How to Actually Pass Cloud Certifications (While Working Full-Time)

In partnership with

Last week, I re-introduced you to Sarah C., the Junior Systems Administrator from London who's pursuing her AWS Cloud Practitioner certification. We mapped out the 3-phase certification stack that takes you from £30K to £80K+: Foundation → Money Cert → Differentiator.

But here's where most people get stuck: they know WHICH certifications to get, but they don't know HOW to actually pass them while working full-time.

Sarah asked me these questions: "I'm studying 1-2 hours a day after work. Am I doing this right? What resources should I use? And how do I prove I can actually do this work when I have no cloud experience?"

This week, I'm breaking down the detailed study plan for each phase, the best free and paid resources, and most importantly—the hands-on projects that transform you from "just certified" to "actually hireable."

If you're just joining us, start with Part 1 to understand the complete roadmap before diving into execution.

If someone forwarded this email to you, please consider clicking the button below to join 100K+ other cloud professionals on their cloud certification journey!

Also check out our Learn Azure and Learn AWS apps to help pass those exams on the first try.

Check out our new web platform designed for use on a desktop at LearnCloudAcademy.com

The Biggest Mistake: Studying Without Building

Here's what doesn't work: watching video courses for 3 months, taking practice exams, passing the certification, and then wondering why you're not getting interviews.

Employers don't hire people who memorized AWS (or Azure) services. They hire people who can solve real problems.

Sarah is lucky, she's already working in IT, so she understands this instinctively. In her Certification Spotlight interview, she mentioned: "I'll read through AWS documentation or take a short course, but then I immediately jump into the AWS console and try it myself."

That's the winning approach: Learn → Build → Document → Repeat. (Hence my tagline at the end of each newsletter. Sound familiar?!)

Realtime User Onboarding, Zero Engineering

Quarterzip delivers realtime, AI-led onboarding for every user with zero engineering effort.

✨ Dynamic Voice guides users in the moment
✨ Picture-in-Picture stay visible across your site and others
✨ Guardrails keep things accurate with smooth handoffs if needed

No code. No engineering. Just onboarding that adapts as you grow.

See how it works

Phase 1 Study Plan: Foundation Certification (Months 1-3)

Target Cert: AWS Cloud Practitioner OR Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)

Week 1-2: Foundation Concepts

Free Resources:

• AWS: Official AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials course (free on AWS Skill Builder)

• Azure: Microsoft Learn AZ-900 learning path (completely free)

• Both: FreeCodeCamp YouTube videos (6-8 hour comprehensive courses)

Study approach: Watch at 1.25x speed, take notes in your own words. Don't just transcribe. Explain concepts as if teaching someone else.

Week 3-6: Hands-On Practice

This is where most people skip ahead to practice exams. Don't skip ahead.

Build these 3 projects:

Project 1: Static Website Hosting

• Deploy a simple HTML website using S3 + CloudFront for global distribution

• (Azure equivalent: Azure Storage Static Website + Azure CDN)

• Why: Teaches object storage, content delivery networks, basic security concepts

• Document: Write a step-by-step guide with screenshots

Project 2: Virtual Machine Deployment

• Launch an EC2 instance, configure security groups, and set up SSH access

• (Azure equivalent: Create an Azure Virtual Machine with Network Security Groups)

• Why: Core compute concepts, networking fundamentals, remote access

• Document: Create a troubleshooting guide for common connection issues

Project 3: Database Setup

• Set up an RDS MySQL instance with automated backups and Multi-AZ deployment

• (Azure equivalent: Deploy Azure SQL Database with automated backups and geo-replication)

• Why: Managed database services, backup strategies, high availability

• Document: Write about cost optimization strategies you discovered

Key insight: Each project should take 2-4 hours. You're not building production systems, you're proving you understand the concepts.

Week 7-10: Practice Exams & Review

Resources:

• Learn AWS practice exams for AWS Cloud Practitioner

• Learn Azure practice exams for Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)

• LearnCloudAcademy.com for both AWS and Azure

• Tutorials Dojo practice exams (£10-15, best ROI)

• AWS: Official practice exam (£20)

• Azure: MeasureUp practice tests (often on sale)

Strategy: Take one practice exam per week. Score below 75%? Review weak areas and rebuild relevant projects. Don't just memorize answers. You need to understand the ‘why’.

