A few days after passing my last certification, I asked myself what I'd done since the pandemic started. I posted the list below on Twitter on 28 May to share what I have achieved.
Since this pandemic
— Johan Rin (@johanrin) May 28, 2020
1. I started the #AWSCertified Challenge and passed 3 certs
2. I found a job
3. I contributed to Amazon #DynamoDB SDK example documentation
4. I became an author at @freeCodeCamp
5. I started the #AzureCertified Challenge and passed 1 cert
This tweet was liked 1.9K times and retweeted 173 times! It was the first time I'd had that much impact on Twitter. And I got quite a few questions about my job and the challenges I started working through.
The encouragement I received gave me the motivation to share my story. In this post, I'm going to explain everything and answer all the questions I got.
Why I started the #AWSCertified Challenge
We're all experiencing different things and struggling in various ways. It's our choice to take action or not. I spent the last two years working for my startup and trying to change the world.
It didn't work out as I expected. But it was full of intense experiences that I could never have had as an employee. I'm not saying that being an employee is bad. But I was responsible for my business, and that changed everything.
I'm the kind of person who cannot stay still for long. I find my energy in challenges, and Quincy Larson had exactly what I needed: the #AWSCertified Challenge.
Did you know - Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers professional certifications.
— freeCodeCamp.org (@freeCodeCamp) January 23, 2020
And they come straight from Amazon itself.
In this article, @ossia introduces the #AWSCertified Challenge to help you get on the right path to your first AWS certifications.https://t.co/Fz2HSkkstY
This challenge helps you find the motivation to pass your first AWS Certifications. What you need to do is commit to this challenge. After that, Andrew Brown from ExamPro has you covered. For now, you can prepare for three AWS Certifications for free:
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate
- AWS Certified Developer Associate
Each day, you watch the course, share your progress, and encourage at least two other people. I did that for almost 50 days, which allowed me to meet many people in the AWS community and pass three certifications in a row. The preparation was very intensive, but I enjoyed the #AWSCertified Challenge!
Officially AWS Certified Developer Associate!!! ???
— Johan Rin (@johanrin) April 29, 2020
Thank you again and again @andrewbrown and @ossia for starting the #AWSCertified challenge!!!
Now I became an author on #freeCodeCamp, I will write about this journey and share my feedback ✌️ pic.twitter.com/x8wKve7uKp
For more details about AWS and the #AWSCertified Challenge, I recommend that you read Quincy's post. He explains everything you need to know to start the challenge.
If you want to read about my preparation and how I managed to pass three certifications, you can read this post.
Some of you asked me if I considered other courses to prepare for the exams. We're all working differently, and it's something to keep in mind.
From my perspective, I think one course is enough to pass the exam. I only used freeCodeCamp and other free resources. I enjoyed Andrew Brown's teaching method: straight to the point! It gave me more time to experiment by myself.
Also, I believe that practice is the key – not hours and hours of courses.
How I found my new job
Question yourself
At the end of my startup, I looked for a job. Before starting this new step, I asked myself many questions, such as:
- Should I join a Startup or a Corporate company?
- If Corporate, how big?
- What kind of position?
It's necessary to know what you want and what you can offer. Know yourself, what kind of company is right for you, and what kind of position you can hold.
There are many positions in the tech industry. If you're a Developer today, maybe you wish to become a Solutions Architect one day. You should know your goals, and if you're not ready today, work for it!
Get feedback from professionals
I'm frequently asking for feedback on things I can improve. It doesn't cost you anything, and it can help you grow.
For instance, I wanted to review my CV with someone before applying. I registered for a job fair and got feedback from a professional.
My feedback
If there were three things I learned from all my interviews, I would say:
- Dare to apply for a job even if your profile doesn't meet all the qualifications
- Be motivated - you have to show your motivation from start to finish. Do your homework and understand the company you want to work for. During the interview, provide a detailed explanation of your previous experiences
- Trust your network - if you know someone working on the tech industry, feel free to contact them. Sometimes, a recommendation is all you need
These things helped me to find my job, and today, I'm proud to announce I'm a Technical Architect at delaware France!
Note: That's okay to fail multiple job interviews. Put your ego aside and keep going. I know how frustrating and demotivating it is. But the most important thing is to learn from your failures. Don't forget, opportunities are in front of you, not behind!
How I managed my time during the lockdown
After working for two years for my startup, I no longer knew how to just do nothing. I needed some challenges to continue to improve myself.
Become an author at freeCodeCamp
Something I had in my mind for a long time was to start blogging. During my startup period, I noticed that if I was able to explain something with my own words I understood it better.
Looking for my next challenge, I decided to apply to become an author at freeCodeCamp to share my experience with others.
I needed to submit three articles I had already written to the editorial team. Because I had none at this time, I had to write them first before applying:
Pass my first Azure Certification
Since joining my new team, I've undertaken another exciting challenge: to improve my knowledge of Azure.
This time, there was no challenge from freeCodeCamp. I started my #AzureCertified Challenge to keep up that forward momentum. But don't worry, Andrew Brown will get you covered soon.
I decided to take the first exam, AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, to give myself a smooth transition from AWS to Azure. And I passed!
Officially Microsoft Certified!!! I took my Microsoft @Azure Fundamentals exam this morning, and I passed!!! ?
— Johan Rin (@johanrin) May 26, 2020
Of course, I will share my feedback in a @freecodecamp article ✍️#AzureCertified #Azure pic.twitter.com/rvhJbz8av6
The current situation
If I look back on what I've accomplished so far, I think I haven't done that much. My objectives were clear, and for me, it was only baby steps every day! ?
Motivation, Patience, and Dedication. That's all it takes to achieve what I did.
No shortcut. No magic trick. No superpower.
And guess what? You can do it too. No, you can even do better.
To conclude, I'd like to share some thoughts with the Black community.
We all have a responsibility to stop racism. The time to act is now!
"Never allow yourself to stay comfortable. Comfort is complicity. Discomfort means change. Sit with it." - Tatiana Mac
#BlackLivesMatter
That's it for me, hope you learned something! If you have any questions, find me on Twitter and feel free to ask me anything.