DEV Community: DevonPatrick Adkins

Beyond the Exam: What It Really Takes to Win the Golden Jacket Everyone Dreams About!

DevonPatrick Adkins — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 04:16:23 +0000

Here's what most people don't understand about the AWS Golden Jacket: it's not about how quickly you can knock out certifications.

It's about whether the community actually recognizes you for your depth, your consistency, and what you've contributed back.

I learned this the hard way. Passing all the AWS certifications? That's just table stakes. It won't get you there alone.

This article isn't a highlight reel. It's the unfiltered truth about what actually puts you on the path toward the Golden Jacket.

What the Golden Jacket Actually Represents
The AWS Golden Jacket goes to people who hold all active AWS certifications AND demonstrate real, sustained community involvement.

That involvement typically happens through programs like:

AWS Community Builders
AWS Ambassadors
AWS Heroes

The pattern? You don't just absorb knowledge—you turn around and give it back.

If your strategy is "pass the exams and stay quiet," you're going to hit a wall.

3 A.M. Mornings: Where the Real Work Happens
My foundation wasn't built during exam prep season. It was built years before, at 3 in the morning, every single weekday.

My schedule looked like this:

03:00 --> Alarm goes off --> Make Coffee / Tea
03:15 --> AWS labs
06:00 --> Start work

After work... Coding, degree coursework, rebuilding architectures
No audience. No livestreams. Nobody watching. Just me, the labs, and repetition.

Those early hours taught me things exam prep never could:

AWS stopped being this abstract cloud thing and became concrete
I got comfortable with failure
Debugging became second nature
Golden Jacket-level knowledge doesn't happen overnight. You can't cram your way there.

Failure Is Part of the Process
Before I passed everything, I failed. A lot.

AWS Cloud Practitioner: Failed
Solutions Architect Associate: Failed three times
SysOps Administrator: Failed twice
Solutions Architect Professional: Failed once
Those failures weren't roadblocks. They were lessons.

Exams are designed to expose gaps before production systems do. Better to find out in a testing center than when a client's infrastructure is down.

MSPs: Learning Fast Under Real Pressure

Working at Synthesis Software Technologies and Silicon Overdrive accelerated my growth in ways no course could match.

MSPs don't give you the luxury of moving slowly:

Startup pace means you learn or you're left behind
Commercial clients expect things to work correctly, every time
Your mistakes have immediate, visible consequences
This matters because community leaders aren't theoretical experts. They're people who've been in the trenches and know what actually works.

Certifications Are Necessary, But They're Just the Start
Certifications are your ticket to the conversation. They're not the conversation itself.

These resources gave me the technical depth I needed:

Adrian Cantrill (architecture-first approach)
https://learn.cantrill.io
Stephane Maarek (clear, structured reinforcement)
https://www.udemy.com/user/stephane-maarek/
QA Cloud Academy / Working Cloud Academy
https://platform.qa.com/dashboard/
Tutorial Dojo (practice exams that actually test your judgment)
https://tutorialsdojo.com

But here's the thing: none of these, no matter how good, will get you a Golden Jacket by themselves.

You Learn Faster When You Start Teaching
Everything changed when I started teaching publicly.

Writing blog posts, mentoring people, answering questions, breaking down complex concepts, that's when my understanding went from surface-level to genuinely deep.

If you can't explain VPC routing clearly, or walk someone through IAM evaluation logic, or break down Kubernetes scheduling, you don't really understand it yet.

This is exactly why AWS community programs exist:

They push you to articulate what you know
They reward showing up consistently
They raise the bar for everyone
Community Involvement Isn't Optional

If you're serious about the Golden Jacket path, you need to:

Get active in AWS Community Builders, Ambassador, or Hero programs
Show up to standups, Power Hour Sessions, keynotes
Help other people publicly and do it consistently
Share what you've learned—including the stuff that didn't work
This isn't gatekeeping. It's about maintaining a standard.
Opening Doors for Others

Access to learning shouldn't be a barrier.

That's why I built a free AWS Learning Management Platform where anyone can practice without needing an AWS account or a credit card.

Zero cost. Zero friction. Zero excuses!!!

👉 https://awslearningplatform.click/signup

If the Golden Jacket means anything, it should mean pulling people up behind you.

The Actual Path
Here's what the journey really looks like:

Build discipline before you chase ambition
Practice in the labs daily, especially when you're exhausted
Fail early and learn from it
Work in environments where mistakes matter
Teach what you're learning as you go
Join the community and actually serve it
Let the recognition come as a result of contribution, not the goal

Final Thought
The AWS Golden Jacket isn't a finish line.

It's what happens when you become the kind of person who earns it.

For more information you can reach me through the Learning Management Platform or LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/devonpatrick-adkins-1068781a3/

Kubernetes Unlocked: From Kubernetes Zero to Kubernetes Hero!

DevonPatrick Adkins — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 11:08:26 +0000

Should you be reading this Post, Congratulations on your first step to Kubernetes Mastery!

My name is DevonPatrick Adkins, I started my Kubernetes Journey with absolutely Zero Experience. A passion of mine is helping the Broader Global Community Upskill themselves within the Information Technology Space and most Importantly. Landing that first Role in IT. I am a 4x Cisco Champion and 3x AWS Community Builder.

With Introductions outta the way. Like most good things in life, nothing good comes easy. However with Discipline, Motivation and Consistency, you can accomplish almost anything, with just using these three basic principals.

