. As she developed courses and technical materials, she realized the power of community and feedback, which drove her to continually improve her offerings and ensure they were accessible to new learners. This philosophy not only benefitted her own learning process but also fostered growth and connection within the tech community.
Navigating Parenthood and Career
As Hiroko became a mother, she faced the dual challenge of balancing the demands of her growing family alongside her career aspirations. Despite the often overwhelming responsibilities of parenthood, she endeavored to maintain her professional pursuits while ensuring time with her children. By embracing a flexible work arrangement as a technical instructor, she has been able to grow her career in a manner that aligns with her family life. This balance showcases her determination to thrive personally and professionally, highlighting her adaptability in navigating life's challenges.
Strategic Financial Management
Hiroko and her husband developed a strategic approach to their finances, emphasizing open communication and shared responsibilities. By relying primarily on her husband's stable income, they created a safety net that allowed Hiroko to take calculated risks in her career while pursuing her passions. This partnership fostered an environment conducive to growth and stability while raising their children. Their commitment to financial transparency ensured that both parents could focus on nurturing their family and supporting one another's professional journeys.
On this week's episode of the podcast, freeCodeCamp founder Quincy Larson interviews Hiroko Nishimura. She's a special ed teacher turned system administrator turned technical instructor.
Hiroko grew up in Japan and moved to the US as a kid. In her early 20s, she was diagnosed with a vascular tumor in her brain. After life-saving surgery, she had to work to regain the ability to walk and talk. She still lives with disabilities to this day.
Despite this, she's gone on to author technical books, become an AWS hero, and create the popular AWS Newbies community. More than 500,000 people have taken her LinkedIn Learning course.
We talk about:
- How Hiroko moved to the US as a kid and learned English and American culture
- Hiroko's vascular tumor diagnosis, and how she recovered from brain surgery and brain damage
- Her big move to NYC and her years working as a system administrator and ultimately cloud engineer there
- How she made the jump to teaching system administration full-time as a course creator
Can you guess what song I'm playing on my bass during the intro? It's from a 1990 song by a Scottish rock band.
Also, I want to thank the 10,443 kind people who support our charity each month, and who make this podcast possible. You can join them and support our mission at: https://www.freecodecamp.org/donate
Links we talk about during our conversation:
- Hiroko’s article about her brain surgery: https://hiroko.io/my-words/
- Hiroko's book AWS for non-engineers: https://www.manning.com/books/aws-for-non-engineers
- Hiroko's AWS course: https://introtoaws.com
- And her AWS linktree: https://aws.hiroko.io
- My history of the 100DaysOfCode challenge: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/the-crazy-history-of-the-100daysofcode-challenge-and-why-you-should-try-it-for-2018-6c89a76e298d/
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