This extensive course on AWS is designed to provide a solid grasp of the cloud platform while equipping you for the Cloud Practitioner exam.

Upon completing the course, I found myself feeling significantly more confident and skilled in developing scalable applications using Amazon Web Services.

I was genuinely impressed by the utility and power of AWS; with the right expertise, one can swiftly build entire businesses.

The focus of this course is primarily on the actual AWS systems and their automation, rather than on coding.

While it's possible to create applications using AWS alone, coding remains essential.

Under the guidance of the course author, Stephane Maarek, you won't engage in any coding exercises.

One of the challenges of AWS is effectively integrating code with AWS automation.

This integration is only achievable by having a thorough understanding of AWS and the ability to write advanced code concurrently.

Although coding is not a focus of Stephane's teachings, the AWS knowledge you acquire will be invaluable.

As your coding skills develop, you'll find that AWS is a fantastic addition to your repertoire.

After finishing the course, I realized I wasn't adequately prepared for the exam.

Throughout the course, my emphasis was on mastering AWS rather than merely passing the exam.

I believe this approach is more beneficial: truly understanding AWS instead of just aiming to pass the exam.

In a YouTube review, Travis Media mentions that many hiring managers and experienced developers are skeptical of cloud certifications.

They argue that such certifications can inflate the confidence of new developers, leading them to believe they possess more knowledge than they actually do.

The concern is that some may memorize the exam material without truly comprehending AWS.

I can appreciate this viewpoint and agree.

If we pursue an AWS course solely to clear the exam, memorizing concepts just for the test, we risk fitting this stereotype.

In his video, Travis concludes that obtaining a certificate is still beneficial and advises new coders to pursue it.

While taking the course, we should not only aim to pass the exam but also strive to learn the AWS systems as thoroughly as possible.

It took me a considerable amount of time to finish the course—about five months, on and off.

The most enjoyable part was the hands-on segments in the Udemy course, especially in the first half.

However, I found the second half less engaging, which made it challenging to maintain focus.

Stephane offered fewer hands-on activities in the latter part, leading me to take extended breaks due to boredom.

During this time, while applying for jobs, I noticed many job listings for junior positions required AWS certifications.

Eventually, I became frustrated with applying for positions without the certification and decided to focus on completing the second half of the course, despite the lack of hands-on activities.

I began taking notes and often referred to them during lectures.

Upon completing the course, I took the final practice exam and received a disappointing score of 54%.

I was genuinely let down by the results, as I felt I understood AWS well, but my study methods were not aligned with the exam format.

Travis Media echoed similar sentiments in his AWS videos.

He also struggled with practice exams after completing his Udemy course but felt he had learned AWS effectively.

To address this, he recommends using Whizlabs after finishing the course.

According to Travis, Whizlabs is a popular study resource for various certification exams and is reasonably priced.

They offer numerous practice exams, often with discounts and coupons.

Now that I've completed the Udemy course, I am practicing with Whizlabs and witnessing improvements in my scores with each exam.

Using the platform, I accessed eight practice exams and a series of topic-focused videos for just $17.

Whizlabs primarily focuses on exam success, which I find to be highly valuable.

The Udemy course was more about learning AWS, while Whizlabs is geared towards exam preparation.

I believe a combination of both is ideal.

One of the more challenging aspects of progressing through the Udemy course was the perceived high costs of AWS.

I often envisioned exciting projects for AWS but hesitated to pursue them due to cost concerns.

Without a solid framework for estimating expenses, I was reluctant to implement projects for fear of unexpected charges.

I recall my initial experience several years ago when I created a simple website on AWS and was billed $17 two weeks later for essentially doing nothing.

I had no understanding of the charges, which made me apprehensive about using AWS for personal projects.

Once every couple of years, I would attempt a project on AWS only to incur seemingly random charges.

At that time, I concluded that AWS was not suitable for beginners and avoided it altogether.

It wasn't until I reached the billing section of the course in the second half that I finally received a framework for effectively utilizing AWS at a lower cost.

After completing the billing segment, I successfully created a small application using AWS automation and could confidently estimate that my application would incur only a few cents for millions of requests.

This was the crucial information I needed.

After all these years, I finally felt equipped to use AWS for my personal projects.

Stephane strategically placed the billing and pricing section in the latter half of the course because it's essential to understand most services and cloud system principles before grasping a pricing framework.

We essentially use a cost estimator to compile several services and their usage to predict our overall expenditure.

However, how can we accurately forecast costs without knowing how individual automations function?

Now that I possess this newfound knowledge, I can estimate costs for every project I undertake, even before I begin coding.

If approached correctly, you can accomplish most tasks using AWS's free tier.

This tier lasts for a year and provides an initial usage balance for various services.

You can obtain a small virtual machine instance for approximately a year, along with many other services that come with free usage.

I believe this is sufficient for preparation for both the cloud practitioner and architect exams, as well as for personal projects.

I have also discovered that it is possible to restart the free tier by creating a new Amazon account, though I am uncertain if this will remain a viable option in the future.

If you find yourself running out of the free tier after some time, you might be able to re-register using a different email.

For personal projects, after covering the billing section in the Udemy course, it's feasible to undertake nearly any project without the fear of excessive charges.

The main challenge with the cost estimator service on AWS is that it can be difficult to understand what you’re actually using.

The cost estimator provides various services and scaling costs based on the values you input.

It seems nearly impossible to decipher without a clear understanding of how AWS operates and the function of each service.

Even without the free tier, if utilized correctly, you should be able to keep your expenses below $5 per month for substantial personal projects.

My only concern is the possibility of creating public endpoints and having a malicious user flood my endpoint, which could lead to increased costs for my AWS service.

When it comes to choosing a certification to start with, there are 12 AWS certifications available.

The foundational certification is the easiest, while associate, professional, and specialty levels are more challenging.

If you're new to cloud systems or coding, I recommend starting with the Cloud Practitioner certification.

Many influencers discussing cloud systems suggest that the foundational certification is not particularly competitive for job seekers.

They argue that it serves merely as a starting point, encouraging candidates to aim for at least the Associate level.

Often, they recommend the Architect certification as the true entry-level certification.

Additionally, you can pursue the Architect Associate certification and skip the Cloud Practitioner altogether.

However, I found the Architect Associate exam to be quite challenging.

Having never worked with a cloud system before, I needed to learn everything from the ground up.

For me, the Cloud Practitioner certification was already a significant challenge.

I prefer to start with a foundational certification and then progress to the associate level.

Stephane, the course author, also advocates this approach, which I think is wise.

However, if you're already proficient with cloud systems, the architect certification might be more appropriate for you.

In any case, I hope you found this information helpful.

Happy coding!