Where to Begin
Kubernetes offers a range of certifications that cater to different levels of expertise, allowing professionals to validate their skills across various aspects of Kubernetes and cloud-native technologies. These certifications include:

KCNA (Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate) – Designed for those new to Kubernetes, this entry-level certification focuses on the foundational concepts of Kubernetes and cloud-native technologies.
https://training.linuxfoundation.org/certification/kubernetes-cloud-native-associate/

CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) – This certification is ideal for those looking to manage and configure Kubernetes clusters. It emphasizes hands-on, real-world administrative tasks and is a great way to build a practical understanding of Kubernetes from the ground up.
https://training.linuxfoundation.org/certification/certified-kubernetes-administrator-cka/

CKAD (Certified Kubernetes Application Developer) – Focused on developers, the CKAD certifies the ability to design, build, and deploy applications on Kubernetes. It’s well-suited for those interested in the application development aspect of the ecosystem.
https://training.linuxfoundation.org/certification/certified-kubernetes-application-developer-ckad/

CKS (Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist) – Security-focused, the CKS certification is designed for Kubernetes administrators looking to deepen their expertise in securing container-based applications and Kubernetes clusters.
https://training.linuxfoundation.org/certification/certified-kubernetes-security-specialist/

KCSA (Kubernetes Certified Security Associate) This certification validates knowledge in Kubernetes security practices, making it essential for those looking to focus specifically on the security aspects within the Kubernetes environment.
https://training.linuxfoundation.org/certification/kubernetes-and-cloud-native-security-associate-kcsa/

Although the KCNA is an entry-level certification, I personally suggest that starting with the CKA is actually a better choice, even for beginners. The CKA provides a solid, hands-on foundation in managing Kubernetes clusters, offering practical experience in tasks like troubleshooting, networking, and configuring clusters.

This real-world focus equips candidates with more useful, job-ready skills, allowing for quicker advancement in their Kubernetes journey compared to the more theoretical KCNA. You are also able to land a job and stand out way more, as there is a lot of theory overlap between the two courses.

Tip on landing your First Kubernetes Certificate for Free

Its been about 2 Years now, since I was awarded The Shubhra Kar Linux Foundation Training Otherwise known as the (LIFT) Scholarship. Its a fairly easy Application Process, the next Applications should be open in April 2025 - https://www.linuxfoundation.org/about/lift-scholarships. Personally I had beginner level experience with Linux Operating Systems.

Should you be new too the Linux OS I highly recommend you take the Free Training below:
https://linuxsurvival.com/

You can also access the Killa Coda Web page where you will get 20 Free Lessons as well as a Practical Test.

There are plenty other free resources you can use to Sharpen your skills, what is important to remember that with Kubernetes these exams are Practical in Nature, meaning that you will be given an environment where you have to answer questions by building out Kubernetes Resources or Policies, The Good news is that this show's employers you do not have just Theoretical Experience, but that much needed Practical Experience to land a Post.

Keeping Motivated

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Kubernetes-Engineer-Salary

Keep your eyes on that Prize!!! In a recent Blog by Appvia, 'Kubernetes is one of the hottest technologies in cloud deployments. Skilled Kubernetes developers and operators are in high demand, with many organisations struggling to fill their new positions.' https://www.appvia.io/blog/the-real-cost-of-kubernetes-expertise
This skill is well sort out for and with the demand of these jobs mostly being eligible for remote work, once you have landed your first Certification, you will definitely stand out above the rest and will be able to land a role with ease.

More Resources
I would recommend you check out my site https://deadkithedeveloper.click/, I have a page related to Devops that will help you pass your CKA, CKAD and CKS. Here is a list of resources you can use, however be sure to check out the website for an updated listing:

Docker Training Course for the Absolute Beginner – Mumshad Mannambeth (KodeKloud Free)

Visit the site to sign up now for free: https://kodekloud.com/courses/docker-for-the-absolute-beginner/

Kubernetes – Free Courses and Tutorials on Udemy

https://www.udemy.com/topic/kubernetes/free/

For General Labbing or Practice Exams visit Killer Coda, they have some of the Best Labs designed that helped me achieve exam victory.

Complete Kubernetes Course - From BEGINNER to PRO - with DevOps Directive - Follow Along

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T86xAtR6Fo

Conclusion
All it takes is the correct Mindset as mentioned, with a huge list of free resources, and an opportunity to take these exams for free, there is nothing stopping you from becoming a Kubernetes Hero today! I am really proud to have obtained all three practical certifications which I will list below to show it is possible!! All the best, feel free to use the contact us on the DeadkiDeveloper website or DM me on LinkedIn if you have any questions! You Rock!

Tips on how to Pass Your AWS Advanced Networking Specialty Exam ANS-C01

DevonPatrick Adkins — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 12:42:48 +0000

Good day to all my fellow Aspiring Cloud Network Engineers, Network Architects and Network Engineers.

Whether you are taking this exam to validate your skills or looking to enhance your skillset, the AWS ANS-C01 will definitely boost your ability and allow you to stand out in terms of Career Progression or Getting into a Cloud Network Engineering Role.

