I get asked on a regular basis what do I do to learn AWS? How do I get started? How did I study for the exams? Here is a list of what I did:

Getting Started

My 1^st step towards AWS Certification started with A Cloud Guru.  I knew several folks that had used them for studying so that is where I started.  I started with the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Course.  This was a great course to start with.

Soon after that I began reading all of the AWS Whitepapers.  The AWS Well-Architect Framework and AWS Cloud Adoption Framework are critical to your AWS certified journey.  This is where AWS really made me see how they lead in innovation.

Technical Training

Signing up for a personal AWS account and utilizing the Free Tier option is critical. Getting hands on as much as possible was that best way for myself to learn.

Soon after starting the Free Tier I discover a site called “Linux Academy”.  I must give them the most credit for passing the exam.  There is so much to talk about with Linux Academy.  Not only do they have great courses, there are hands on labs, learning activities and cloud servers you can use.  There is so much content that is not just AWS, but other Public Clouds, Automation and Linux courses.

Practice Exams

Take practice exams to prove your knowledge, not as a test dump to pass a certification.  A Cloud Guru, Linux Academy and AWS have practice exam you can take.

Final Thoughts

Making the change to Public Cloud is a challenge that comes with great rewards.  The key is grasping AWS methodologies and understanding that the cloud is really about your applications and data.

Resource Links

• A Cloud Guru – https://acloud.guru/
• Linux Academy – https://linuxacademy.com/
• AWS Whitepapers – https://aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/
• AWS Free Tier – https://aws.amazon.com/free/