THANK YOU AWS -10 Resources and Opportunities I Exploited in My First Year of Learning About the Cloud and AWS

Can I end the year on a better note than gratitude?

I want to express deep gratitude to Amazon Web Services (AWS),without whom my story for year 2022 cannot be told.. In this post, I will highlight 10 resources and opportunities that I took advantage of this year and that have been invaluable in my journey to learn about the cloud and AWS. I hope that by sharing these resources, I can help others who are just starting their own cloud journey.

A year ago, I had no clue what a VPC or EC2 instance was and would have been dazed by a discussion of Amazon S3 storage classes. I had held a number of entry-level roles in the Tech field over the past decade and had sworn that the second decade of my working life was going to be devoted to gaining mastery and acquiring deep expertise.

As I began to look into AWS and cloud computing, I was utterly amazed by the wealth of resources and opportunities that are available to help me learn and grow. Here are ten I exploited:

1. AWS Webinars: AWS webinars are valuable resources for individuals and organizations looking to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in cloud computing and advance their careers in the field.
   Some of these offer a certificate of attendance or even a discount voucher for certification exams. For live webinars, you get to have your questions answered in real-time. There are recordings of some webinars available on-demand that you can watch at your own convenience.

2. AWS Educate: AWS Educate is a global initiative that provides students and educators with access to a range of tools and resources to learn about cloud computing and pursue careers in the field. It offers online training, educational content, as well as the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the latest cloud technologies. I love the learning badges you gain after completing some courses - a nice way to showcase your learning journey!

3. AWS Skillbuilder: AWS Skillbuilder is a program that provides access to learning paths and courses, as well as hands-on labs and challenges, to help individuals develop their skills in cloud computing. Following the Solutions Architect Learning Plan was a key part in my study plan to pass the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam with ONLY free resources.

4. The Get AWS Certified Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge: I got a free $100 voucher for my first AWS Certification exam through this program. This program is designed to encourage and support professionals in the Sub-Saharan Africa region who are interested in pursuing AWS certifications. It provides access to resources and support to help individuals prepare for and pass their certification exams.

5. The AWS Emerging Talents Community: This community is a global network of emerging talent in the field of cloud computing and AWS. It offers members access to resources and support to help them learn and grow in their careers, including training and educational content, mentorship opportunities, and networking events. I particularly love the opportunity to earn rewards and exclusive benefits as you complete challenges in the community!

6. AWS User Groups: AWS user groups are local communities of individuals who are interested in learning about and using AWS services and technologies. They offer educational and networking opportunities, as well as the chance to connect with other professionals and industry experts. I personally benefited from joining a free bootcamp arranged by the AWS Accra User group in my prep for certification exams, and it was very inspiring meeting local people who share a love for cloud computing.

7. AWS Activate: AWS Activate is a program designed to provide resources and support to help startups and small businesses succeed in the cloud. It offers access to AWS services, training and educational content, and technical support. I was super excited to receive** $1000** of AWS credits from the program.

8. AWS AI & ML Scholarship: This is a program targeted at people that identify as underserved or underrepresented in technology. I guess I fit quite well into this category because of being African. The AWS AI & ML Scholarship program is a collaboration between AWS on one hand and Intel and Udacity on the other and provides 2,500 scholarships every year. I am happy to be a beneficiary of this scholarship, said to be valued at $4000, which has the goal of making the future tech workforce more diverse by removing financial barriers and provides training for a career in tech.

9. The AWS Community Builder program: It offers a range of benefits and resources to its members, including access to training and educational content, networking opportunities, and exclusive events and workshops. Members also receive recognition for their contributions to the community, and can use the AWS Community Builder logo to showcase their involvement in the program. Community Builder sessions have provided a real education in my cloud journey. Speaking of networking opportunities, I know that being part of this program played no small role in increasing my LinkedIn connections from less than 35 a year ago to over 1,500 now.

10.The All Builders Welcome Grant:
The All Builders Welcome Grant was perhaps the biggest gift I received this year: It included my ticket to attend re:Invent (one of the largest tech conferences organised by AWS), airfare to Las Vegas, NV, and hotel accommodations during re:Invent 2022. As a grant recipient I had access to five days of content and activities, as well as an ABW Grant welcome Orientation, reserved seating in the Keynotes, meetups, closing remarks with AWS leadership, and much more! All told, the grant is worth no less than $6000 in my estimation. Attending re:Invent this year was an awesome opportunity to expand my mind and network.

I still have a very long way to go in my studies and in building a cloud career but I am deeply grateful to AWS for the wealth of resources and opportunities that have helped me learn and grow in my first year of learning about the cloud and AWS. These resources have been invaluable in helping me gain skills and knowledge and build my professional network. But, there is no standing still. As I look forward to the coming year, I keep hearing the voice of Dr Vegner Vogels declaiming: “Now go build”, and build we will.