Background

I have been in the Cloud Industry now for close too 4 years and the AWS Advanced Network Specialty has always been on my radar since day 1 of my AWS Cloud Practitioner. I always have loved Networking having passed my CompTIA Network + at the young age of 17, I have always been inquisitive of both the capabilities of home networking via hosting LAN parties, all the way to building VPNs to communicate as Hub and Spoke Businesses. Personally I hold my CCNA, CCNP Enterprise Networking & CCNP Security, however even with my strong Networking Background, this course is quite demanding and definitely deserves a solid 4 - 6 months of your time to best Prepare, Tackle and Pass your AWS Networking Specialty.

Tips

So I believe in a 3 Step Golden Rule, Step1: Enhance your Knowledge with a Good Video Course, I have become accustomed to Cloud Academy, they offer a robust course, easy even for Beginners to Jump in and get started. I would advise though that you should have completed your AWS Solutions Architect Associate Prior to Tackling this course, as its just easier to digest and follow along with having built a good foundation.

Cloud Academy

https://cloudacademy.com/learning-paths/aws-advanced-networking-specialty-ans-c01-certification-preparation-for-aws-1-7410/

Cloud Academy is my preferred training partner due to its comprehensive approach to learning. The platform begins with in-depth theoretical lessons, followed by question sets and knowledge checks that evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. This initial assessment ensures that you have a clear understanding of where you excel and where you may need further review before moving on to the hands-on labs.

The labs, which are integrated at the end of each section, provide practical, real-world experience. These labs allow you to revisit instructional videos and take additional notes in areas where improvement is needed, while also enabling you to skip sections where you have demonstrated proficiency. This method not only reinforces the theoretical concepts taught but also helps to solidify your understanding through practical application, ensuring a well-rounded grasp of the subject matter.

Right at the end of the course you will provided with a Practice Exam, this practice exam is aimed at matching the level of the actual exam's difficulty. Each time you attempt the exam a different question set will be provided to you. I recommend you take these at least 5 times and score and average of 90% before taking on the real exam.

Lastly they provide you a Certificate of Excellence once passing and a Badge you can attach to your LinkedIn page, now I feel that's real value for money.

Step 2

Adrian Cantrill's course whilst it maybe a little costly I definitely recommend to anyone seeking to gain Professional Real-World Application Labs, whilst I do prefer Cloud Academy's Teaching Style, Adrian Cantrill is second to none when it comes to his professional experience and in-depth level labs. Here are a few examples below:

Multi-Cloud - Site-to-Site VPN Configuration (AWS & Azure) - All running on Free Tier Services (Azure Jumpbox can communicate and RDP to Private Instance in AWS)

1.) Azure: Configured Necessary Resource Group, Virtual Private Gateway, Azure Local Network GW Configs, Azure VNETs, Configured Route Tables, Generated VM Windows 10 Instance. (IPSEC VPN)

2.) AWS: Customer Gateway Configuration, attached to VPC, Configured Route Tables, VPN with Static routing, Configured Security Groups, Configured Site-to-Site VPN IPSEC VPN, used Generic Configuration, Launched PVT Instance Windows Server 2022.

The above is just one of the amazing Labs Adrian walks you through, for more examples check out https://github.com/acantril, if you cannot afford the course, I definitely recommend asking your employer purchasing the course for yourself and your team. It definitely made the difference for me, especially when answering some of the exam questions.

Step 3

To round everything up, I would definitely recommend Tutorial Dojo's Practice questions, I personally felt like their Practice exams were actually more difficult than the actual exam itself, the content was spot on and gave me the confidence I needed to evaluate my Exam Readiness. Furthermore the Question sets provide not just the correct answers should review your results, it often provides actual Architectural Diagrams, to make you think like a Cloud Architect but it even Provides Video's to their Content for those Visual Learners whom like Practical Examples.
These are coupled with Links to AWS Documentation as well as to further motivate the correct answer.

Lastly they boast AWS Cheats which are notes on the important Aspects of each domain.

https://tutorialsdojo.com/aws-cheat-sheets-networking-and-content-delivery/

Extras

Should time permit, I would absolutely recommend you check out AWS Power Hour Series, I was lucky that the series was hosted whilst I was preparing for the exam and it allowed me to speak with AWS's Trainers and Engage with Like Minded Peers Around the world.

These Videos are available on Demand for you to watch, so head over to https://www.twitch.tv/aws (https://pages.awscloud.com/GLOBAL_TRAINCERT_T2-Twitch-AWS-Power-Hour-Specialty-Certification.html?did=tc_card&trk=tc_card#undefined) and make the best of the series.

I really hope my training Strategy helps better equip you for exam success, best of luck to you all!!!

How I Passed both AWS Professional Exams in 6 Months & Tips on how you can TOO!!!

DevonPatrick Adkins — Sun, 17 Sep 2023 13:58:27 +0000

Good day fellow Bloggers!

I hope everyone is doing well & are meeting all of your 2023 Goals so far this year.

I recently passed both the AWS Solutions Architect Professional & DevOps Pro Examinations & I thought I would share my thoughts on how to tackle the common FUD (Fear Uncertainty & Doubt) that goes around with achieving victory within the Professional Domain.

The Value of Certifications

Let's face it, the job market is riddled with a number of individuals looking to get into the tech industry today, making your job application one of many recruiters need to potentially whitelist.

Whilst Certifications such as the AWS DevOps Pro & AWS SAP Exams do set you above the rest, its important to remember, that the Certification is just there to help you step onto a stage, to present your expertise to a panel of potential employers.

