Yes, that’s an AWS-branded loaf. No, it didn’t help me pass the cert 😝
What was different this time around?
Me. I was different.
This was my first certification renewal, and the first thing that came to mind after passing was:
Don't let anyone discourage you from getting certified in a particular field.
Listen to someone who has taken - and passed - that exam at least twice.
Why does that matter?
Because they’ve taken it at different points in their journey - maybe early on, maybe after years of hands-on experience - and can give you a more accurate take on whether that certification truly tests real-world expertise or not.
My Take
I remember the first time I passed the AWS Solutions Architect - Professional exam.
It felt like I had just walked through fire.
It was the toughest exam I had taken at the time, and I didn’t have much production-grade AWS experience (I even had to do a lot of practice labs for some services). I was practically shouting to anyone who would listen:
“I can’t believe I passed that. It was so hard.”
Fast forward to the renewal:
“Yeah, I could write that again tomorrow.”
Because now? I know a lot more than I did three years ago.
Studying felt smooth. Effortless, even.
Do you catch my drift?
If your certification renewal feels just as hard as the first time, the only acceptable reason should be that you’ve barely worked in that domain since. That’s fair. Otherwise, it shouldn’t feel like you're starting from scratch.
Some people downplay certifications. They say it’s just paper.
But I see it differently, especially now.
This renewal wasn’t about proving anything to others.
It was for me.
To validate that I’m still sharp, still growing, and still deeply connected to the work I do.
Have you renewed any cloud certifications recently?
How different did it feel from the first time?
I’d love to hear your experience in the comments.
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