How I Got Started With AWS Without a Tech Degree
The life-changing story of a Korean language coach
This is a story about my journey from a Korean language coach to an aspiring Solutions Architect. Along the way, I was inspired by many people and I hope to inspire women out there hesitating to begin their tech journey.
Before the Journey
As a Korean language coach, I work with working professionals and students from all around the world. Three years ago, one of my clients was working as a Solutions Architect at a Korean e-commerce company. They are the biggest AWS customer (10,000 EC2 instances on a normal day) in Korea. He had to have many meetings on cost optimization, latency, etc in Korean so he came to me with cloud terminology questions like distributed computing, high availability, etc. In order to help him, I had to study cloud in Korean and in English. Everything was new but fascinating for me because of its ability to offer many possibilities, especially for startups. It was an eye-opener.
From then on, we met regularly to discuss AWS cloud topics and I kept on learning cloud in both languages.
Lockdown and Opportunity
Towards the end of last year when everyone started to think about their New Year’s resolutions, I felt that I was ready for a new challenge. For my resolution, I wanted a clear goal to achieve that I could measure myself against in the future. And there was nothing better than an exam that could do that. Plus, it was the perfect time as I was stuck at home because of the lockdown. So I set a goal to pass the AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate exam in just 3 months.
I started an online course but that wasn’t enough. I needed someone to help me with difficult exam questions. So my client and I came up with an innovative idea of a skills exchange. Instead of exchanging languages, we decided to exchange my Korean for his tech skills since I could help him with his Korean and he already had multiple cloud pro-level certifications to help me. This was our innovative way to solve the problem.
We met every weekend. He shared real-world examples and gave me clever analogies such as mapping an IP address to an airport and a port to a gate. Learning by association was key for me. I also learned the “core” of tech — Network, Compute, Data, and Security. I invested more time in understanding the fundamentals.
The Hurdles
It took me a month and a half to complete the course. Then I took my first practice exam. The first question crushed my confidence. The passage was long and tricky. Some terms seemed familiar but I couldn’t recall their meaning. This painful experience made me realize how shallow my knowledge was. I told myself it was okay to struggle as it was my first time and next time would be less difficult. I did not give up and pulled through. Final verdict — 65%.
Language Learning vs. Cloud Learning
This experience reminded me of my first year in high school. I’d just arrived in the US as part of an exchange program. I could barely string a sentence in English. When a classmate said something funny I had to fake a laugh. I practiced English every day and gained confidence in the process. I persevered through months of hard training. When I could finally hold a short conversation I was elated. Baby steps, I said to myself. The host family that I stayed with and the teachers who spent tremendous amounts of time helping me with school work made the learning process so much better. And just like what I did when I was learning English, I knew exactly what I had to do with AWS. I had to push through.
Silver Lining
Just like learning English, studying for the exam also took a lot of courage. When it came time for a second practice exam, I knew what to expect. Understanding the preferred AWS services also helped me choose the correct answer. For example, Application Load Balancer would be preferred over a Classic Load Balancer. The second exam was less painful. I scored 67%.
Over the course of three weeks. I took ten more practice exams and reviewed all the incorrect answers. My notebook became thicker and my confidence grew. The last practice exam scores landed in the 80’s. That was when I knew I was ready for the real deal. I scheduled the AWS exam and continued grinding until the day of the exam.
D-Day
The exam day was finally here. Some questions were doable while some were challenging. I kept calm and made sure I chose the best answer for each question.
I had to complete a survey before wrapping up the exam. The moment I submitted the survey, the word “Passed” appeared in bold before my eyes. I could not believe it. I actually finished a couple of weeks earlier than my goal! On top of that, this is an exam seasoned tech professionals take. I was so grateful and relieved. “Happy” alone cannot describe how I felt. I was proud of myself. I felt like I could achieve anything.
The learning journey wasn’t easy. But I managed to pull through. In the end, it was worth the time and effort.
I couldn’t have done this alone. My client who introduced me to cloud was my biggest supporter who guided me along the way. If you are going through something similar, I highly recommend finding a mentor who can guide and support you as you navigate your journey.
Today, I am an aspiring Solutions Architect and I am learning Python. I don’t know where this will take me but I am charting my own course and excited to see a world full of possibilities.
Lessons Learned Beyond Cloud
A few days ago, I had to set up a business email address on Google Workspace using a domain name I registered on AWS. I was looking forward to actually putting my DNS and Route 53 knowledge into use. I was confident I could finish this in a few minutes. I opened up Route 53 on AWS and followed the instructions from Google but I kept getting an error message saying my MX records were missing. I spent hours thinking of all kinds of reasons that could have caused this but I couldn’t figure it out. In the end, I reached out to Google Support to fix the issue which had to do with a TXT record that wasn’t covered in the AWS exam. One more lesson learned here: my knowledge is only the tip of the iceberg. Stay humble.
This isn’t the only lesson learned during my journey. Here is a list of things I learned that I’d like to share:
- Start taking practice exams early on, even when you haven’t completed the entire course. The scenarios in the questions give you a deeper understanding of AWS services and their use cases.
- Know the legacy AWS services. If you see any of those in your answer choices, eliminate them right away.
- Longer questions are usually easier because there’re more hints in the question.
- Do not study long-term. I read that it usually takes 6 to 8 weeks to prepare if you have a little bit of experience with AWS. If you’re like me, set your goal no longer than 3 months.
- Make studying part of your daily routine. Once you build your momentum, you will be easily motivated to study.
- Find a mentor.
- Find a study partner.
To me, learning cloud is like learning a new language. It requires grit, determination, and passion. There is a quote that I find useful when learning anything new:
“You live a new life for every new language you speak.”
I don’t think learning cloud technology is any different from learning a language. The tools you use and the time and effort you need to invest in learning something new are the same whether you are learning a new language or a new skill.
I am now living a new life — the life of an aspiring cloud professional.