Week 11-12: Final Prep & Exam

Schedule your exam for week 12. Having a deadline creates focus.

Cost recap: £100-£150 exam + £10-30 study materials = £110-£180 total ($139-$228 USD)

Free, private email that puts your privacy first

Proton Mail’s free plan keeps your inbox private and secure—no ads, no data mining. Built by privacy experts, it gives you real protection with no strings attached.

Get free private email

Phase 2 Study Plan: The Money Cert (Months 4-9)

Target Cert: AWS Solutions Architect Associate OR Azure Administrator (AZ-104)

This is significantly harder. You need real hands-on experience, not just theory.

Month 4-5: Deep Dive Learning

Paid Resources (Worth It):

• AWS: Adrian Cantrill's course (£40, most comprehensive)

• Azure: Scott Duffy's AZ-104 course on Udemy (£15 when on sale)

• Alternative: A Cloud Guru or Pluralsight (subscription-based)

Free Alternative:

• AWS: Stephane Maarek's free YouTube content + official docs

• Azure: John Savill's AZ-104 study playlist (completely free, incredibly detailed)

Time commitment: 1-2 hours video learning daily, plus 1-2 hours hands-on practice

Month 6-8: Portfolio Projects (Critical)

These projects separate you from other candidates. Build all three:

Project 1: Multi-Tier Web Application

• Deploy a 3-tier architecture: web tier (EC2 + Application Load Balancer), application tier (EC2 with Auto Scaling), database tier (RDS)

• (Azure equivalent: Web tier with Azure VMs + Application Gateway, App tier with VM Scale Sets, Azure SQL Database)

• Implement auto-scaling based on CPU utilization and configure health checks

• Set up CloudWatch monitoring and SNS alerts for critical metrics

• (Azure equivalent: Azure Monitor with Log Analytics and Action Groups for alerts)

• Document the entire architecture with diagrams showing traffic flow

Project 2: Infrastructure as Code

• Learn Terraform or AWS CloudFormation basics through official tutorials

• Recreate Project 1 entirely using Infrastructure as Code

• (Azure equivalent: Use Terraform or Azure Resource Manager templates)

• Store code in GitHub with a detailed README explaining each resource

• Implement variables for different environments (dev, prod)

• Document: Write about why IaC matters for consistency and disaster recovery

Project 3: Disaster Recovery Implementation

• Set up automated snapshots/backups for your EC2 instances and RDS databases

• Implement cross-region replication for critical data using S3 Cross-Region Replication

• (Azure equivalent: Azure Backup for VMs, geo-replication for Azure SQL, cross-region blob replication)

• Test your recovery process by restoring from backup in a different region

• Document RTO/RPO strategies and create a disaster recovery runbook

• Calculate and document the monthly cost of your DR strategy

Pro tip: Use the AWS Free Tier or Azure free credits religiously. Clean up resources after each session. Set up billing alerts at £5, £10, and £15. These projects should cost you £10-30 total if managed carefully.

Month 9: Intensive Practice & Exam

Practice exams:

• Learn AWS for AWS Solutions Architect Associate practice exams

• Learn Azure for Azure Administrator (AZ-104) practice exams

• LearnCloudAcademy.com for both AWS and Azure

• Tutorials Dojo (AWS) or Whizlabs (Azure £15)

• Official practice exam (£40)

Take 5-6 full practice exams. Score consistently above 75%? Schedule your exam.

Cost recap: £150-300 exam + £40-80 course + £30-50 practice exams + £20-40 lab costs = £240-£470 total ($304-$595 USD)

The Gold standard for AI news

AI will eliminate 300 million jobs in the next 5 years.

Yours doesn't have to be one of them.

