The following story is truly inspirational and will walk us through the life of a modern working father, Jonathan Vogt, our Regional Delivery Manager in DACH, who has been a vital player inside our company since 2017.
Ever since childhood, Jonathan has described himself as a curious kid. At 5 years old, he went on a trip with some family friends, and their feedback to Jonathan’s parents was, “That guy is never-ending wanting to learn things.”
This particular story is a pattern for the years to follow.
Before joining AllCloud, he worked as a System Administrator for a few companies. The cloud environment in Germany was not very popular in 2017, so when he landed an interview at AllCloud, he was unsure what to expect.
“There was a technical challenge buried in there that I solved in a way that the interviewer had never seen before. She asked, “How did you solve it?” to which I replied, “Well, I did this and that…” and she was surprised it actually worked.”
Soon after this, he got hired at AllCloud. A few months before his start date, he got invited to his first AWS Summit in Berlin, where he met the team.
Jonathan’s first AWS Summit in Berlin (2017)
During these years of collaboration, Jonathan has gone from being a DevOps Engineer to a team leader, to a Manager, and into his current role as a Regional Delivery Manager.
Throughout these years, he did his best to technically challenge his team and encourage them to become Professional Services experts. Along with leading people, he still likes to be hands-on and do what he loves most: technical work!
“Looking back, one of the things I’m really proud of is building up one of our biggest customers in DACH. I managed to do it pretty much independently. It was a big project, but I led the team through it and eventually handed off my work to another team lead to continue.
The best part? The customer was happy the entire time. That makes me feel good because it shows we did something right.
What really stands out to me is the independence I had. Nati trusted me enough to just let me run with it. We didn’t have to talk a lot about what I was doing because he knew I had it under control. That kind of trust felt amazing and really motivated me.”
Jonathan’s second AWS Summit in Israel (2018)
Along with growing his team, in recent years Jonathan has also become a father to three wonderful children. He said that his biggest secret to being so present and involved in his kids’ lives was the possibility of working from home.
“I usually have lunch with my family, being part of what I like to call our little meal ceremony. After that, I head back to work.
Sometimes, if one of my kids falls down and starts crying because they’re hurt, they’ll come into my office. They might want a hug or to be lifted up, and they’ll sit with me for a few minutes, watching the screen. Then, they’ll slide down to the floor, say “bye bye,” and go back to playing. Those moments are really beautiful to me.
I always try to make sure those interactions are possible. I rarely close or lock my office door because I want to be available to them. It’s a small thing, but it means a lot to me, and I think it makes a difference for them too.”
Jonathan and his firstborn on a treadmill
As a piece of advice for all the parents out there, he thinks it’s very important to take the time and answer all the questions that kids might have at this young age. Make sure you nurture their curiosity because if not, the flame might die out.
For anybody who is looking for a new chapter in this ever-growing cloud world, remember that curiosity and relationships are the most important investments.
“Never be satisfied if something is working, without you knowing how it got to work!”