In 2021, I received a top trending credential in IT the sector. What's the journey like to get there? Is it worth it? Would I do it again?

What is AWS?

AWS (Amazon Web Services) is a cloud services platform. It's also a subsidiary of Amazon and boasts the biggest market share of cloud computing in the world. It allows individuals and businesses of all sizes to scale via compute power, CDN (content delivery networks), and online storage on a pay-as-you-go basis. Both static and dynamic data can be stored and delivered globally, allowing users to create any application they may require.

What is the process for certification?

Since it's the biggest cloud services provider out there, it's also one of the most in-demand skills to have, making certification a very sought after achievement by many. Cloud is the future of tech. It's cost-effective and allows for more flexibility for companies to personalize their specific needs without the overhead costs and labor involved with running in-house servers that can accrue unnecessary stressors. Cloud computing allows a company to have their entire IT toolkit in one platform. All of this makes an expertise in AWS an in-demand skill. Although nothing can replace real-world, hands-one experience, certification provides a proven and fundamental understanding of AWS's key services and best practices.

The Certified Developer Associate is just one of several of the certification offerings. It's geared towards individuals working in a development role with one or more years of experience maintaining applications. Some of the main topics and services in the exam include (but are not limited to):

• Dynamo DB
• Elastic Beanstalk
• SQS
• SNS
• APIs
• SDKs
• Lamda/Serverless
• Debugging
• CI/CD pipeline
• Application lifecycle management

The exam itself is 130 minutes long with multi-choice/multi-answer questions. On average, it is advised to study for the exam anywhere between three to six months for success.

Why did I do it?

As a software developer without a computer science degree, I always felt that I was lacking a basic understanding of how the internet works. But after years of self-taught programming, coding schools, bootcamps, coding projects, and residencies much of the gap in that education has been closed. But the internet is constantly evolving. And one thing you learn when you grow up as a developer is that programming isn't simply about writing clean and maintainable code. It's also about delivering it reliably to the masses in a cost-effective manner. In 2019, the Wall Street Journal published a video on the future of cloud computingand why it's becoming a battleground for tech companies.

Was it worth it?

You only need to do a quick search on the internet to see people making bold claims about what a certification in AWS can do for you: it can get you interviews, it can get you more money, it can get your foot inside the door of your dream companies, it can get you noticed by top recruiters. While any combination of these is certainly possible, is it worth devoting six months of study for the mere possibility? Personally, I would say no. There are countless other ways to go about getting the same results. Not to mention, certification only proves a demonstrated understanding of AWS. It does not show any executionary skills. In fact, one does not even need to have an AWS account or use the platform to get certification. It's feasible to pass the exam with only video tutorials, practice exams, and the white papers as study tools.

That being said, I'm thrilled that I did it. Why? As someone who once suffered from imposter syndrome, receiving a top tier IT certification from the world's biggest cloud provider was the exact learning adrenaline rush I needed to know that I could potentially learn any new technology. Not only can I build full-fledged applications, but I also can deploy them globally, automate their microservices, and a whole host of other tasks that years ago would have seemed to me like magic. Additionally, my foundational knowledge of how the internet works in 2022 has been boosted.

Unlike building a portfolio of applications or contributing to thousands of open-source projects, certification in AWS is a learning process, not necessarily a practical one(although it can be). If you are someone who has tunnel-vision and is shooting just for job offers and higher salaries, I would not suggest devoting too much time to this process.

However, if you're in the coding journey for the long haul, if you want to prove to yourself that IT is a skill that can be learned with time and dedication, if you want to let your clients or future employers know you are someone who can understand complex processes if given the chance, then yes, AWS certification is more than worth it.

Would/Will I do it again?

Although I'm proud of all that I learned, I personally would only continue down the line of AWS certification should it improve my future projects or be utilized in a future job. That does not mean I am done learning about cloud services. No matter what job I have in the future, the cloud will rear its head in some way or another. And having a foundational knowledge never hurt anyone.