Three years ago, in 2018, I was interested to work in the backend software industry. I would often tell my friends that I wished to study Computer Engineering to get to know my physical servers better, so that I could be a good backend engineer! While this was partly true, I felt that my area of study was lacking in actual backend development knowledge. For starters, I am currently looking to minor in Computer Science: Information Systems, to expand my knowledge on IT in large companies. I am also looking to specialise in Large-Scale Computing for my major.
Academics aside, I will be starting my preparation for first AWS Certification: Cloud Practitioner!
Introductory course to AWS [Udemy]
With my Udemy subscription still active, I decided to take an introductory course conducted by Mr Neal Davis, a professional who has deep knowledge and many years of experience in the Cloud Computing industry. The course was an introduction to Amazon Web Services, the most highly regarded Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The course was very well-structured, with each section providing an overview of a feature/service provided in AWS, followed by some demonstrations, using the AWS Free Tier account. I tried out some of the demonstrations, and they really helped to cement the concepts learnt.
LinkedIn Assessments
I have always felt that the LinkedIn Assessments were pretty challenging, and coupled with how they do not allow more than one retry, I only managed to complete a few that I have more confidence in. Upon completion of the introductory AWS course, I revised the notes I had written down, and reviewed the slides. In addition, I studied any question banks I could find online. With some luck, I managed to pass the Amazon Web Services test on my first try, and I got my LinkedIn Assessments badge. While the questions were pretty long-winded at times, most were pretty straightforward.
Ultimate AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner [Udemy]
In order to better prepare for my certification test, I decided to take an 11 hour course that prepares students for the AWS Cloud Practitioner test. By focusing on the scope of the test, I am able to efficiently learn what is required, and strengthen my foundations, before moving on to Associate level preparations. I am looking forward to this course, which I will attempt to finish in the next 2 weeks, before the semester gets more hectic (hopefully my Udemy subscription is still valid then). I might post a short update on the course if it is beyond my expectations.
eBooks and Practice Papers
All good things must come with effort. I do not believe that I would be entirely prepared without some reading and practice. As such, I have managed to obtain an eBook from my introductory AWS course, courtesy of the course coordinator. The book provides an overview of the tests, and what is required of each certification. With some question banks available online, I would also be attempting the questions, before going for my test.
TIMELINE
With the first two items of my checklist done, I would be focusing the next few months on strengthing my foundations, and practising more on the console. I will aim to finish my next online course within the next two weeks, ideally before February. As for the eBooks and practice papers, it would be on an own time own target (OTOT) basis. That is all for now!