From Skepticism to Cloud Mastery: My Journey with AWS Certification and Beyond

Georgia Milestones (https://lnkd.in/eAcCHY5r) testing is this week, which got me thinking about my AWS certification ‘journey’.

The Early Days: A Skeptical Beginning

Before AWS, I had not put much value in certifications, except when I was about 14 and I heard that Cisco Certified Engineers made ‘a lot’ of money. My initial skepticism towards certifications was rooted in the belief that practical experience and hands-on skills were more valuable than paper qualifications.

Promero and Oracle: A Detour into Middleware

At Promero, I achieved a certification from Oracle for a product that has been long deprecated (how long until there is a TikTok certification?). It was a time of exploration, and I began to delve into middleware technologies. However, my curiosity was piqued by the emerging world of cloud computing, and I found myself getting distracted by this new and exciting domain.

Pega: The First Cloud Encounter

Then, at Pega, I tried for my Certified Solutions Architect (CSA) and failed. It became clear that missing even a day (or a week) of training could lead to gaps in foundational knowledge. However, I passed successfully on my second attempt, albeit purely by luck, and without truly grasping the foundational concepts. This knowledge was more relevant for building on the product rather than running it, and since my role was focused on running the cloud product, these foundational elements were less critical. Nonetheless, the experience was enlightening.

A SaaS Revelation and DCO Process Transformation

Sometime in the past year, I signed up for a trial and was amazed at two key aspects: 1) How SaaS-like the experience was and 2) How prompt-based building completely changed the Document Composition and Output (DCO) process. This revelation underscored the transformative power of cloud technologies and set the stage for deeper exploration.

CloudHesive: The Hook

Then finally, for what I consider the first day of CloudHesive, I took the Solution Architect Exam (at the time there were five exams in total). Naively, I didn’t study, but I did pass. In hindsight, there were definitely questions I got wrong, I believe around EC2 instance roles, because they were so new (LOL). I got hooked at that point.

Pursuing the Full Set: A Rapid Learning Curve

Fast forward, I had to get the other two associate-level certifications within about a year to help us move up the ladder in the partner ecosystem. I might have taken them back to back, but it’s blurry at this point.

re:Invent and the ‘All Five’ Milestone

Then I found myself at re:Invent. The ‘all fivers’ (again, the total number of exams at the time) all fit in a photo. It was a proud moment, and at a later summit, I even saw someone from another partner get a cake for getting their ‘all five’. I wanted cake.

The Professional Journey

Later that year, I went for both the professional certifications - either 1 or 2 days apart. All five of these certifications I took in person (the only option at the time) at the same time of day, at the same day of the week (morning, on a Friday or close to it if I was doing back to back). Why? Superstition. Also, if I passed, it was a nice start to the weekend.

Consistent Study and Preparation

At this point, I had maybe 5-6 years of experience with AWS, but the first few years I did it wrong, and the other years I might not have had exposure to the full set of services covered in the tests. So, I spent nearly every Sunday studying for about 4 hours - read - make my own labs - read some more. I also took the early practice exams, which failed me as much as I failed them. Regardless, I passed the real exams the first time.

Continuous Learning and Contribution

Through all that, I got a chance to contribute and witness their increased quality. As we see below, there have been exams to come, and exams to go. The journey continues, with a commitment to continuous learning and improvement.

Conclusion

Reflecting on this journey, the value of certifications has become clear. They not only validate my skills and knowledge but also open up new opportunities and pathways in the ever-evolving world of cloud computing.