"As a company that is part of the AWS Partner Network (APN), we need to maintain a baseline number of AWS Certifications to meet partner status. Meeting these requirements are important as it scales our business opportunities and adds more value to our company.

AWS Certification has forced us to broaden our view on AWS, working with services that we don’t necessarily focus on but our customers may. Having broad knowledge allows Foghorn to give the best advice and value add for our customers and their unique architectures.

Unlike other IT certifications that seem to focus on the technology, AWS Certification focuses on feature sets with real-life scenarios that can help provide my customers with different ways to solve their problems.

AWS Certification has made me a better consultant. When I get into complex customer situations that leverage combinations of AWS services, the wide baseline that AWS Certification has provided enables quick understanding of new environments. That allows me to immediately add value in architecture considerations and requirements.

The AWS building blocks are vast and ever-changing. Most companies that may have dismissed a service months ago are surprised to find it suits their requirements now. AWS Certification is how you establish a foundation as a consultant to know how and when to use those building blocks.

AWS Certification requires both technical and practical knowledge. You cannot simply read a book and pass the exam, and I like that aspect. You need hands-on experience with AWS, applying an array of services to actual customer scenarios in order to prepare for AWS Certification.

Thankfully, AWS offers plenty of resources to help you prepare for certification, such as instructor-led courses and self-paced labs."