As mentioned previously, you should consider passing the AWS Certified Systems Administrator exam as the end goal of this journey. Part of this journey is familiarizing yourself with the services AWS offers and being able to use them. You should also consider that an eligible candidate for this exam is required to have general knowledge of IT and experience with AWS in the following areas:
- General IT – 1-2 years' experience in a SysAdmin/SysOps role
- One or more years' hands-on experience operating production systems on AWS
- Hands-on experience with the AWS CLI and/or SDKs and/or API tools
- A good understanding of the practices of AWS architecting for the cloud
- An understanding of virtualization technology
- An understanding of monitoring and auditing systems
- Knowledge of networking concepts (DNS, TCP/IP, firewalls, and so on)
- An understanding of fundamental IT security concepts
- Hands-on experience of implementing security controls and compliance requirements
- The ability to collaborate across teams/company wide
I encourage you to fulfill as many of the hands-on experience requirements listed here, as your years of experience translate into real knowledge, and the learning that you can gain on the job is invaluable.
Although this experience with AWS is considered mandatory by AWS, you will still be able to take the exam, even if you have not completed all of the hands-on requirements. Perhaps you have only been assigned to run PoC or test/dev workloads in the cloud until you pass the exam and cannot fulfill the running production workloads requirement. If you have fulfilled most of the other requirements, and feel confident that you have a good grasp on the subjects discussed in this book, then you shouldn't worry.
In any case, this guide is designed to provide you with ample detailed content on each required subject and the ability to perform practical exercises by following this course at your own pace.