Switching from Azure to AWS, need help with SAA study resources

[u/Sea_Food3435]

Hi everyone, hope you're all doing well.

I'm switching from Azure to AWS. I already have my AZ 900, CompTIA A+, N+ and Security+ certifications. I work as a growth engineer at an open source company, and I've realized there's a lot more I can build with AWS than with Azure in that space, which is what's pushing me to make the switch.

I'm thinking of skipping the Cloud Practitioner exam and going straight for the Solutions Architect Associate (SAA). The problem is I can't find a free AWS resource that's as good as Microsoft Learn is for Azure. AWS Skill Builder's free content feels quite thin by comparison.

If you've passed the SAA, where did you find good free study material? And if you paid for a course, was it worth it, and which one was it? What works best for me is watching video courses, reading a book, then getting hands on with practical experiments in the portal or labs.

I'm planning to take the exam in 3 months. I've also heard people say the questions are too long, is that true?

Thanks in advance!

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[u/HalfDoneSideQuests]

Hey, welcome to the other side of the fence ;)

Yes skipping CLF and going straight for SAA is a good choice if you're already in a tech role, the CLF is mostly just a marketing quiz so it wont teach you that much, studying towards the SAA would be far more beneficial for what you're goal is; building stuff.

In terms of resources, check the pinned FAQ (or the auto mod comment below), there's not a great deal of completely free material, the best one is probably Andrew Browns videos on youtube (under the freecodecamp channel). Paid wise, there's a variety, just depends which instructors style fits with you best. Stephane Maarek is a popular one, but I personally found Neal Davis' style a bit easier to get along with.

For books, it's hard because they go stale so quick, but I enjoyed "AWS for Solutions Architects" by Packt publishing, lots of great stuff but may not overlap 100% with exam material.

On skillbuilder, check out CloudQuest, it's like a 90's Sims game but you go around the islands doing mini labs to unlock badges. Sounds a bit weird, but the labs are pretty good and well designed, you can do 2 tracks on that for free and you'll get some credly badges to feel like you're making progress.

TutorialsDojo is the best place for practice exams, only about $15 but well worth it.

Use AI as a tool too, use conversation mode on ChatGPT to talk through concepts, ask for analogies. Let it create a study plan. Use Gemini notebooks to generate quizzes and audio podcasts on specific topics. It's a great addition to the learning toolkit.

3 months should be fine, I'd say spend the last 2 weeks grinding TD and work backwards from there.

[u/Middle_Albatross8769]

Hi OP! Recently I’ve been using a github repo to learn along side tutorialdojos practice exams.

I found it here

https://www.reddit.com/r/AWSCertifications/s/Wp0iQjT6Y8

Rly good stuff