You want to place your best foot forward, so my advice is, if you are still early in your career in terms of being a University / College Graduate, I would decide on what Career Path I would like to take, the path of a Solutions Architect or the path of a DevOps / Platform Engineer.

I have plugged in YouTube's TechWorld with NaNa's advice on the different Roles and Responsibilities and based off which Track you prefer, you will know whether its DevOps, to focus on the AWS Developer Associate & SysOps Certifications, VS being a Cloud Engineer where Solutions Architecture Associate Exam Certification is key.

So you might be wondering at this point why I am referring to Associate Certifications when this Blog is related to Passing the Professional Level Certifications, Well for starters, this will give your potential employers an idea of what level you are proficient in, in terms of placing you within the organization.

Something that is VITAL / PARAMOUNT is Technical Certifications VALIDATE TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE

Which Brings me on to Point 2.

AWS Professional Certification & Experience

I have dropped both the AWS SAP & DevOps Pro Blueprints here:

https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-solutions-architect-professional/

https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-devops-engineer-professional/

You will see it in both Exam Blueprints, you need at least 2 Years of on-hands experience with AWS.

Below is my Exam History - You will be able to conclude that I have been Labbing ever since the start of my Journey with AWS September 2021. When I say Labbing, that was before I got into any prominent positions, however I marketed myself through the very same labs, by building projects and posting them on Social Media.

Social Media is a very powerful tool - When used right!

You will see I have sat 13x AWS Exams but I have only passed on 6 Occasions and that was nothing due to pure discipline and being level headed, there are no shortcuts! After landing my Cloud Practitioner, I managed to get a job through my ability to start communities even if you do not know of any, you create your own and be willing to teach. It was not long afterward I published my first website https://deadkithedeveloper.click.

This already show's you have on-hands experience. Set a regime, I wake up at 3am daily and ensure that I am asleep by 7pm daily, therefore, you have 8 hour commitments, set, in terms of a work-life balance, this includes time to blow off steam and relax with your family as well.

That is genuinely the key to pass any exam, is consistency and using failure as a Stepping Stone, remember that Certificate you are awarded is just a merit for what you learned over x Period of months.

In my opinion I WOULD NOT SUGGEST going straight for the Professional Examinations even though they are not a pre-requisite, Its the same way we don't skip Grade's at School, sure it may be hard, but if it was easy, then wouldn't everyone be doing it.

I will share the tools I used shortly to pass these exams, but as you can see above, I failed the Solutions Architect Professional in first attempt, but what is awesome about AWS is that they have a tonne of overlap between exams, for example if you were to take the SysOps Exam like I did, sure I failed on my first x2 Attempts, but I shortly after passed both AWS Solutions Architect Associate and Developer Associate. Use the x3 Associate Exams as foundation, LAB, LAB & LAB again to ensure that every Line item on your BluePrint you have covered, because they will test you on it, I literally marked off each line item as I went through the material:

To Close this Point - Yes sure you can study and go for and even pass the Professional Level Exams, but at what cost to your Career, you a Graduate out of College / University with a Certification that Validates 2 Years of hands on Experience?

Should you be taken into an Interview for a Senior Cloud / DevOps Engineer, you would be cross questioned on a number of vast topics that you can only get through experience, so set yourself up for success!

Wait, Listen & Learn, Find a good Mentor and build many projects and let those certifications Validate all of that experience you gain on your journey!

The Materials I used - INVEST IN YOURSELF

The best investment you can ever make as an engineer, is the one you make in yourself! Do not be shy to take out an extra few dollars in terms of preparation and getting the right material, although free material on the internet is good, You need to purchase Subscription Based Training that can give you the proper tools you need, especially if you do not have your own AWS Account to Lab with as yet. Believe me when I say, when you invest in yourself it certainly pays of Solutions Architects and Cloud Engineers earn well above 6 Figures in this industry, so put in the hard work.

Cloud Academy

Thanks to the lovely #AWS Community Builders Program I was granted a Cloud Academy Subscription, I been using them since I took my SysOps Exam - They give you a well balanced experience of Domain level knowledge with Quizzes and Lab's, Love it.

Adrian Cantrill's Professional Series Courses (http://learn.cantrill.io/)

Adrian has the best put together courses from Practitioner to Specialty levels, he has a way of making you understand the most complex topics easily. He also gives you quizzes and allows you to follow along labbing with him and he will actually show you how to create AWS Accounts, Organizational Accounts and so on, as you venture forth your Journey.

AWS Power Hour Series - Twitch

Nothing ever beats learning from our AWS Professionals themselves, and what is awesome if you cannot watch the series live, they have it OnDemand and available for you. What's awesome about watching this live is that you can get to ask questions you may have picked up and get it answered by both the presenters and moderators alike. Truly Golden!!!

You can get to test your knowledge as well, with Practice and Answer / Homework Sessions:

Practice Exams

TUTORIALS DOJO! 100%%% of the way, you can tell from my track record, as well as many within the Tutorial Dojo's Slack Channel, Jon Boso has helped many Engineers pass their exams in the industry, I personally believe his exams are a little harder than the actual AWS Exams, so if you are passing them, you know you are well on you way to obtaining your Certification.

