From IT Technician to Cloud: My AWS SimuLearn Cloud Practitioner Journey
A few days ago, I completed the AWS SimuLearn: Cloud Practitioner (Trained) certification from AWS Training & Certification — and I wanted to share not just the badge, but the story behind it.
Where I'm Starting From
I've spent the last 1.5+ years working as an IT Technician, dealing with real systems, real troubleshooting, and real problems that don't always have textbook solutions. Alongside that, I'm done CCNA certification, which gave me a strong foundation in networking — subnetting, routing, switching, the whole deal.
Now, I'm consciously shifting my focus toward Cloud Computing, and this AWS SimuLearn badge is my first official step in that direction.
What I Actually Learned
SimuLearn isn't just theory — it's a simulation-based, hands-on approach to learning AWS. Through this training, I got practical exposure to:
Compute services (like EC2) — understanding how virtual servers work in the cloud
Networking fundamentals in AWS — VPCs, security groups, and how traffic flows
Database services — the basics of managed databases on AWS
Security concepts — IAM, least privilege, and securing cloud resources
Coming from a networking and IT support background, a lot of these concepts clicked faster than I expected — turns out, on-prem troubleshooting skills translate surprisingly well to the cloud.
Why This Matters to Me
I didn't want this to be "just another badge" collecting dust. My goal is to build a genuine career in Cloud Computing, and I'm treating this as the starting point of a longer roadmap:
✅ AWS SimuLearn: Cloud Practitioner (Trained) — Done
🎯 AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (official exam) — Next
🎯 AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate — After that
🎯 Hands-on projects — deploying real infrastructure, not just reading docs
What's Next
I'll be documenting my prep, notes, and small projects here on Dev.to as I go — partly to hold myself accountable, and partly because writing things down helps me actually understand them.
If you're on a similar path — moving from traditional IT/networking into cloud — I'd genuinely love to connect and exchange notes. And if you've already made this switch, I'm all ears for advice on what helped you the most.
Here's my completion certificate as proof of the milestone:
You can also check out what I'm building on GitHub.
Thanks for reading — more updates soon as I work toward the official certification!
Verify my badge: AWS SimuLearn Cloud Practitioner Badge
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