Rev up your career with AWS Partner Certification Readiness Programs

Learning complex and valuable skills always requires work, but with enough time and gumption, the myriad beginner-focused learning resources make it possible for even a complete novice to ultimately become an IT professional.

But what if your concern isn’t so much about your ability to learn AWS as it is about how fast you can learn it? Launched in 2022, AWS Partner Certification Readiness programs now have learners covered on that front as well. In this blog, you’ll learn how Antonio Henry and Barny Baron used these learning tools to strap afterburners onto their learning journey and make long technical leaps over short time spans.

From science to retail to the cloud: Antonio Henry

Antonio Henry

Henry studied chemistry and physics at university, during which time he became accustomed to taking on large amounts of complex information over short periods of time. After graduation, however, he landed in an unrelated field, working in retail stock control. After four years, he grew dissatisfied with this career path. Fortunately, a software engineer friend recommended the free, cohort-based AWS re/Start program, which prepares people in non-technical fields with the skills for cloud careers. The training sparked a true passion for cloud computing and marked a turning point in his career.

Now with the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner credential under his belt, Henry secured an entry-level role as a junior cloud engineer at Sopra Steria, an AWS Partner, and one of Europe’s major tech players, recognized for its consulting, digital services and software development. He quickly realized that to distinguish himself at a company with around 55,000 people operating in almost 30 countries, he would need to level up his skills fast.

“After I completed AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, I thought I knew AWS, but that was only the beginning,” says Henry. “The other AWS Certifications make it clear there is much more to learn. Thankfully, my manager was very keen on me upskilling myself further and encouraged me to join a certification readiness program.”

AWS Partner Certification Readiness programs are designed to help partner learners preparing for AWS Certification exams speed up their journey. Using a combination of live study sessions, which are also recorded and available on demand, online resources, optional AWS Builder Labs, and AWS Certification Official Practice Exams, it is specifically tailored to people who are looking to gain knowledge as quickly as possible and put it into action.

“I set an initial goal of getting all three Associate-level AWS Certifications: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, AWS Certified Developer – Associate, and AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate,” says Henry. “AWS Partner Training ran a program for each AWS Certification back-to-back, and that meant I was able to sit for all three exams within a month of one another. It not only beefed up my competency, it gave me the confidence to sit for the exams.”

Passing three certification exams in two months might sound like it would require retaining an overwhelming amount of knowledge. For Henry, the volume of information was a feature, not a bug. “The fast-moving nature of IT is what drew me to it,” he says. “There’s always new fields cropping up and new things to learn, and that coincides with the new services and refinements of services within AWS.”

After completing the three Associate-level certifications, Henry was hooked. When interviewed for this blog post, he was on the cusp of taking AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam and had his eye on AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty next. Indeed, it’s his objective to earn all AWS Certifications over the course of the next year.

From on-premises to the cloud: Barny Baron

Baron came to the AWS Partner Certification Readiness program via a very different route from Henry. Baron is a 15-year IT veteran who spent the bulk of that time as a Lead Technology Consultant for around 100 on-premises data centers at AWS Partner DXC Technology.

Barny Baron

Baron started his IT career at the entry level through an apprenticeship program. Over the next 15 years he maintained a steady climb through various promotions, moving into ever more technical roles, but mainly learning on the job rather than through formal study. While he pursued certifications in VMWare, ITIL, and some other credentials early on, Baron had not studied toward a single additional certification since 2014. In late 2022, however, his managers at DXC asked him to pursue training for an AWS Partner Accreditation badge, a credential that was beginner-friendly and did not require extensive preparation. After learning a bit about AWS, he became fascinated by the possibilities of the cloud.

“Something switched on inside me when I started learning about AWS,” he says. “There’s something about the freedom you have when working in the cloud. As great as on-premises networks have been for my career, the lack of physical limitations in the cloud is very appealing. Plus, once I got my head around how the services work together, I was able to apply the knowledge I had from my current job to the cloud. That was very powerful.”