I would like to close this blog a little different from the Traditional style and whilst many people have different mentors or people they get their inspiration from, for me one of them is Eric Thomas and I wanted to leave you with one of his short video's that truly inspires me and keeps me disciplined when I feel off track. Other than that I wish you good luck and a successful year ahead, I wish you can all accomplish the goals you set yourself this year.

Remember to be kind to yourself and never give up!

The Key to Passing your AWS Solutions Architect Professional!!!

DevonPatrick Adkins — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 08:27:46 +0000

Hey Folks,

It's been a while - however, I have been settling into my new role as DevOps Engineer / SRE, whilst having a key requirement by my employer to pass the AWS SAP-C02.

I would love to simplify the process for anyone deciding to embark on this challenge and give you guidelines on what worked for me and what to avoid.

The Journey

So first and foremost, especially if you are in the early phases of your AWS Cloud Career like myself 1 - 2 Years.

It's vital to engage with your community - I am posting this blog within the AWS Community Builders forum - so if you reading this you are already well on your way! Engage with your Peers and gain as much Experience and Exposure, either from personal projects and asking questions, to learning from your Peers's Experiences. We have are lucky to have AWS Hero's and awesome program managers whom are always willing to assist.

Step 1 - Set Realistic Targets and Stay True to Yourself.

Choose a Training Provider or in my case more than 1, I went with Cloud Academy & Adrian Cantrill's course. Adrian's course really helped give me that extra hands-on exposure I needed to build confidence to state, Okay I am now confident on this Subject Matter, as he gives tonnes of real-world examples and has a Slack Group filled with people providing great insight as well.

We all have day jobs and responsibilities, but Consistency is key. I feel what really helped keep me to my commitments, was Cloud Academy's approach they allow you to set a date of when you would like to have achieved your exam by. For example, we can tell we have 78 Hours of Content to work through, but if you took the AWS SysOps, SAA or the Developer Associate there is a lot of overlap, so this will be in your favor:

You can preset based on the overall hours - how many hours in a given day or given week you would like to commit too and all the rest of the training plan, is performed by Cloud Academy.

From there they will send you reminders should be falling behind your schedule and you can always amend this should need be:

The Training Courses are often coupled with Labs after explaining a specific domain and short practice tests to confirm that you have understood all the material provided to you. At the end of the course you will be provided a Certificate of Completion after passing a Mock Exam.

The above roughly took me three months to complete, before I headed into Adrian's content, but what's great with this is you can show potential employers your worth, by sharing such achievements on Social Media, that you are upskilling yourself.

2.) Labbing !!!

So I performed a tonne of Labs which I have shared on LinkedIn, working through Adrian's course and a few personal projects of my own, because I recently made the transition from AWS Support Team Lead to DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer, I needed the extra exposure to prove to myself that I do not just have a theoretical understanding of the courseware, as these are Technical Certifications, so being hands-on is a must!!!

Working with Grafana & Amazon's Amazon Managed Service for Grafana

Site to Site VPN Lab - With SCP's Defined & within a IaC Control Tower Account I built

Identity Management & VPN Authorization

3.) Setup a Free Tier account & Sign-up to Bitbucket & Terraform Cloud

Most of the above Labs cost me almost nothing, and for the cost that I had to absorb - Our free AWS Credit from the AWS Community Builders Program comes in handy!!!

Terraform Cloud allows up to 5 free users in your organization and you can hook this up to your BitBucket or Github using the VCS Provider feature and Create CI/CD pipelines, and webbooks, seamlessly.

Again all the above is free!!!

3.) Practice Tests

So I have always been a big fan of Jon Boso's Tutorial Dojo Practice Tests - They have always setup me up for Success, not only are the exams much harder than the actual exam, but it gives you the ability to practice your Exam Agility as sitting for an Exam for 180 - 190mins can take its toll.

An added benefit to Tutorial Dojo's Practice questions is they don't just explain for example why you would be correct/incorrect in answering a question, they would provide you detailed explanations with the necessary whitepapers to the actual AWS Documentation itself. What surprised me further is they even have Youtube Video Explanations to boot!

Remember the best investment we can make is the one in which we make on ourselves!

4.) BOOK YOUR EXAM!

Once you are comfortable passing all of your practice exams, book your exam and do not procrastinate, by now I would have worked for just about 4 Months and I felt a little unsure, but AWS at the time was giving free exam retakes should you fail, so I booked my exam and then after 24 hours, I received the below result:

My worst nightmare occurred - I failed, after preparing for such a long period, it really disheartened me and at that point, I had just over a Year's Experience with AWS. So I took a break and continued with my day-to-day tasks, getting more hands-on experience, and time just flew, before I knew it, it was July and the Promotional Retake Voucher Expires at the end of August.
So I put in another Month's worth of Practice Exams and I booked the Exam once more.

6 Months Later - I achieved what I thought was an impossible goal

I made it over the mountain & let me tell you, it felt like a marathon, but there is no greater victory then proving to yourself that with the right amount of passion, consistency, resilience, and mental endurance, there is nothing you cannot do! So if I can do it, so can you! All the best on your Exam!!!

Simplify your EKS Cluster Observability with Prometheus & Grafana

DevonPatrick Adkins — Sun, 16 Apr 2023 08:15:00 +0000

Good day fellow Bloggers,

Its been a while since I posted a blog, I have been settling down in my new role and studying for a beast of an exam coming up.

Without further delay, Kuberenetes Observability Made Easy!