Here's how to future-proof your career:

• Join the Superhuman AI newsletter - read by 1M+ professionals

• Learn AI skills in 3 mins a day

• Become the AI expert on your team

Start learning AI now

Phase 3 Study Plan: The Differentiator (Months 10-15)

Target Cert: Terraform Associate, AWS Developer Associate, Azure Security (AZ-500), or AWS SysOps Administrator

Sarah is leaning toward Terraform Associate for her Cloud Engineer target role since it works across both AWS and Azure.

This phase is shorter because you've built solid foundations. Focus on:

Study approach:

• Official documentation (free and comprehensive)

• HashiCorp Learn for Terraform (free tutorials with hands-on labs)

• AWS/Azure specific certification paths through their official learning platforms

• Hands-on practice 70% of the time, theory 30%

The One Big Project:

Build something that showcases your complete skill set:

Example: "Production-Ready Infrastructure Deployment"

• Use Terraform to deploy a complete application environment (works for both AWS and Azure)

• Include CI/CD pipeline using GitHub Actions or Jenkins

• Implement monitoring with CloudWatch/Azure Monitor and centralized logging

• Add security scanning with tools like tfsec or Checkov

• Multi-environment setup (dev, staging, prod) with environment-specific variables

• Complete documentation as if handing off to a team, including architecture decision records

This single project becomes your portfolio centerpiece and demonstrates you can work with enterprise-grade infrastructure.

Cost recap: £120-£240 exam + £20-40 study materials = £140-£280 total ($177-$354 USD)

Creating Your Portfolio That Gets Interviews

Here's the truth: your GitHub profile is your new resume. Think of it as your “design” portfolio in which you share with potential employers.

Portfolio structure:

1. Professional README on your profile

• "Cloud Engineer pursuing AWS Solutions Architect Associate"

• Link to 3-5 best projects

• Technologies you work with

2. Each project repository needs:

• Clear README explaining what it does and why it matters

• Architecture diagrams (use draw.io - it's free)

• Step-by-step deployment instructions

• Lessons learned section

3. Optional but powerful:

• Write blog posts on Medium or Dev.to about your projects

• Post weekly progress updates on LinkedIn. It’s a little intimidating but you get used to it.

• Share "Today I Learned" moments

Sarah mentioned she volunteers teaching coding to teenagers. She could document her projects as teaching resources - killing two birds with one stone.

The key: You're not just proving you can follow tutorials. You're proving you can think architecturally, document clearly, and solve real problems.

The Weekly Schedule That Actually Works

Sarah works full-time. So do most of you. Here's a realistic schedule:

Monday-Thursday (2 hours/day):

• 45 min: Video courses or reading documentation

• 1 hour: Hands-on labs or building projects

• 15 min: Document what you learned

Friday (1 hour):

• Review the week, update your GitHub, plan for the following week

Saturday (3-4 hours):

• Deep work on portfolio projects

• Experiment without time pressure

Sunday:

• Rest day or light review

• Like Sarah's urban sketching - have a creative outlet

Total: 13-14 hours/week

This is sustainable long-term. Think marathon, not a sprint.

Want Structured Learning Support?

We built LearnCloudAcademy.com to give you the exact resources Sarah is using: curated practice exams that mirror real certification questions, hands-on lab links, and study guides that focus on what actually appears on exams. Stop piecing together random resources and get everything in one place and focus on learning. Use code WELCOME50 for 50% off.

Your Action Steps This Week

If you're in Phase 1: Build your first project this week. Deploy a static website to S3 or Azure Storage. Document it on GitHub.

If you're in Phase 2: Start your multi-tier application project. Even if it's rough. You'll refine it over the next month.

If you're in Phase 3: Map out your capstone project. What will showcase everything you've learned?

Reply to this email: What's the biggest obstacle preventing you from building projects right now? Time? Fear of AWS bills? Not knowing where to start? I read every response.

Next week in Part 3: How to land interviews when job descriptions say "3-5 years required" and you have certifications but limited experience. The resume transformation and application strategy that actually works.

Until next week, keep learning and building.

Sponsor Us:

Want to reach 100,000+ cloud and data enthusiasts? Sponsor our newsletter and gain valuable exposure for your brand! Send us an email to learn more.