How to become an AWS Cloud Practitioner

Stepping into the world of cloud computing can be overwhelming, especially for beginners. With over 200 AWS services and countless frameworks for efficient solutions, it’s easy to feel lost when starting your journey as a cloud practitioner. But don’t worry.

You can navigate the AWS universe like a pro with the right strategy and a clear roadmap. Here’s how to get started!

Step 1: Learn what skills you need to become a cloud practitioner#

As a cloud practitioner, you focus on understanding cloud technologies, services, and their applications in business. They help bridge the gap between technical teams and business stakeholders.

In broader terms, you’ll be expected to:

• Explain cloud concepts to stakeholders and their relevance to the hardware and software problems to build a convincing buy-in.

• Understand the technical aspects of the project and troubleshoot resilience and scalability issues.

• Develop, maintain, and optimize cloud-based applications and infrastructure.

• Implement security and manage access to protect the cloud environment.

• Manage costs and billing for your organization’s cloud infrastructure.

• Design and implement measures for disaster recovery.

• Support cloud adoption within an organization in compliance with industry standards and best practices.

In short, a cloud practitioner is an expert in an organization’s technical and business aspects. But where to get started?

Fortunately, we can narrow down a list of a few basic concepts that will gear you up to launch a successful career in cloud computing.

Skill 1: Basics of cloud computing#

Start by laying strong conceptual foundations of cloud computing. A cloud practitioner must understand the value proposition, design principles, and benefits of cloud computing to advocate for migration to the cloud.

The core concepts include:

• How organizations benefit from economies of scale, global reach, high availability, and cloud elasticity.

• Understand the design principles of the cloud and identify the principles of a well-architected framework, such as performance efficiency, cost optimization, reliability, and more.

• Identify the best strategies for migration to the cloud and understand the cloud adoption framework.

Skill 2: AWS fundamentals#

AWS has 200+ services and tons of documentation. Its infrastructure is complex and deeply integrated. Luckily, a cloud practitioner only needs to focus on the basics. The following list summarizes the fundamentals you must learn:

• Understand the cloud infrastructure, including availability zones, regions, edge locations, outposts, and wavelength zones.

• Understand multiple ways to deploy and operate various architectures, including AWS Management Console, SDKs, CLI, and other IaC services.

• Understand the compute, data, storage, networking, and analytical services of AWS.

• Learn how multiple services integrate to design end-to-end cloud applications.

As an entry-level cloud practitioner, you’re not expected to master every AWS service in detail. However, it is essential to have a broad understanding of AWS services and how they can be applied.

Skill 3: Get cloud security awareness#

The cloud operates by keeping everything accessible over the internet. However, when not secured properly, your resources are vulnerable to attacks. Though AWS is responsible for protecting the infrastructure, there is a fair share of responsibility on the user end. One small misconfiguration can put your resources at risk.

Therefore, it is important to understand the multiple security services offered by AWS and how to use them:

• Understand the shared responsibility model of AWS.

• Identify the right security, governance, and compliance service for a given problem.

• Learn how to manage access and privileges using Identity and Access Management (IAM).

Skill 4: Understand the pricing model#

Cost optimization in the cloud is an essential concern for a cloud practitioner. Cloud services, if not used appropriately, can quickly incur costs. AWS offers multiple services to help you save bills for accurate calculation, prediction, monitoring, and management of cloud expenditure.

To understand how to optimize costs, focus on:

• Learning how to compare different pricing models, including on-demand Instances, reserved instances, spot instances, savings plans, dedicated hosts, and more.

• Understanding the multiple services AWS offers to manage costs effectively, including AWS Budgets and Cost Explorer.

• Identifying the right resource for technical and business support, including AWS Trusted Advisor, documentation, AWS Knowledge Center, and more.

Step 2: Get the certification#

AWS cloud certifications are industry-recognized credentials that validate expertise in cloud computing using AWS services. These certifications cover various roles and skill levels, including foundational, associate, professional, and specialty tracks.

AWS Cloud Practitioner Foundational Certification can be your entry ticket into cloud computing services. It is designed for individuals who can demonstrate overall knowledge of cloud computing without focusing on any one role. It is ideal for non-IT background candidates and would set them up to work with cloud engineers.

The certification exam is multiple-choice and multiple-response. It consists of 65 questions and lasts 90 minutes. The score is reported on a scale of 100 to 1000, with a passing criterion of at least 70%.

To register for an exam, you only need to create an account on the AWS Training and Certification Portal. You can then schedule the exam at a testing center or take it online.

