How to Learn About Cloud Computing If You Don’t Have Coding Experience

And get certified in the hottest skill in the market

It is hard to begin when you can’t find the starting point

If you are in the IT industry but not a coder, chances are that you might find it difficult to locate which certification to do. This holds for most of the technologies, leave alone Cloud computing. Training courses and certifications more often than not require knowledge of a coding language.

Another problem which I particularly face is: I need to know what the technology did, more than how it did it.

I’m in Sales.‘What’ is know-how I need to connect my client’s requirements with my company’s offerings.

Training courses which explain the basics of certain technology and also give elaborate use cases are hard to find. And if you want to get certified, god help you!

Oh, seems hard already. How to start?

The first step for me was to choose which new tech to learn. I set my heart on Cloud computing.

Why?

Because there is no denying that Cloud computing is the hot-skill for next decade. Almost every new technology, be it AI, Big Data, IoT, Machine Learning, Wearables, BlockChain, you name it, depends on Cloud as its IT infrastructure backbone.

Of course, you can make BlockChain work in traditional (read on-prem) infrastructure, but it would be as restrictive as using a super expensive microwave oven for just warming food. A lot of us do that too, but then that’s not the under-utilization we want to see for our billion dollars’ worth of IT infra!

So, cloud learning it was. I also wanted to get certified, preferably by a Cloud provider (more authentic, right!). I explored top three Cloud providers (AWS, Microsoft and Google), and zeroed down to Cloud Practioner Exam (CLF-C01) by AWS.

Why AWS?

I compared the training content available by Google and AWS (left out Microsoft, but that’s for another discussion).

A quick summary of the learning paths for AWS Vs GCP (Google Cloud Platform):

AWS:

1. Content delivery: Provides content free of cost.

2. Available learning paths: Gives an easy way to explore different learning paths:

• Roles- Architect, DevOps, Operations, Cloud Practitioner etc.
• Solutions- Alexa, Machine Learning, Database, Data Analytics etc.
• APN Paths- Business professional, Technical professional, Professional Services.

3. Exam: The exam cost for CLF-C01 is $100, and can also be given from home in addition to the test centre(see: Pearson VUE proctored exam). Click on “Manage Pearson VUE Exams” as an option for the online exam. AWS exam can be booked here.

4. Why AWS: AWS is the largest cloud provider in the market. It owned about 1/3 of global market share in 2019 and is about double the size of the next competitor (Microsoft). AWS certification, therefore, made even more sense to me.

GCP’s Associate Cloud Engineer Certification:

1. Content delivery: Training content is delivered through Coursera, Pluralsight, and Qwiklabs. Some content may be paid.

2. Available learning paths: Gives different learning paths to help you choose which certification is right for you:

• Associate: Focused on fundamentals. This certification is a good starting point for those new to cloud and can be used as a path to professional level certifications. This is the one Sales and Business professionals.
• Professional: Assess advanced skills in design, implementation, and management. These certifications are recommended for individuals with industry experience and familiarity with GCP products and offerings.
• User: Intended for individuals with experience using G Suite and determines an individual’s ability to use core collaboration tools.

3. Exam: Exam cost for ACEC is $125 (plus tax), and like AWS, has an option for an online proctored exam.

4. About GCP: GCP is currently third in terms of market share, more because it is pivoting from Google’s DNA of being a B2C company to being a B2B company. It has retained Google’s strong culture of innovation and is the inventor of some of the big breakthrough technologies which power Cloud today, such as Kubernetes. It is also a market leader for Analytics and Big Data.

The equivalent of AWS’s CLF-C01 in GCP is the Associate Cloud Engineer Certification (ACEC for convenience)

One difficulty I encountered with GCP training is that it usually requires you to have experience in coding for the hands-on lab sections. But then Google is a nerdy organization :)

Once I decided on the AWS’s CLF-C01 certification, I booked a date two weeks ahead.

Fast forward: I cleared the exam in the first attempt with 93.4% marks. The passing score is 70%, but then I was studying to learn as much as possible, so that I can have informed discussions with my clients, rather than just clearing the certification.

My certification can be viewed on my LinkedIn profile. My test results:

Want to know how I prepared? Head here: