Here is my AWS story.
I opened my first AWS account 4 years ago. It seemed very complicated because there were over 100 services in AWS and I didn’t know about any of them. I had created a database with RDS, but couldn’t connect from my local environment, because it was necessary to know the concept of security groups. I had loaded a static web page in S3, but I couldn’t access it from the browser, because it was necessary to make the bucket public from the bucket policies.
Knowing so many services and having different procedures showed me that using AWS is not an easy task. Is it important to me to know AWS? No, because we don’t use cloud technologies at my company, we use entirely on-premise servers. However, I felt the need to know because cloud technologies reduce operational costs and help to quickly set up a system from scratch. I decided to learn AWS from hero to zero for this.
I think certification exams are more effective in learning something. Because it is different from reading a book or watching a video. As it is preparation for the exam, more detailed information is given and this information can save lifes in some edge-cases.
That’s why I prepared for Cloud Practitioner, the first phase of AWS exams.
This exam gave me all the information I wanted to know in the first look. I learned the basics of AWS services and components and gained knowledge of most AWS services, or at least an idea of what they do.
I used the following resources while studying for the exam.
- AWS Certified Developer - Associate Guide (Vipul Tankariya, Bhavin Parmar) Link
- Udemy Ultimate AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner - 2022 Link
- Udemy AWS Cloud Practitioner Exams Link
I read the book in the early days of the pandemic. It covered 28 AWS services in depth. I didn’t watch the videos, but I looked at their slides. Here it covered more AWS services, but more superficially. Total 115 AWS services were mentioned in different categories.
I looked at the slides 3 weeks before I took the exam. With the effect of the book, I can say that I progressed a little fast. Then I solved 6 practical exams. With about 3 weeks of study, I passed the exam.
Next target? AWS Solution Architect. I plan to take in 4 months.