Cloud Engineering / DevOps / Backend Development

Rodger J. Polanco

Building cloud infrastructure and automated deployments teams can rely on

I'm a cloud engineer based in Ocala, FL. I build and manage cloud infrastructure, set up automated deployments, and create APIs that connect applications. I focus on making systems reliable and easy to maintain.

The Journey

I started in tech doing design work at a small web agency. When the backend team left, I took over infrastructure I had never touched before. I migrated the company from Rackspace to AWS, debugged payment failures, and configured SSL for over 200 customer sites manually.

From there I joined NextGenEdu as the first employee, working on product definition and coordinating with an overseas dev team before shifting into more technical work.

Ocoos

I started as a design intern at Ocoos, a local web agency. I made website mockups, handled Google Analytics, and wrote HTML/CSS. I introduced Adobe XD to the team, which improved handoffs between design and development.

When the backend team left, I took over. I migrated us from Rackspace to AWS, debugged payment issues, managed servers running out of resources, handled DNS, and configured SSL certificates for over 200 customer sites by hand. I learned how infrastructure works when things break.

NextGenEdu

When Ocoos shut down, I followed the CEO to NextGenEdu, a startup focused on career discovery for high school students. I helped co-author an IEEE white paper on the concept. As the first employee, I defined features and coordinated with a dev team in India. I got my AWS Solutions Architect certification during this time.

Anew Design Automation

On the side, I did contract work for Anew Design Automation. I set up AWS infrastructure (EC2, databases, IAM), configured Atlassian tools, ran Jenkins pipelines, and built a WordPress site for marketing.

Where I Am Now

At NextGenEdu, I build backend features with Node.js and TypeScript, design database schemas with Prisma, write tests, and build REST APIs. I also manage our cloud infrastructure by writing CDK stacks and containerizing applications with Docker for ECS deployment.

I recently went through the NSF I-Corps program, where I learned to validate product ideas through structured customer interviews. The program taught me to think from an entrepreneur's perspective instead of just as a designer or engineer.

EC2 (Compute) ECS (Containers) S3 (Storage) RDS (Database) Route 53 (DNS) IAM VPC (Networking) Node.js TypeScript PostgreSQL Prisma ORM Docker CDK CI/CD AWS Linux Git

Cloud Services Backend DevOps Core

How I Think About Systems

When I build infrastructure, I think about the person who will deal with it at 2 AM when something breaks. Can they understand what is happening? Can they fix it without calling me?

This is why I care about documentation, not as a checkbox, but as part of the design. If the next person can understand what I built and why, the system can run without me.

What I'm Looking For

I am looking for mid-level roles in cloud engineering, DevOps, platform engineering, or SRE where I can apply what I know and keep growing. I want to work on infrastructure that matters, with teams that care about building things well. I value clarity over cleverness.

Based in Ocala, FL and open to remote or Central Florida opportunities. I am bilingual (English and Spanish) and have Azure and CompTIA certifications (AZ-900, AZ-104, AZ-204, A+, Network+, Security+, Cloud+, Project+). Currently focused on containerization and infrastructure as code.