How to start preparing for the exam#

The cloud practitioner exam covers the four major domains:

• Domain 1: Cloud Concepts (24% of scored content)

• Domain 2: Security and Compliance (30% of scored content)

• Domain 3: Cloud Technology and Services (34% of scored content)

• Domain 4: Billing, Pricing, and Support (12% of scored content)

At first glance, the domains may seem quite vague and broad. Where should I start studying? Fret not; multiple courses are available online to help you prepare for the certification. These courses cover just the right depth of the services and concepts a cloud practitioner requires.

Educative offers a course to prepare for the cloud certification exam. Here, each lesson is well crafted to prepare you to handle the scenario-based nature of the exam questions.

Practice makes perfect#

Multiple online resources offer paid and free practice exams. The exam questions are designed in the format of actual exam questions you’ll encounter in the exam. Attempting practice exams will not only help you boost your confidence but also assess your exam preparation and narrow down the weak areas.

Therefore, attempt as many exam questions as possible. Remember, the goal is to be able to:

• Understand the benefits of cloud computing, AWS global infrastructure, and the Shared Responsibility Model.

• Identify the right deployment and monitoring service for a given use case scenario.

• Knowledge of pricing models, for example, On-Demand, Reserved, and Spot Instances. Additionally, know when to use different billing services such as AWS Pricing Calculator, Cost Explorer, and Budgets.

• Understand the security compliance framework and services offered by AWS to comply.

Exam preparation timeline#

Preparing for the certification exam might look like a formidable task. However, if done right, you can be well prepared for the exam in a month. Here's a simple 4-week plan to get you exam-ready:

• Week 1: Study cloud concepts and AWS basics (Domains 1 and 3). Focus on understanding the benefits of cloud computing, AWS global infrastructure, and foundational services like computing, storage, and networking.

• Week 2: Dive into security and compliance (Domain 2). Familiarize yourself with the Shared Responsibility Model, IAM, and compliance services like AWS Shield and Config.

• Week 3: Master billing, pricing, and support (Domain 4). Learn about pricing models, budgeting tools like AWS Budgets, and support options such as Trusted Advisor.

• Week 4: Take practice exams and refine weak areas. Use mock exams to identify gaps and focus on concepts you're less confident in.

This plan balances learning, practice, and revision, ensuring you're well-prepared for the exam.

Step 3: Hands-on Educative Cloud Labs #

Cloud Labs are interactive, hands-on environments where users can practice and experiment with cloud computing concepts and technologies in a real or simulated setting. These labs are designed to help individuals and teams learn and apply cloud skills without setting up the infrastructure and in their own accounts.

Multiple paid and free platforms offer cloud labs to help build your hands-on skills. You can access AWS Skill Builder, a free resource, to get started with the foundations of AWS on your account.

However, creating resources in your AWS account while learning can be risky. Learners often forget to cleanup the resources, which accumulates costs over time and can quickly pile up the bills. Other times, learners unaware of the resource sizes and capacity requirements launch idle resources, which can incur large and unnecessary costs again.

Therefore, it is best to learn AWS in a sandboxed environment with proper instructions and restrictions. Educative offers 150+ Cloud Labs, ranging from beginner to advanced. Educative Cloud Labs provides learner accounts so you can explore and learn without worrying about cleanup and costs.

What next?#

The shiny certification badge on the portfolio attracts hiring managers for entry-level roles. A cloud practitioner certification would be your entry ticket to the world of cloud computing.

Start looking for entry-level roles#

Let’s be honest: The best way to showcase your skills in the cloud is by applying them to real-world projects. With the growing demand for cloud practitioners, hiring managers value candidates with certifications and practical experience.

After earning your certification, enhance your portfolio by showing off your certification and cloud-based projects. Jump in the market for real-world exposure, which is crucial for building a successful career as a cloud professional. Start applying for entry-level cloud roles to gain hands-on experience and continue developing your expertise.

Read whitepapers and case studies#

The journey to perfection involves continuous learning. Reading whitepapers and case studies is an excellent way to deepen your understanding of cloud computing concepts, best practices, and real-world applications.

Whitepapers can provide insights into best practices, frameworks, and design principles. Similarly, case studies demonstrate how companies solve real-world problems using cloud services, offering practical insights into challenges, solutions, and outcomes. For example, a case study might explain how a startup improved scalability and reduced costs by migrating to AWS.

Remember, an excellent cloud practitioner is aware of the services and builds problem-solving skills, improves cloud cost management, and boosts their decision-making capabilities. This is just the start of an excellent career in the cloud!