Baron took a different approach than Henry when he began his training. Skipping over AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, the typical foundational step for a non-technical learner, he went straight to the exam prep program for AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate. “The early going was slightly overwhelming, but after two weeks I started to get the hang of it,” he recalls. To make sure he was on the right track, three weeks into his AWS Certified Solution Architect -Associate training, Baron signed up to take the foundational exam he hadn’t taken, AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam. “I thought if I could pass it, that would be a good indicator I was where I needed to be with my knowledge,” he says. “I sailed through it. It was a wonderful confidence booster.” Baron returned to his studies reinvigorated and passed the AWS Certified Solution Architect – Associate exam just a few weeks later.

After his initial trial by fire, and now familiar with the resources available in the AWS Partner Certification Readiness program, Baron was a man on a mission. He went on to leverage more AWS Partner programs to study for, and pass, three Associate-level AWS Certifications within record time since the recent creation of the program.

Learning from anywhere, anytime

Along with their keen technical minds and strong work ethics, both Henry and Baron credit the flexible, multi-modal learning environment that the AWS Partner Certification Readiness programs provide to allow them to go so far, so fast. “I was busy at work during the live sessions, but since they are archived, you can go back and watch them whenever you’re able to,” Baron says. “I would go home, have dinner, put my daughter to bed, then take the dog out for a long walk while listening to all these wonderful teachers.”

Baron also acknowledges AWS Partner Enablement team for delivering live study sessions that inspired him to complete the training and attain AWS Certifications. “I wouldn’t be sitting here with five AWS Certifications in nine months without the incredible support from AWS instructors,” he claims. “In my 15 years of working in IT, I’ve climbed the corporate ladder, but I’ve never experienced a learning journey quite like this. So, a big Thank You from me.”

Henry had his own way of digesting the lectures. “I would head to the gym and listen to the sessions,” he says. “Later, I would often watch the same sessions back. Having access to them wherever and whenever you like is very helpful.”

Enhancing learning through AWS Skill Builder and AWS Cloud Quest hands-on training

Henry and Baron also both credit AWS Skill Builder and AWS Cloud Quest as important components to their learning journeys. “I’m very much a completionist,” says Henry. “I always want to look at everything available. The documentation you can browse within AWS Skill Builder is an amazing resource to layer on top of the live study sessions. Then, the hands-on labs within AWS Cloud Quest give you a chance to put it all into practice. The whole thing works together in a kind of mosaic, which is very powerful.”

Baron also found AWS Cloud Quest invaluable for his learning journey. “Nothing is better than hands-on experience,” he says. “I recognized AWS Cloud Quest was a great way to learn. It was a big help while I was in the program for the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification. In fact, when I moved on to the AWS Certified Developer -Associate, I actually went through all the AWS Cloud Quest material before listening to the study sessions with the instructors. I got stuck a few times, but I finally cracked it. When I went back to the study sessions I found it was a much faster learning experience because I was already familiar with the nitty gritty of how to work in those domains. I took the same approach when I started the program preparing for the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate exam.”

Baron is clearly invested in going as far as he can in the cloud, an indication of current trends in networking deployments. His experiences building skills and earning AWS Certifications have both inspired him to learn more and broadened his horizons for professional development. He just passed his AWS Certified Security – Specialty exam, with his sights set on AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty next.

Meanwhile, Henry has found that certification has benefited him not only by verifying his credentials externally, but by bolstering his credibility inside Sopra Steria. “AWS Partner Certification Readiness program caters to every kind of learner and prepares you not only for the exam, but to work in the industry,” he says. “Tasks that used to take me hours can now be investigated in 10 minutes. The hands-on nature of it definitely gave me confidence that I understand how all of it works in the real world. When I’m talking to more senior developers on our team, I’m confident that my preliminary analysis of the situation is on point. People are often surprised to find out that I’m not coming in with years of IT experience, and that I only began my training a few months ago.”

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