I would encourage everyone get used of the CloudFormation YAML Manifest construction, whilst we are seeing more vendor agnostic IaC platforms such as Terraform, it definitley helped me prepare for my AWS DevOps Professional Exam coming up, so I would encourage you to make sure you sharpen up your skillsets wherever you can. I have the link to the AWS CloudFormation Documentation so familiarize yourself with the whitepapers and dive right in!

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSCloudFormation/latest/UserGuide/Welcome.html

The below context will give you an example of my custom YAML CloudFormation Stackset:

Once compiled you can use API Calls with the AWS CLI installed either to your WSL (Windows Sub-System for Linux) or PowerShell Terminals. The CloudFormation stacks simply build and can be destroyed and re-constructed in minutes.

So utilizing the above toolsets I created a EKS Cluster and added a second stack with references to my existing stack.

Once deployed you can then add further toolsets such as the Prometheus stack set using the Helm Community Install and your almost at the end of your race.

I will recommend installing Kubernetes Lens as its much easier to install and manage your K8s cluster then directly managing it via CLI / However I am a CLI Jockey and still prefer the terminal.

Ensure that within your settings you configure your ./Kube/Config context destination so that lens can get straight to work as per the below:

Finally once the prometheus and helm stack completes the install you will be ready to start monitoring logs, alerting & Graphs / Dashboards using both Prometheus and Grafana.

For more tutorials feel free to visit: https://deadkithedeveloper.click/

Connect with me on LinkedIn via
https://www.linkedin.com/in/devonpatrick-adkins-%E2%98%81-1068781a3/

Have a great week ahead!

Regards
DevonPatrick
AWS Community Builder & Cisco Champion

Tips for Studying & Staying Focused...

DevonPatrick Adkins — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 13:32:57 +0000

*So you have a big exam coming up, however each time you put your head down to Study - Distractions come into Play

So it doesn't matter what the exam maybe - these are a few easy tips that will aid you in Exam Victory!

1.) Create a Time-Table

Your body is unique, we are people of habit - when you get to thinking of it, you typically get up, before your alarm rings, you eat basically at the same times everyday and this is because we are simply habitual in nature. So what does this mean for you? Establish a time when you are least distracted or bound to be disturbed by others. For me this is Generally 3AM every morning, I am able to get in a Decent 3 Hours of study before Gym and Breakfast - this gives me an excellent start to the day and ultimately if you multiply the value of 3 Hours by 5 working days, you get 15 Hours undisturbed Study every working week! This also allows you not to spend your whole weekend focusing on Studying but relaxing as well!

2.) Clear your Workspace of Distractions (No Phones, or any other electronics apart from the device you studying on)

Its important that you don't allow your brain to wonder, ever heard of the saying, out of sight out of mind. This actually works pretty well! I would suggest leaving a voicemail on your phone letting people know you are unavailable during the period your studying or in case of emergency how to best get a hold of you. Place your Phone on Do-Not-Disturb and place it in your drawer or closet, the furthest away from your eye or arms reach. This will allow you increase your focus and attention span dramatically.

3.) Stay Consistent!

Remember much like any other muscle willpower has the ability to take you places, should you train it daily, don't miss your schedule, once you have made your timetable, stick to it! once you allow yourself to put off studying even for a single day in a week, this will sub-consciously allow yourself to let anything else that crops up in your day take priority over whats important and thats getting that CONGRATULATIONS MESSAGE from Credly! I know waking up at 3AM sounds incredibly challenging, but if you work out your 24 hours, you can get 8 hours rest considering you asleep by 8-9pm, 8 hours of work, 3 hours study, 1 hour of Gym and 4 hours of relaxing time with your family in a day, its all Discipline. Studies suggest anything you can do for over a month becomes a habbit. (https://ultimatefitnessbirmingham.co.uk/28-days-create-a-habit/#:~:text=The%2028%20day%20rule%20states,task%20then%20becomes%20a%20habit.)

4.) Remember to Take Breaks

For approximately 90 minutes you are in high performance mode. Your alertness, concentration, creativity, emotional resilience, and mental stamina are all at the top of their game. Its important to take a break and renew your energy, taking a stroll outside normally helps me clear my mind and all the fresh oxygen that circulates around my body, leaves me feeling re-energized. It's important though to move yourself from your place of study and give your mind room to re-calibrate itself, you can choose anything really you enjoy, I am lucky enough to live 2mins away from the beach, so for you it could be simply grabbing a coffee or tea, playing with your pet or anything that will re-energize your body.

5.) Get enough sleep!

When you learn something new, the best way to remember it is to sleep on it. That’s because sleeping helps strengthen memories you’ve formed throughout the day. You might even come up with creative new ideas while you slumber. Trying to gain knowledge whilst trying to concentrate on staying awake is the worst thing you can do, our bodies were not made to function that way, if you are running short on time, rather reschedule the examination for a later date then rushing into an exam feeling exhausted or tired, there is nothing worse then showing up at work to tired to perform your daily duties as well, the very reason why we are studying is to gain that promotion or to excel in your profession, so be kind to yourself and Rest.

Whilst these may only be 5 short steps, they will go along way in ensuring you get to your milestones, you can always increase your personal list, but this is a great place to start! Happy Learning and I hope you pass that Exam Soon!

Considering the AWS Professional Examinations? Tips to Avoid Failing.

