Today I attended the Cloud Practitioner Essentials Day hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in a virtual, instructor-led format. I was a little unsure of what to expect when signing up for this 6-hour course on my day off, but I was quickly put at ease by the instructor and his laid-back teaching style. Presented in a webinar format, participants are able to see instructional slides and hear the instructor but are not able to speak; there is an option to type questions into a chat box, however, which are quickly answered by AWS staff. You are not on camera so this is a prime opportunity to wear pajamas to a training session!
Jeff Kerwin, AWS Technical Trainer, was friendly, knowledgeable, and even shared pictures of his dogs (the quickest way to win me over). His tone made me feel like I was having a conversation with a colleague even if I was just listening to an instructor-led training. In my many years of attending professional development workshops, I have learned that this is an awesome quality to find in an instructor! There was an introduction followed by 10 modules that covered a plethora of topics that will help you better understand the AWS cloud. The visuals on the screen were simple, clear, and helped communicate main points to the audience. There were regular checks for understanding after each module, which were helpful to make sure I was on the right track.
A few things that might be encouraging if you are on the fence about signing up: (1) there are breaks, (2) insights are given into the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam, and (3) you get a certificate of attendance. In terms of breaks, there were regular 10-minute stretch breaks throughout the training and a 1-hour lunch break (total instructional time is 6 hours). This was a good crash course as I prepare for the previously mentioned exam, but I am using other preparation resources to supplement this training to make sure I am thoroughly knowledgeable.
The only snag I had during this process was brought to light by a participant asking a question in the chat box during the training. There seemed to be some confusion about the various “cloud practitioner essentials” training offerings on the AWS website; for example, there is a 6-hour live workshop, a 6-hour self-paced course, and a 14-hour learning plan (this doesn’t include the in-person options). I lay out the differences for you in this post to help you figure out what works best for you.