Six months ago, I had zero AWS certifications. Today, I have three: Cloud Practitioner, Solutions Architect Associate, and Developer Associate. Here's exactly how I did it.
My Background
Before starting, I had:
- 3 years as a full-stack developer
- Basic cloud familiarity (used AWS at work, but never deeply)
- No formal cloud training
- About 10 hours per week to study
This wasn't a full-time study situation. I had a job, life, and other commitments.
The 6-Month Timeline
| Month | Certification | Study Hours | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | Cloud Practitioner | 40 hours | Passed (850/1000) |
| Month 2-3 | Solutions Architect Associate | 80 hours | Passed (812/1000) |
| Month 4-6 | Developer Associate | 75 hours | Passed (798/1000) |
Total investment: ~195 hours, $325 in exam fees
Month 1: Cloud Practitioner
Week 1-2: Foundation
I started with AWS Skill Builder's free Cloud Practitioner Essentials course. Watched it at 1.5x speed during lunch breaks and commutes.
Key topics I focused on:
- AWS global infrastructure
- Core services overview
- Pricing and support plans
Week 3: Practice & Gaps
This is where my approach differed from most people. Instead of continuing to watch videos, I took a gap assessment.
My initial assessment score: 62%
The assessment showed I was weak in:
- Support plan differences (I'd never thought about this)
- Billing and pricing details
- Security services beyond IAM
I spent the entire week focusing only on these gaps.
Week 4: Final Prep & Exam
- Took 3 practice exams (scored 78%, 82%, 88%)
- Reviewed every wrong answer
- Passed with 850/1000
Lessons from CCP:
- The 50% voucher made this worth it alone
- Support plans are heavily tested (memorize them!)
- Don't overthink - it's breadth, not depth
Months 2-3: Solutions Architect Associate
Week 1: Assessment & Planning
With CCP under my belt, I felt confident. Too confident, maybe.
My initial SAA assessment score: 48%
Reality check. This exam was a completely different beast.
My weakest areas:
- VPC networking (subnets, NACLs, route tables)
- Database selection criteria
- Disaster recovery patterns
Weeks 2-4: Core Services Deep Dive
I changed my approach. Instead of passive video watching, I did:
- Morning (30 min): Read AWS documentation on one service
- Evening (1 hour): Hands-on practice in AWS console
- Weekend (2 hours): Practice questions on that week's topics
Focus areas by week:
- Week 2: EC2, EBS, S3
- Week 3: VPC, Route 53, CloudFront
- Week 4: RDS, DynamoDB, ElastiCache
Weeks 5-7: Advanced Topics & Architecture
- Serverless architectures (Lambda, API Gateway, Step Functions)
- High availability patterns
- Cost optimization strategies
- Security best practices
Week 8: Exam Prep
- Practice exams: 68%, 74%, 82%
- Reviewed all wrong answers thoroughly
- Passed with 812/1000
Lessons from SAA:
- Hands-on experience is essential (not optional)
- VPC is the foundation of everything
- Read questions carefully - keywords matter
- "Most cost-effective" doesn't mean cheapest
Months 4-6: Developer Associate
Why Developer After SAA?
- Significant overlap with SAA (maybe 40%)
- My development background helped
- Good combination for job market
The Reality
Developer Associate was harder than I expected, even with SAA knowledge.
Initial assessment score: 55%
Gaps I discovered:
- DynamoDB deep dive (indexes, capacity modes)
- Lambda limits and best practices
- CI/CD with CodePipeline/CodeBuild/CodeDeploy
- X-Ray and CloudWatch deep features
My Study Approach
Since I had limited time (new project at work), I focused exclusively on:
- Topics NOT covered in SAA
- Developer-specific implementations
- AWS SDK and CLI scenarios
Weeks 1-4: Developer-Specific Topics
- DynamoDB deep dive (2 weeks - it's heavily tested)
- Lambda advanced patterns
- API Gateway features
- Cognito for authentication
Weeks 5-8: CI/CD & Observability
- CodePipeline, CodeBuild, CodeDeploy
- CloudFormation and SAM
- X-Ray tracing
- CloudWatch Logs and Metrics
Weeks 9-10: Integration & Exam Prep
- Practice exams: 71%, 76%, 81%
- Passed with 798/1000 (closer than I'd like!)
Lessons from DVA:
- DynamoDB is about 20% of the exam
- Know the difference between similar services
- CLI commands appear on the exam
- CI/CD questions can be tricky
What I'd Do Differently
1. Start with Gap Assessment Earlier
I wasted time in the beginning studying things I already knew. Starting with assessment would have saved 10-15 hours.
2. More Hands-On, Less Video
Videos are passive. Building things is active. I retained way more from hands-on labs.
3. Spaced Practice Questions
Instead of cramming questions before the exam, spreading them throughout would have improved retention.
4. Join a Study Community
I studied alone. Having others to discuss with would have helped, especially for confusing topics.
My Resources
What I Actually Used
- AWS Skill Builder (free tier)
- AWS documentation
- AI-powered practice questions
- AWS Free Tier account
What I Didn't Need
- Expensive video courses ($300+)
- Multiple practice exam platforms
- Hands-on lab subscriptions (free tier was enough)
Total Cost
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| CCP Exam | $100 |
| SAA Exam (with voucher) | $75 |
| DVA Exam (with voucher) | $75 |
| Practice questions (3 months) | $75 |
| Total | $325 |
The Career Impact
Before Certifications
- Full-stack developer
- Salary: $95,000
- Limited cloud responsibilities
After Certifications (3 months later)
- Cloud Developer role at new company
- Salary: $135,000
- Leading AWS implementation projects
ROI: $40,000 annual increase for $325 investment
Frequently Asked Questions
Was 10 hours per week really enough?
Yes, but just barely. Some weeks I did more (weekends), some weeks less (busy at work). Consistency mattered more than intensity.
Which certification was hardest?
Developer Associate, surprisingly. The DynamoDB depth and CI/CD specifics caught me off guard. SAA felt more intuitive.
Would you recommend this order?
Yes. CCP builds foundation and gives discount. SAA provides architecture context. DVA builds on SAA knowledge.
Did the certifications actually help get a job?
Absolutely. I got 3x more recruiter messages after updating LinkedIn. The new role specifically mentioned certifications in requirements.
Your Turn
If I can do this while working full-time, you can too. The key is studying smart, not just hard.
StudyTech automates the gap-based approach that worked for me:
- AI gap assessment identifies your weak areas in 10 minutes (I wish I'd had this)
- Personalized practice questions target exactly what you need to learn
- Real-time readiness score tells you when to book each exam
- Smart flashcards with spaced repetition to lock in knowledge
Over 1,000 learners are using StudyTech to get AWS certified faster. Many are stacking multiple certifications just like I did.
6 months. 3 certifications. You can do it too.