I get asked all the time – “How do I get started learning AWS?”
Here’s my summary and best practices that we at Zuggand always share for learning AWS and how to get your first three certifications!
First check out AWS Certifications to get a high-level understanding of the 12 different AWS certs: 
AWS Certifications
- 1 Practitioner
- 3 Associates
- 2 Professional
- 6 Specialty
When I say get your first three certs, I’m referring to the three Associate certs. You can definitely do the Practitioner if you are doing the associates too, but the key certs are the Associates. We recommend that people start with the AWS Solution Architect Associate first. (just cuz…)
We highly recommend the following resources:
A Cloud Guru – AWS Solution Architect Associate
This includes 18 hours of video plus it includes hands-on labs. Depending on your experience level and technical knowledge, you should plan to spend 36 hours minimum and maybe double that or more if this is all new to you! Dedicate the time! Take notes. Watch & rewatch it!
Take these practice exams over and over until you are concisely getting 90% – 100%!
Both of these resources are totally worth it.
Here are some other best practices we tell all our students and Zinterns!
- Schedule the test today for 4-12 weeks from now and start studying! Don’t change the date! Hold yourself accountable! The sooner the better!
- Schedule the test for the first slot in the morning! People have a higher success rate doing it first thing in the morning!
- Read the testing facility instructions closely and follow all the details.
- Drive to the facility before your test day so you know where to go!
- Review the videos 2 – 3 times or even more if these materials are new to you!
- Take the practice exams over and over until you are getting 90% – 100% consistently!
- Study the questions you got wrong!
- Review AWS whitepapers associated to all the services included in the exams to get more details!
- Schedule your next two exams as soon as you pass the first one. The SysOps Administrator Associate and the Developer Associate certifications share 60% – 80% of the same content and you might as well bang out the other two while you are focused!
Feel free to reach out to us with any questions and we’ll help you!
Let us know how you progress! We’d love to get you involved in our amazing Zintern program and help you get some real hands on experience once you have a couple of certs under your belt!
Our next article will talk about how Zuggand helps people get hands-on experience!
