The AWS Tech U survival guide

Imagine stepping into a career-defining moment: Your first day at AWS Tech U. What should you expect? How do you make the most of the next few months?

This guide is for early-career professionals entering AWS Tech U or embarking on their own learning journey to pursue a career in cloud technology. AWS Tech U is a career-development program designed to prepare newly hired early-career talent for success in technical roles at AWS. It offers learning modules for both technical depth and professional skills. In this post, we explain the AWS Tech U core curriculum, the value of AWS Certifications, and ways to advance your career outside of Tech U offerings.

AWS Tech U core curriculum

AWS Tech U is meant to prepare you for a technical career at Amazon Web Services (AWS) regardless of your professional background. The instruction follows a comprehensive curriculum that is split between technical training and ProSkills, a professional skills training component. The program prioritizes technical creativity and real-world problem solving, facilitated by instructor-led and peer-to-peer learning.

The technical training comprises remote instructor-led sessions, hands-on labs, and self-guided learning modules that align with course progression and reinforce critical cloud concepts. The content of the instructor-led sessions complement that of the self-guided modules to deepen understanding. You’ll be exposed to a wide variety of topics that include networking, highly available web applications, data analytics, compliance, and artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML).

In the ProSkills component, you learn the nontechnical skills needed to be successful in a professional role. These sessions typically include a self-paced module and facilitator-led group work or discussions that you complete with other members of your AWS Tech U cohort. Some of the topics you can expect to learn in ProSkills sessions are collaborative brainstorming and problem-solving, writing, and presentation skills, along with interpersonal skills such as handling ambiguity, time management, and understanding different personality styles.

AWS Certifications

AWS Certifications are a crucial component of learning at AWS. Achieving these certifications validates your cloud expertise and provides industry-recognized credentials. Depending on your role, the program requires that you obtain certifications. For example, Solutions Architects must obtain the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner and AWS Solutions Architect – Associate as minimum requirements. These foundational certifications are designed to provide you with a solid understanding of AWS services and architectural principles. With the rise of generative AI, obtaining the AWS Certified AI Practitioner is encouraged as well.

Although meeting the minimum certification requirements is essential, exploring additional certifications can significantly enhance your technical foundation. The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate deepens your knowledge of systems operations, including monitoring, automation, security implementation, and performance optimization. This certification is particularly valuable for those interested in the operational aspects of cloud computing.

The AWS Certified Developer – Associate certification focuses on building and maintaining cloud applications and covers essential topics such as serverless architectures, continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, API development, and microservices design. This path is ideal for those who want to strengthen their application development skills in the cloud environment.

To succeed in your certification journey:

• Take advantage of AWS training resources
• Practice with official AWS exam questions
• Maintain a consistent study schedule
• Build personal projects to reinforce learning

Remember, while AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner and AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate are your primary goals, investing time in additional certifications can provide a deeper understanding of AWS services and strengthen your overall cloud computing expertise.

Learn and be curious

As you navigate through Tech U, you’ll learn about Technical Field Communities (TFCs), which are specialized groups that bring AWS builders together based on shared interests and expertise. TFCs function as knowledge centers within AWS, each focused on specific domains. They provide a focused avenue to explore areas that pique your interest via the curated training available for each TFC. These communities are structured in two categories: those centered around technical skills and those dedicated to specific industries.

Examples of technical-focused TFCs:

• Data and analytics
• AI/ML
• Security and compliance
• Serverless computing
• Containers and Kubernetes

Examples of industry-focused TFCs:

• Financial services
• Healthcare and life sciences
• Manufacturing and Industrial
• Media and entertainment
• Telecommunications

Your Tech U journey takes priority over TFC involvement. The program provides your essential foundation, and extensive TFC participation during Tech U can impact your core learning. Use your spare time to explore these communities strategically. You can connect with TFC members during internal events or review their wiki pages to understand their work. TFC members often welcome aspiring members to assist them in providing demonstrations or proof-of-concept builds for customers interested in solutions based on the technology or industry-vertical they align with, offering direct insights into their specialized work. When you identify an area of interest—whether that is data and analytics or the financial services industry—explore that TFC’s ambassador learning path to understand the specialization requirements.

Participating in TFCs as supplementary learning opportunities helps maximize their value. During scheduled breaks in Tech U, attending technical deep-dive sessions can help inform your future career focus. Building professional connections with TFC members through informal discussions provides insights into specialization paths while maintaining Tech U as your primary focus.

TFCs remain available throughout your AWS career. Focus on completing your Tech U curriculum first, then explore technical domains or industries that interest you as time permits. This structured approach enables informed decisions about specialization while maintaining appropriate focus on your Tech U requirements.

