For most of my IT career I’ve been in the Microsoft space. And much of my first “cloud” work was with Azure…but I was also doing some AWS. Then my mentor told me I had to make a choice. I like to say that I was given the choice between the orange pill or the blue pill…I choose orange.
My journey to certification was not smooth, however. I thought I could simply read a few whitepapers, run some test setups in a lab or two and be ready to grab a certification. Two failed attempts and I knew a different tact was needed. Also (IMHO) I think it’s best to focus on one cloud provider and learn that as best as you can then move to another. Yes many of the concepts can easily translate, but it’s best done when a solid knowledge foundation has been established.
There are many options for training material. For me I’m feel comfortable with hands-on labs and simulations to get more familiar with the various technologies.
There is one resource I would highly recommend and have told many folks to invest in. Adrian Cantrill has created a set of courses designed with real world learning and certification. It’s not a bunch of “braindumps” or practice tests. These courses are designed to provide a great foundation of knowledge about AWS and can help lead to passing the tough AWS exams. One colleague said Adrian’s explanation of the ISO network model was one of the best that he’d seen.
Check out the course selection here.
My process to prep for an exam is to begin with a schedule. I mark a date on the calendar as my exam date target and work backwards do know how much time I have for each study session. For me, three or four months is generally the time I’ll set aside. As a working dad I have to fit the study time in after the work day and family time is done…along with some early morning sessions too. I will start each new session reviewing the notes from the last two sessions as review, this helps me retain the knowledge. And yes pen and paper to take notes.
The course was not my only tool used to certification. In addition, I used the AWS-recommended whitepapers for the given exam, and several practice tests.
The AWS exams are not for someone like me who reads slowly (never been tested, but I think I have some form of Dyslexia)…so you really need to know how to scan the questions/scenario and quickly understand what is being asked. Getting my Solutions Architect Professional cert…took three times taking the test. Knowing you can only take an exam three times in year, I was quite nervous on attempt number three 😬. Thankfully, renewing my cert was a “one and done” event.
What is your process? What are the tools and tips that you use? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Happy building,
D