I recently passed the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam and want to move toward a role where I can apply what I learned. I understand that a certification alone probably won't demonstrate enough practical experience during interviews, so I'd like to build a few realistic projects in my spare time and include them in a portfolio.
My background is mostly in fintech, with experience centered around SQL and some technology-adjacent work. I'm not a computer science graduate or an experienced programmer, but I understand fundamentals such as data types, basic networking, and general technical concepts.
What are some worthwhile AWS project ideas or online resources that would help me build practical skills in areas like networking, IAM, monitoring, and deployment? I'd also appreciate advice on how to document the projects effectively for potential cloud or solutions architecture roles.
4 Answers
Choose a workload that feels like something a real business might run, deploy it, and explain your decisions. A working project with diagrams, setup steps, monitoring details, and notes about cost and security will usually demonstrate more than collecting another certification badge.
Focus on projects that cover the fundamentals: VPC networking, IAM, logging and monitoring, databases, and deployment. Since your background includes fintech and SQL, you could build a small data-oriented application or reporting system and use it to demonstrate both your existing experience and your new AWS skills.
Try building a basic three-tier application on AWS. Document the architecture, networking setup, IAM permissions, deployment process, and any tradeoffs you made. Put the infrastructure code and clear instructions in a public code repository, and consider writing a short project walkthrough as well.
The Cloud Resume Challenge is a solid first project. It gives you a practical way to use AWS services and produces something you can show in a portfolio. Once you finish it, expand the project gradually instead of jumping between unrelated tutorials.
That makes sense. I’ll look for a project where I can use my SQL background while practicing the AWS networking and deployment pieces I haven’t worked with much yet.