Shadowing opportunities

Throughout your AWS Tech U experience, you’ll have regular opportunities to develop your speaking skills during calls. To further enhance your professional growth, you’re encouraged to proactively seek out shadowing opportunities. Taking initiative in finding these valuable learning experiences demonstrates your commitment to professional development and allows you to customize your learning journey.

To find opportunities, talk with more experienced solutions architects in your network, such as your onboarding buddy, mentor, or advisor. Also, reach out to recent AWS Tech U alumni. While shadowing calls it’s important to prepare for and participate with the intention of being the lead AWS representative on future customer calls. Do the necessary work to prepare for the call and actively listen to the discussion in the way you would if you were leading the call. It’s important to follow these guidelines:

• Prepare for the call by researching the customer. The person leading the call should provide you with an introductory email either from the customer or from the demand generation representative (DGR). Use this information to find out:
  • How does their business make money?
  • Are similar businesses currently using AWS and how?
  • Has the customer mentioned any persistent or recurring problems?
• After the meeting, thank the DGR and solutions architect and ask to hold a short debrief to discuss the call. Listen to what they found important and compare your notes, this is where you can get the most insight into their thought process and takeaways, and understand pick up on details you may have missed.

Shadowing calls is one of the ways in which you can really stand out. Most of the work you’ll do in AWS Tech U is a requirement and becoming exceptional only happens by venturing beyond the requirements.

Additional growth

Beyond the core curriculum and certifications, AWS Tech U offers numerous opportunities for additional professional development. The program encourages self-directed learning through AWS Skill Builder courses, documentation deep dives, and hands-on workshops. Explore internal AWS resources, such as the AWS Training and Certification portal, to access a wealth of self-paced learning materials, webinars, and virtual events.

Community engagement plays a vital role in your development at AWS. There are multiple opportunities to participate in AWS User Groups, attend major events such as AWS re:Invent and AWS Summits, and contribute to internal discussion forums. These events are excellent opportunities for you to network with industry peers, and you can use them to stay current with the latest AWS innovations.

Technical growth comes through hands-on experience and knowledge sharing. Building personal project portfolios showcases your skills and creativity for future opportunities. Additionally, contributing to internal AWS knowledge bases by documenting your learnings and sharing best practices helps both your growth and your colleagues’ development.

Remember that growth at AWS is self-driven and taking the initiative to explore these additional opportunities can significantly enhance your AWS Tech U experience and future career prospects.

Tips for success

Set expectations for yourself.

It’s good for your expectations to be achievable, but don’t be afraid to think big. It’s rare to get an opportunity like AWS Tech U, where you’re given flexibility to operate in the way that is the best for you. Make at least one primary goal at the beginning of AWS Tech U so that you always have a general path and don’t lose focus in the quiet periods. This goal could be getting extra AWS certifications, shadowing calls every week, or making progress in a TFC, but whatever you want to accomplish, don’t fall into the trap of letting others convince you it’s not feasible or worth the effort.

Make friends with similar goals.

Everyone at AWS has unique backgrounds and knowledge that you’ll benefit from. What I’m suggesting is that you learn and grow with others on the same path as you. My friend group shared the common goal of getting certifications, which made us more understanding of each other having days of studying or taking exams. Sharing in the struggle can make the struggle feel easier.

Find your flow.

Block out time on your calendar for studying or building new solutions. If you have a meeting every other hour, it’s impossible to get into a flow. As you plan around a hectic schedule, decide which meetings are mandatory for you and discuss with the meeting organizers or your manager what meetings you can miss. For example, your meetings with your onboarding buddy, advisor, and mentor are all subject to your availability. If you feel like you’re falling behind on a project or goal, it’s better to let them know and move the meeting or cancel. Becoming overwhelmed is a common experience, and they’ll work with you to find a solution.

Stack your time.

Small efforts over a long period of time can create massive results. Keep your goals in mind. If you find yourself getting lost along the way, break your goals into smaller, manageable, and measurable segments. Small accomplishments can remind you of the purpose of your goal, but remember we all face failures, exhaustion, and frustrations, recognize when you need a break and take it.

Closing thoughts

Remember that everyone’s journey through AWS Tech U is unique. Some might excel in certifications early on, while others might find their stride in shadowing calls or contributing to TFCs. The key is to remain adaptable and resilient, understanding that challenges and occasional setbacks are natural parts of the learning process.

The strategies and advice shared in this guide come from the real experiences of those who have walked this path before you. Whether it’s managing your time effectively, building meaningful connections, or pursuing additional growth opportunities, these insights are meant to help you maximize your AWS Tech U experience. However, they should be viewed as guidelines rather than strict rules—adapt them to fit your personal learning style and career goals.

By approaching your AWS Tech U experience with intention, enthusiasm, and a growth mindset, you’ll be positioned to launch a successful career at AWS and in the broader technology industry.