DevonPatrick Adkins — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 09:15:25 +0000

It's 2023 and you would like to stand out in the Cloud Computing world. There are many ways one can stand out and climb the Corporate Ladder than just blazing through Certifications.

Don't get me wrong, Studying for Certifications definitely does help you stand out, especially to HR Personnel trying to shortlist applicants for interviews. However, we need to be very conscious of how we spend our time and how to gain the most value from the certifications you already obtained before deciding to go Pro.

Considering you are reading this blog, most of the audience would have already completed all x3 Associate Certifications, each certification unique to its own Career Roadmap in the Cloud Engineering World.

The Below Document (Amazon Training Career Guidance PDF) will help Guide you Through Various Roles vs Which AWS Certification you should aim for Ideally the type of experience you should possess before tackling the exam.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r5SRpvkCYnwCHuD4XAN3pw_ZdBRmmqHG/view?usp=share_link

All of the AWS Certifications are not easy wins, there is no way to rush through a Video Course and complete a few Practice Exams and expect to gain the most out of the Products and Services being delivered from the Program, this is why there is such a heavy shift in difficulty between the Associate and Professional Level Exams. It's designed so that you Lab the given Practice Test Questions hence (Timed vs Non-Timed Mode) random guesswork will give you false hope and will discredit you come the interview stage.

Remember when you do land your Job, the Title of Cloud Engineer / Solutions Architect / DevOps Engineer is a great accomplishment but you have to bear the responsibility of looking after Large, Enterprise Scale Client Environments and it takes Years of Experience to be well-versed and disciplined in said field. When anything goes wrong, a client suffers from a breach or has downtime your Reputation is at stake, besides having a huge deductible from your Salary if you are lucky to still be employed, finding another job will be almost impossible.

Hence the Title of the post. Rushing after every cert will devalue the Certification's purpose, your Associate Level Certs have a 3 Year expiration period to them, gain all the experience you can get, including involving yourself in Volunteer work. Following along Lab Guides such as Adrian Cantrill's free Youtube Webseries.
Gaining Hands on Experience is key and will unlock many doors for you, I have met and worked with people whom only have 1 or 2 Certs period, however they are in the Job and Performing well because they know what they doing.

https://github.com/acantril/learn-cantrill-io-labs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgqdkaTaC4M&list=PLTk5ZYSbd9MiiBmPitRUGWIgnq9nm--GZ

I recently signed up to his AWS Pro Courses thanks to these building my confidence. However, Pace yourself.
The Professional Level Courses are $300 per pop and it can be soul-crushing to fail and you can spend a lot of time trying to re-gear up for an exam that requires experience as per AWS at Least 2 Years Relevant Hands OnExperience

In conclusion, respect yourself enough to know that your future goals have no time expiration date against it, build a strong foundation, Value your time, take breaks, be consistent and enjoy the journey, lasting relationships both personal and professional are made on the way to the peak of your Mountain, this is why we are Community Builders, when you reach the Peak, remember to reach out your hand and help the next Individual UP.

All the best on your Studies and Professional Year this 2023!

Learning Linux is as Easy as 1 2 Tree...

DevonPatrick Adkins — Sat, 21 Jan 2023 14:29:32 +0000

I thought I would share a very brief article on a simply amazing Website I stumbled across a couple of years ago.

I used to be quite intimidated by Linux, and for someone using Windows most of his life has now transitioned completely to the dark side if so is to say ⁠:) .

https://linuxsurvival.com/

Guy Hummel & Team have created a really fun, User-friendly way to get familiar with the basics of Linux, how to work your way around the Linux Operating System, creating users & Groups, setting up permissions to files, directories, groups and more, in the most fun learning, gamified way.

Just about everything runs on Linux these days, From Enterprise Servers running in the Cloud, to the Routers routing traffic to our Android Mobiles & Apple Phones, most of these have Linux intelligence built on them. Getting a good foundation is key, get started learning today.

Visit https://deadkideveloper.click for more!

PS there is no marketing gained from this post, I do not receive funds from Guy Hummel or their team in any way. Hope you enjoy the tool!...

Multi-Cloud Site-to-Site Azure and AWS VPN Setup

DevonPatrick Adkins — Sun, 15 Jan 2023 13:28:46 +0000

Multi-Cloud - Site-to-Site VPN Configuration (AWS & Azure) - All running on Free Tier Services (Azure Jumpbox can communicate and RDP to Private Instance in AWS)

1.) Azure: Configured Necessary Resource Group, Virtual Private Gateway, Azure Local Network GW Configs, Azure VNETs, Configured Route Tables, Generated VM Windows 10 Instance. (IPSEC VPN)

2.) AWS: Customer Gateway Configuration, attached to VPC, Configured Route Tables with Static routing, Configured Security Groups, Configured Site-to-Site VPN IPSEC VPN, used Generic Configuration, Launched PVT Instance Windows Server 2022.

A very enjoyable lab, takes roughly an hour to build! Visit my website for more details on how you can get started: https://lnkd.in/dTDMfD5R

The Best Way To Land a JOB in TECH Today!

