Recently I took an AWS Cloud Practitioner exam with the help of the AWS SheBuilds program and got a score of 825/1000 (passing score is 700/1000) which is a huge success for me . So I thought of sharing my experience and the path I followed to complete this project.
AWS — Certified Cloud Practitioner (CCP) — CLF-C01 is a foundation level of AWS certifications. It is recommended for people who have been working in AWS for 6 months, but nowadays people do CCP to get a feel for cloud computing/AWS. Since I had little knowledge of AWS, I thought that doing the CCP could give me a general idea of Cloud Computing and AWS.
Preconditions:
- A basic understanding of IT services and their applications in the AWS Cloud platform.
- Minimum of 6 months of general AWS cloud experience in any role: financial, management, purchasing, sales, or technical
Exam:
- Cost — $100
- Languages available — English/Japanese/Korean/Simplified Chinese
- Modality — Test Center/Remote Online Proctor
- Duration — 90 minutes
Topics:
- Underpinning security and compliance, the shared responsibility model for security
- Basic deployment and operating principles
- Essential AWS Services and Their Everyday Use Cases
- Knowledge of basic AWS architectural principles
- The AWS Cloud Value Proposition
You can register for the exam here.
Before starting my journey, I consulted some of my friends working with AWS, and they highly recommend me to get AWS certification with some working knowledge, otherwise it’s just another thing for your resume. Fortunately, my husband has been working with AWS for a long time, and he did an introduction to cloud computing and recommended an AWS course.
So I took Coursera’s AWS Essential course, delivered by AWS itself. With this knowledge, I’ve used IAM, AWS Lambda, S3, and AWS Rekognition to do small projects like triggering the lambda function when you upload a file to an S3 bucket and building an API to recognize objects in a picture. Once I had a general overview of how cloud/AWS works, I started looking for good training programs (recommended for cloud practitioners). Around this time, I discovered the AWS She Builds program.
She Builds CloudUp is an AWS learning program created specifically for women. If you are a woman who likes to learn more about cloud technologies or who is considering a career change to the cloud, She Builds is the program you are looking for.
I have always appreciated the Slack channel specially created for women enrolled in the program, as you can connect with other inspiring women who are following the same course of study and create a network to help you in your future career opportunities and support each other as you become certified.
Also, if in doubt, you can always ask talented people at AWS itself. The most amazing part is that once you are ready to book the exam they will give you a free voucher. So everyone can learn and get certified!
You can register for the next program using this link
I took Stéphane Mark’s AWS Cloud Practitioner course. It always mentions what you need to know from the perspective of the exam. It is strongly recommended that we take our own notes while taking any course, so I did the same.
I only had 2-3 hours a day for my learning as I traveled daily to/from the office. It usually takes 80 minutes round trip on public transport, so I used that time to read my own notes. It helps me remember all the important details. Plus, it helped me stay on track! Always remember: consistency is the key to success.
The exam guide review always gives you a general idea of the exam and how you should answer the questions. Also, this is the first time you see how the questions are structured. I’ve always tried to write my own review with answers when looking at the sample questions.
Study AWS white papers written by the AWS team, AWS partners, and independent analysts to deepen your technical knowledge
AWS recommended 3 white papers for cloud practitioners and I managed to read them all which helped me a lot.
They are:
- Introduction to Amazon Web Services
- How AWS Pricing Works
- Compare AWS Support Plans
If you don’t have a lot of time to read all the white papers, at least try reading How AWS Pricing and Support Plans Work
I took practical exams from Stéphane Mark and Neil Davis, which help me clarify the things I learned. I always go through all the questions when I’m done.
I scheduled my exam once I finished studying. I took two more weeks to complete my practice exams and revise the questions. Afterwards, I felt comfortable enough to take an exam and I felt quite ready for the real exam as well.
In this article, I shared how I got certified with my busy schedule and how I took advantage of the AWS She Builds CloudUp program. With the resources listed in this guide, I was able to hit 825/1000 on my first attempt. I am very confident that you can achieve this as well. If you have any other questions, please leave a comment.
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