AWS Cert Resources
I just passed the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam!
This was a challenging certification exam due to the broad nature of AWS services/products that are covered on the exam.
I have many years of experience with Linux and Open Source software and Cyber Security. But cloud computing in general and AWS in particular are relatively new to me.
So I decided to pursue this cert to:
1. validate my knowledge and understanding of AWS
2. fill in gaps in my knowledge
3. it’s a hot cert and opens many doors
The following resources helped me get my AWS game up to speed:
This is the course that opened my eyes to the power of AWS. J Cole Morrison, is the owner and instructor of the AWS DevOps Master Workshop. It is an 8 week hands-on course that covers essential AWS services to build a complete CI/CD pipeline to deploy an app to your scaleable, redundant, resilient AWS infrastructure.
First you build it manually, then he shows you how to automate the build via CloudFormation.
This course was a game changer for me. I cannot say enough good things about the course content or Cole.
The purpose of this course is the teach you the skills needed to navigate the world of AWS and DevOps. It is not purpose driven to help you pass the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam, but it will definitely help.
I enrolled in the Linux Academy and took Adrian Cantrill’s AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Level course. I rate the course 5 out of 5 stars.
Adrian covers a lot of material and provides great insight into the AWS services and how an when to use them. I appreciated his quizzes at the end of each section to ensure that I captured key points in his lectures.
He also provides some tips on how to actually prepare for the exam with links to AWS re:Invent YouTube videos and AWS Whitepapers.
I had purchased the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate 2018 from Udemy last year. I converted my course to A Cloud Guru’s website and it automatically updated to 2019 when it was published.
I found this material to be different from the Linux Academy course and I think that the difference helped broaden my knowledge and enhanced my exam prep.
The Chapter Summaries were very useful to me as were the quizzes at the end of each chapter.
The practice exam was very challenging and presented many scenarios that stretched the boundaries of my understanding.
Jon Bonso’s AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Practice Exams were excellent.
After I completed the Linux Academy course, I went through Jon’s practice exams. Some I passed on the first attempt, others took me two tries.
I found his detailed explanations on why an answer was correct or incorrect to be extremely valuable.
Here’s How To Use These Resources
1. Linux Academy – AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Level
Completed the entire course, skipped some labs that I was already familiar with
2. Tutorials Dojo – AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Practice Exams
Completed all 6 practice exams over a 10 day period. Took notes on things that I was weak on.
3. A Cloud Guru – AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate 2019
I used this course to help in some of the areas where I was weak. I used the chapter summaries, quizzes and practice exam. I also completed some entire sections, but not all.
