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Written by: by Esther Seohyun Cho
If you’re thinking about pursuing the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification, there’s a lot to consider. For me, I had to weigh my busy work schedule—and a healthy dose of self-doubt—against the benefits of developing technical cloud skills that would help me grow professionally and aid my team.
Let me start with this: I’m not a technical person. Yes, I work for AWS, so I have a good understanding of the AWS Cloud. But neither a bachelor’s degree nor my experience as a certified accountant and management consultant prepared me to become a cloud architect. So, that begs the question:
Why would someone like me—who’s in a non-technical role—want to become an AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate? Everyone has their own reasons, and it’s important to explore them.
Even though I don’t have a technical background, my motivation for undertaking this challenge stemmed from my work at AWS. I assist our large enterprise customers in Korea with planning and implementing their AWS Skills Guild programs. AWS Skills Guild is a comprehensive skills enablement program designed to build cloud fluency across organizations.
For me, it was about walking the walk. I wanted to understand more about the AWS Certification challenge I was encouraging customers to join by living the experience and exploring the complexities of what it takes to earn an AWS Certification.
What’s your motivation to prepare for an AWS Certification? Keep that answer firm in your mind, because there’ll be times when it feels too hard and you’ll need to remember your motivation to push through. In my experience, there were times when I thought I wouldn’t succeed, but my why helped me get through.
Spoiler alert: I failed my first attempt at the certification exam, and I was upset. I hold myself to a high standard and thought I worked hard enough and prepared well. But I learned a secret on this journey: no one cares if you fail. Really. If you fail, pick yourself up and push through a second or third time, because people really respect that. And guess what, when I failed, I didn’t lose my job. Most people didn’t even know I was taking the exam, and I learned that it’s actually quite normal to fail this exam the first time.
My advice is to look at each attempt as a learning experience. As Yoda once said, “The greatest teacher, failure is.” If you can see an unsuccessful attempt as just another step in your learning journey, you’ll undoubtedly reach your goals in the end.
When you pass the exam, it’s time to celebrate! I’m not going to tell you what you should do—everyone is different—but I treated myself to my favorite indulgent food. You can also share your AWS Certification achievement with a digital badge. Then, make sure you use the skills you’ve acquired. There are so many exciting and challenging paths you can take working in the AWS Cloud, and your new certification will open up new opportunities for you. Enjoy! You deserve it.
The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification has helped me grow professionally. It’s helped me guide our enterprise customers when they’re designing their certification challenges, study cohorts, and communities.
I hope this has been helpful for you, and know you have my support as you take on the challenge. I’ve summarized the resources that were critical to my success below.
Global IT is a great place to train for your AWS Certified Solution Architect - Associate goal. Our course is certified, extensive, and comprehensive to ensure success. Contact us today at (248) 557-2480 to speak with a Career Specialist and to enroll is a course starting soon!
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