Your Guide to Obtaining the AWS Certified Developer — Associate
It’s been over a year now that I took the exam for the AWS Developer Associate certification and passed after my first attempt. Like many others, my primary motivation for wanting to obtain the certificate stemmed from wanting to learn more about developing in the cloud as well as help support my job search at the time. I took the exam two months after returning from maternity leave and found both the preparation and exam quite challenging, but I was prepared for the task.
The AWS Certified Developer Associate is an exam that requires a lot of studying and preparation if you want to pass first time. As a new mum, I did not have the pleasure of having a lot of time for myself, so I would often carve out short periods of time during naps or after bedtime towards studying as I neared the end of my maternity leave. For me, this was a way to not only stay connected to the industry but also gave me the mental stimulation I needed during the mundane moments. For you, obtaining a certificate like the AWS Certified Associate may be helpful to showcase your skills to prospective employers or it may be what you need to boost your confidence in working with AWS technologies.
So now that you have decided to go ahead and make it a goal to obtain the certificate this year, here are a few tips to get you started and set you up for success:
Tip 1: Give yourself a deadline.
If I am completely honest with you, I had made it a goal 3 years prior to obtain the certificate but unfortunately, it just never quite materialised. I studied towards the Solution Architect exam but had no clear goal on when or how I was going to achieve it.
If you don’t want to be like myself 3 years ago, you need to identify why you are trying to undertake the certificate and this will ultimately impact how much time you plan to give yourself to prepare. It’s also important to not rush through the content and to take the time to practice where you can as this is where the learning happens, especially if you don’t have exposure to AWS in your day-to-day role.
I used A Cloud Guru (ACG) to prepare for my exam mainly because it was offered to us through my previous company, however, there are many other courses out there through sites like Udemy that you can also choose from. Once I had completed the course, I booked in my exam. To be completely honest, I was hesitant to do this as I was worried about failing, but I was encouraged by my manager to do this. Doing this is what helped me push through and take the exam as there was no going back. I did move my date back a few times as you have the option of rescheduling it two times after making the original booking. However, once I had re-booked for the final time, there was no going back, and I just had to do what I could to prepare with the time I gave myself.
Tip 2: Identify your resources
As mentioned previously, I used ACG AWS course to prepare but there are a lot of other resources available. Do your research and decide which one you feel most comfortable with. I personally felt like the ACG content did not provide enough depth for the exam, but it helped with providing the foundational knowledge needed to get started.
Once I completed the course, I moved on to practice exams. I personally used Jon Bonso’s AWS Certified Developer Associate Practice exam and for me this was a game changer! Upon taking my first practice paper, I realised that I was not as prepared as I thought I was. It was quite daunting at this point as I realised that the test was going to be a lot more difficult than I expected it to be. However, my approach was to review the questions I failed on, and I did further study and review of content using AWS whitepapers. After doing the remaining practice papers, I felt better prepared and more confident.
Tip 3: Make a study plan
Lastly, when you are working, and like myself have additional responsibilities, trying to fit time in to study can be a challenge. You may have every intention to meet a certain goal but without a plan in place, you will only find that time goes by without getting any closer to the goal you have set for yourself. Once you have a goal for yourself, the next step is to identify how much time a day you can realistically dedicate to uninterrupted study time. Shorter consistent sessions are often better than sporadic longer ones as you spend less time reviewing previous material, however, do what works for you long as you can commit to it.
I hope this has been helpful and good luck with your exam!
