Over the past few years, I embarked on a professional journey to deepen my expertise in cloud technologies and systems administration. Today, I’m proud to hold certifications that reflect both my dedication and practical knowledge in this field, including:

• AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate & Professional
• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
• AWS Certified Security – Specialty
• Oracle Certified Foundations Associate
• Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA)
• Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)

Here’s how I tackled each certification and some tips for those looking to do the same.

🌩️ Starting with AWS: The Foundation

My AWS journey began with the Solutions Architect Associate exam. This gave me a solid grasp of core AWS services like EC2, S3, RDS, IAM, and networking. I used:

• AWS Training & Certification Portal
• A Cloud Guru/Udemy (Stephane Maarek’s courses)
• Practice exams from Whizlabs and Tutorials Dojo

Once I cleared the Associate-level exams, I aimed higher and cleared the Solutions Architect – Professional. This one required a deeper understanding of multi-account architecture, cost optimization, high availability, and disaster recovery planning.

Key Tip: Master the AWS Well-Architected Framework and go through the FAQs on each service.

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🛠️ Operational Expertise: SysOps & DevOps Professional

The SysOps Administrator – Associate exam tests your ability to manage and monitor AWS infrastructure. I found hands-on experience to be the most critical aspect here, especially with CloudWatch, CloudTrail, and Systems Manager.

Then came the DevOps Engineer – Professional exam — a true test of practical implementation skills around CI/CD pipelines, automation, and infrastructure as code (IaC) using CloudFormation and CodePipeline.

Key Tip: Try deploying a full CI/CD pipeline on AWS as a hands-on project.

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🔐 Security Specialty: Going Deeper

Security is non-negotiable in cloud environments. The AWS Security Specialty exam was a deep dive into KMS, IAM best practices, data protection, and incident response.

Key Tip: AWS whitepapers and the AWS Security Hub documentation were vital resources.

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☁️ Oracle Certified Foundations Associate

While AWS dominated my cloud learning path, the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Foundations Associate exam helped me understand an alternative cloud ecosystem. I leveraged Oracle’s free tier to get hands-on experience.

Key Tip: Oracle provides a free learning path and practice tests — take full advantage.

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🐧 Red Hat Certifications: Mastering Linux

Before diving deep into cloud, my roots were in systems administration. The RHCSA and RHCE certifications validated my practical Linux skills — from managing users and filesystems to automating tasks with Ansible (for RHCE).

Key Tip: Practice in a real or virtual lab environment. The exams are performance-based, so speed and accuracy matter.

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🚀 Final Thoughts

Each certification sharpened a different skillset — cloud architecture, systems operations, security, DevOps, and Linux. More than the titles, the hands-on labs, real-world projects, and persistent curiosity helped me succeed.

If you’re aiming for similar goals:

• Set a clear study plan.
• Focus on hands-on practice.
• Use multiple learning sources (videos, docs, labs, practice tests).
• Never rush — understand why, not just how.

Feel free to reach out if you’re on a similar path or need guidance. Certifications may not be the final destination, but they are a powerful way to benchmark and accelerate your learning journey.