DevonPatrick Adkins — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 16:45:48 +0000

This Piece of Advice goes out to all those looking for a job within AWS or any other Tech Job out there this 2023, The best way to flex your Tech skills is use your time Productively, instead of just uploading your CV everywhere and scouring the Net, Develop a Website, for example, check out https://deadkideveloper.click/ I developed this site over the weekend whilst doing prep work for my upcoming #AdvancedNetworking Specialty Exam. A few things stand out immediately to an Employer, just from analyzing the URL, SSL Encryption for example, and the use of your own Domain, it tells them, this Individual Knows how to use #Route53, it also shows them that you understand the importance of Web Security & Encryption using Secure Sockets Layer, using #ACM (Amazon Certificate Manager), behind the scene's sure there is a lot more I had to do to ensure the site is highly available & scalable and is connected to a Backend DB, however, I now have a fully Managed website that I can host my Youtube Channel Video's on that show me not only demonstrating my Ability but also imparting knowledge and sharing with the community as that's what #AWS is all about #communitydevelopment & #buildingtogether
Feel free to check out the link and contact me on the connect with us page to learn more about you can get started (This site was developed using Amazon's Free Tier) only $3 was used to register the domain: https://deadkideveloper.click/

awscommunitybuilders #webdevelopment #networksecurity #awscertified #ciscochampion #ciscocert #jobhunt #2023goals #interviewtips

How to Pass your Terraform Associate Exam in 30 Days!

DevonPatrick Adkins — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 09:36:37 +0000

This post was designed to provide an easy to use guideline on how to pass your Terraform Associate

So you are probably reading this post as either your company / organization is transitioning to using Terraform as IaC standard tool in your environment or you are taking this course on as a personal challenge. For either reason, adding the Terraform certification to your Resume' is gonna make you stand out for that promotion or get you contacted for Interviews in no time.

First up there is a common spread rumor that the terraform associate exam is a expert level exam that requires months on end studying and labbing, whilst I agree both Labbing and Theory based understanding of the technology will help you pass, it is definitely not a expert level qualification. As per the image below, once you have passed the exam your Credly badge even states this exam is at Foundational level. De-mystifying thoughts that this exam incredibly difficult.

I would recommend you spend 30 Days getting the actual credential as its also fairly cheaper than most Certification exams at $70.50 dollars at the time of writing this article. If you spend at least 1 Hour a day of studying and pulling in a few extra hours on the weekend, you stand a very good chance of passing. I have quite a Demanding Job, working for an MSP Environment supporting multiple clients with their AWS Infrastructure across the EMEA Region.

What is Terraform? (For those completely new to it)

Terraform by HashiCorp is an open-source DevOps tool. It allows to build, manage, and define infrastructure across cloud providers. The Terraform tool, also called the Infrastructure Build tool, enables developers to create and modify infrastructure in a secure and efficient environment.

What is awesome about Terraform is that its Vendor Agnostic, most of the Code required construct Infrastructure can be found on the Terraform Registry (https://registry.terraform.io/), I used to spend quite a bit of time using CloudFormation, it took quite some time to learn and construct proper AWS Scripts for re-use across our client landscape however Terraform makes things much more flexible, whilst CloudFormation is an AWS Native tool, Terraform can be used to create and build infrastructure for many Providers, such as Google Cloud Platform, AWS, Azure & Kubernetes. Its a powerful tool that I have grown to love.

Nice to Have's but not a must

1.) JSON - Interpretation (Not necessarily construct) being able to read and understand JSON.
2.) Experience with other IaC tools, such as Ansible & CloudFormation.
3.) Bash Experience.

As mentioned above these are just nice to have's considering you are already in the DevOps / Cloud Space you should already have such knowledge or have started looking into studying such toolsets. It would definitely cut down some study time.

Training Providers Used

1.) For those whom can afford the Cloud Academy Subscription - I definitely recommend Jeremy Cook's Terraform Associate course. It has recently been updated and what is awesome about the course is that after each module on the subject matter being studied you get a pop quiz to test your knowledge, followed by Hand's on Labs that you can dig into and get started working on Terraform straight away. I know for me that is what got me confident in my ability and know how of when I would actually be ready to take the exam. So definitely check it out, right at the very end they have a Challenge Exam and Lab where you can test your Exam Readiness, I did this twice over as on the first run, I did not score that great, I went back and read some of the documentation and I was good to go!

https://cloudacademy.com/learning-paths/terraform-associate-certification-exam-preparation-1-2814/

2.) HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate 2023 by Zeal Vora

Whilst I may have skipped a few of the video's as there were modules I was quite confident on, Zeal Vora's course takes a deep dive into how Terraform is used in the perspective of different organizations needs and requirements, how teams work together using Terraform Enterprise / Terrafrom cloud, he walks you through from creating your first GIT Repo, to joining his Discord channel where you can participate and interact with other learners, getting certified as well. He also touches on topics such as Terraform Taint, which is still fair game on the Terraform Exam even though it may not be on the blueprint, so just a tip there.

https://www.udemy.com/course/terraform-beginner-to-advanced/

Lastly I challenge you to work and design a personal project of your own using Terraform as you may encounter challenges on your own that may require some outta the box thinking where you can get to go through the Terraform documentation and actually apply the principles to your own Project and get solutions that way, thats how I actually started out in IT, fixing and solving local tech issues.

In conclusion don't get wrapped around in how complex the exam may look, jump in head first, don't procrastinate and build, share projects on LinkedIN and get recognized for your hard work. A certification after all is just a piece of paper to validate that your have the skills, but the most important takeaway from the course is the Skill itself, Certs will be Certs, But Technical Ability gets you Hired!!!