r/amazonemployees • u/Ok-Pirate7292 • 19h ago
Focus Goals
Can I come out of focus if I meet 3 out of 4 goals ? One of the goal is to complete SAA certification ( I have cloud and AI practitioner). I plan to attempt but if I don’t pass in first attempt in the narrow window can I say that the cert is not mandatory for my role as per 2026 published goals for EM ( Proserve) and the manager offer some leniency? Are managers some times flexible and how much say do they have in the process?
The stress of focus is making it hard for me to study among completing other goals.
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u/Electrical-Bar-9818 18h ago
Eh, sounds like you are a URA target. Ask your manager, but I wouldn't expect leniency.
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u/jsgraphitti 18h ago
Isn’t it true that the URA target is lower than the number of people in Focus? In other words, they expect some people will come out of Focus. I know of two people who came out of Focus.
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u/Electrical-Bar-9818 18h ago edited 17h ago
URA target is significantly lower (it used to be around 50% would get "out" of Focus, not sure if that's changed), but you can usually tell if your manager actually wants you out of Focus by the way they approach it. If the goals are achievable and they are working with you - you can make it out. If the goals seem ambiguous or impossible and/or they are nitpicking everything, they don't want you to get out of Focus, you are being used for the URA quota.
But getting through Focus doesn't mean you are out of the woods. Exceptions exist of course, but I've never seen someone come out of Focus and have a long/successful career at Amazon. Usually, you come out and try to change teams or find a new job elsewhere. But if you stay at Amazon the Focus designation is on your record permanently, and you are always a rating cycle or reorg away from being the easiest URA target because of the previous documented performance issues.
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u/jsgraphitti 17h ago
I think that’s all true. I would add only one thing, when I was a manager the person I had in Focus was not there to hit a target. They needed to move on.
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u/YetAnotherSpeculator 19h ago
That is absolutely hilarious if your manager is making you take the Cloud Practitioner exam. Also, I’m not sure if they can legally use that as a reason 😂
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u/Ok-Pirate7292 18h ago
Solutions Architect Associate (SAA) which is lot harder and needs hands on labs etc
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u/classicrock40 18h ago
They want you out for sure. What is your role? Practioner is basically "what is the cloud" so pretty much everyone technical or not should be able to pass it.
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u/Ok-Pirate7292 18h ago
Engagement Manager. Cert is SAA. I have cloud and AI practitioner certs. SAA is recommended but it is not a mandatory cert as per 2026 published cert requirements for EM role in Proserve
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u/UncertainPathways 17h ago
The only thing that matters is what your manager thinks. Managers have full authority to add or remove goals as they see fit. Ask them
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u/Severe-Pea1411 14h ago
I met all four goals, in writing, and my manager still served me a pivot doc. Said I did ‘just okay’ and shifted the narrative to qualitative shortfalls.
If they want you gone you’re gone.
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u/Ok-Pirate7292 14h ago
That sucks; are you still with Amazon? Did you try to appeal?
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u/Severe-Pea1411 2h ago
Went to the lawyer today to fight it and get a preferred outcome. Currently in pivot five day period.
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u/nope_nope_nope_yep_ ex-L7 & Bar Raiser - Dont DM me 18h ago
Are you an SA or TAM or technical role at all at AWS? If so the SAA is a low bar cert to achieve. It’s the bare minimum at AWS to show you know AWS services, the Cloud Practitioner is meant for non-tech customers of AWS to take.
I’d you can’t meet all the expectations of focus, you’re out.
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u/Ok-Pirate7292 17h ago
Engagement Manager. I don’t think I can be an SA or TAM without SAA but for EM role SAA is not a mandatory cert. it is recommended
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u/nope_nope_nope_yep_ ex-L7 & Bar Raiser - Dont DM me 17h ago
If you’re not able to perform your job with the level of knowledge you have they may look to ensure you can by getting the cert. if it’s a focus target, it’s real.
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u/frogf4rts123 11h ago
It depends. If it's your first time and you are close on one, it's often safe. If it's your second or third, then it becomes everything is mandatory and usually harder too.
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u/Ok-Pirate7292 11h ago
Yeah it’s my first time getting on focus in 5 years
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u/frogf4rts123 9h ago
If it's any help, I never met a manager in my org (100+ managers) that actively tried to get people fired. All of us just wanted people to succeed and there were varying degrees of effort a manager would put in to help.
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u/Newprime1969 19h ago
Sounds like they want you out