Today, June 20, 2021, I celebrate Day 350 of 100 Days of Cloud. I started this challenge July 5, 2020, and am very happy to have accomplished so much in less than one year. Here I am documenting my three biggest milestones between Day 300 (May 1, 2021) and today.
Getting Accepted Into AWS Community Builders Program
On May 15, 2021, I received an acceptance email that I was in the program AND on the machine learning track! This was a very big milestone because I just applied to see what would happen. I was nervous that I would not get accepted because I had more Microsoft Azure certifications than AWS certifications. But that was not the case. Furthermore, I was happy that I was selected for my first choice in machine learning. I had the Azure AI Fundamentals certification so AWS felt that combined with my math background that I had the experience to be on the machine learning track.
I have created a This Week in AWS Community blog series chronicling new journey through the program. I want to give you the reader a peek behind the rainbow to see how this high-profile volunteer program works.
Microsoft Ending Its Monthly Cloud Skills Challenge
This was a shock because I used this program to earn my Azure Data Fundamentals, Azure AI Fundamentals, Azure Administrator and Microsoft Security Fundamentals certifications. In addition, I have three more Azure certifications that I will be sitting for this summer through this monthly Cloud Skills Challenge.
As soon as I received the email from Microsoft, I immediately sent a rebuttal saying how horrible it was because this program helped my upskill and reskill within 1 year. I was receiving job opportunities based on being able to sit for these certifications for free!
Moreover, we’re still in an economic recession with over 8 million unemployed Americans. $99 for fundamentals and $165 for associate is a whole lot of money when you’re unemployed. I hope that Microsoft restarts this program soon so that many more can benefit from it.
Qualifying For More Cloud Jobs
Initially when I started 100 Days of Cloud challenge, I had only two AWS certifications. However as I continued on my cloud journey, I became certified in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and cloud administration. I have always gotten my hands dirty when it comes to Microsoft Learn labs. I have done over 200 MS Learning modules en route to 5 Microsoft certifications.
Receiving my AZ-104 Azure Administrator certification opened the floodgates because many employers list this as a prerequisite. I was happy to receive this as well as pass my SC-900 Microsoft Security Fundamentals beta exam.
Qualifying for more cloud computing jobs will eventually help me land one. In the meantime, I will keep learning and improving my cloud skills and obtaining certifications in my field.
FYI – I will go live on my 1-year 100 Days of Cloud Anniversary. Whether you are on Twitter , YouTube Live or Instagram Live, catch me live. You DON’T want to miss it!
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