The following is the basic process that I used to study and train for my AWS Solutions Architect - Associate certification.



1. Start with the Exam overview:

https://aws.amazon.com/certification/...associate/

2. Buy and read the Sybex (Wiley) AWS Certified Solutions Architect Study Guide 4th edition (or later). This book is particularly good for those with existing IT / physical server experience. Use the practice questions at the end of each chapter.

3. Use the Wiley online question test bank that is included with the book purchase. Note that a small percentage of the questions had out-dated (wrong) answers or were just poor / ambiguous questions in the first place... but overall the test bank is helpful.

4. Read the Well-Architected Framework materials and know the Pillars -

web-based summary:
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/en_us/wel...ework.html

5. Read as many AWS service technical whitepapers or FAQs as possible, especially on areas where one performed poorly on the sample tests.

Amazon EC2 - https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/faqs/
Amazon S3 - https://aws.amazon.com/s3/faqs/
Amazon VPC - https://aws.amazon.com/vpc/faqs/
Amazon Route 53 - https://aws.amazon.com/route53/faqs/
Amazon RDS - https://aws.amazon.com/rds/faqs/
Amazon SQS - https://aws.amazon.com/sqs/faqs/
Amazon CloudFront - https://aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/faqs/

6. Learn Security and IAM

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/whitepape...cture.html

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/whitepape...ntrol.html

7. Learn Subnetting

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/lates...locks.html

Free subnetting questions - https://subnetting.org/

Youtube series -
EP 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWZ-MHIhqjM
EP 5 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj_ubhpi0WQ

Note that during the exam you may not write any notes, you would need to memorize the subnetting cheat sheet and use it inside your head!

8. Use AWS Skillbuilder - "Free Exam Prep Standard Course" (there is also a longer paid training course that includes labs that I did not use). The free course includes AWS Official Practice Question Sets thru benchprep.com

9. For those content areas with poor practice test performance, go build real resources in AWS to cement the concepts.

10. Additional resources that I didn't actually use but would use if I had failed the test, or if I just had more time to spend on the certification:

AWS Well-Architected Labs
(requires an AWS account to deploy actual resources)
https://www.wellarchitectedlabs.com/

The full Well-Architected Framework document (over 900 pages!):
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/pdfs/well...mework.pdf

Since the last time I posted anything about my job, a number of things have happened.

First, IRIS merged with UNAVCO to become EarthScope Consortium.

I was promoted from Database Administrator to Cloud Operations Engineer III and joined the Cloud Enablement team.

I also earned a couple of industry certifications:

Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)




AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate

I ran The Pint Station Saint Patrick's Day 5k in Easley, South Carolina on a lovely spring day.

My leprechaun singlet is from Ultras.com.



This race had prize money on the line so I went out fast! Way too fast! My first half mile was at 5:14 pace and I definitely felt this mistake on the hills later on in the race!



Alas, there was no free beer but this was my first visit to The Pint Station and they have a good selection.



I enjoyed some Healthy Food Truck food:

Lifetime Personal Best at 15k!

This is the face of a personal best effort!



Based on recent training and race performances, I felt fairly confident that I could get a PR here. I knew what my target goal pace needed to be (6:15 per mile) and had a solid race plan... don't go out too hard, stay on pace. The first half of the race was fairly uneventful, I stuck to my plan and hit my planned pace, holding myself back during the first mile. The day started to warm up as the race progressed, I grabbed water at each aid station, and drank some and poured it on my body for cooling. Mile 6 was my slowest of the race and had a lot of parts exposed to full sun. That's also where I started to feel the discomfort of the effort. Special thanks to the lady with the garden hose in the final section of neighborhoods. I finally started up the ramp to the Hart Bridge.



Over the winter my training included running up Paris Mountain in Greenville, SC... and as I was making my way up the Hart Bridge I kept saying to myself "Paris Mountain! Paris Mountain!" because the Hart Bridge aka The Green Monster is not as big or steep as what I had been training on. But it still hurt! Over the top I pushed onward to get back up to speed, then cruised a little bit on the downhill to gather myself, and finally cranked hard over the final flat quarter mile.







I ended up out-kicking the two gentlemen in the yellow bibs:

My first Green Valley Road Race was 10 miles of challenging rolling hills on a beautiful perfect weather day... low 50s and overcast with a slight breeze.



Photo credit: Stephen Moore

I felt really good and strong during this race.


Photo credit: Stephen Moore



I am super pleased with how this race went. I am definitely feeling fit and this 10 mile race was a great challenge to have in the schedule prior to other bigger races coming up soon.

The race swag included a really nice Adidas pullover from the Greenville Running Company:

The Springs Run 2024 was a nice event at First Magnitude Brewing Company with enjoyable weather for post-race festivities. "Bear In There" was the new beer this year and I drank it out of my new mug.





Racing is fun when you are feeling fit. I went out with the leader and settled in behind him. I was able to stay with him for a while but eventually he pulled away. I finished 2nd Overall with a nice course PR.

The race was held on February 3, 2024.

Results: https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/26...erpage:100

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/10689112581