Introduction 🎓

Over the last two years I've earned a number of certifications. Some were easy and some were hard 🏟️.

But are they worth it? 🤔

Here is a snapshot of the last two years:

It has been fun! I like to learn and that is the best part. For some of these I knew quite a bit going into them, but even so, I feel the learning process shored up some gaps and solidified the things I did know well.

For some I didn't know much going in, and I learned a lot. This is the most challenging circumstance as learning is not necessarily aligned with your real-world experience. So, cutting out the time to practice some of the learning on real world situations can be challenging, but if you make the commitment it can solidify the learning.

Time Management and Mindset 🈴

Some times I set a goal and become (too) obsessed on the goal and not the journey 🛣️. I have to remind myself, yes I have a goal, but I want to enjoy myself and learn. Patience young jedi 🧘.

When I can keep myself in the patient mindset that is when I learn the most. In turn this prepares me for the exams best as well. When I'm rushing and just trying to get through the material because I'm "too busy" I don't learn as much.

Studying 📚

Be consistent.

Try to spend some time every day on the material. Even if it is just 15 minutes ⏰, but somedays I definitely need a bigger chunk of time on the order of 1 to 2 hours in order to do some labs or general practice.

In some cases I studied for about 4 months, in others about 1 month depending on where I was starting from on the given topic.

Testing 🧪

Breathe. 🌬️

Testing can be stressful! I'm not the best or the worst test taker, but I do get nervous. I've found, for me, scheduling in the morning is best. I like to spend 10 or 15 minutes before sitting down for the testing session walking and stretching.

Then I just try to focus on the content, read carefully, and answer the questions to the best of my ability.

Conclusion 👩‍🔬

Relax. Enjoy the ride, and learn. Overall, I think certifications are worth it. For me, having a goal gives me the motivation and space to learn and grow as a professional. It can be hard to dig out the details of what separates a good engineer from a great one, and using certifications to study and expose small gaps in knowledge can be a great way to improve.

Here are some resources that have helped me on my cert journeys:

• QA
  • Formerly Cloud Academy
• AWS Skill Builder
• Udemy
• Microsoft Learn