Why I Am Studying For Another Certification (Study with Me)

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My Problem With Certifications

If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know I have somewhat of a love-hate relationship with certifications.

Certifications helped me start my career, especially since I dropped out of school.

However, only a couple of the certification courses I’ve taken have actually been useful for my day-to-day work.

Some were very expensive, had seemingly good reputations, but offered little real substance; a lipstick-on-a-pig type of situation.

I realized that most people don’t like to speak negatively about something they spent thousands of dollars on so there aren’t too many negative reviews on course content.

Because then the question becomes, “Why did you pay that much for it if it’s that bad?”

Sure, people trash how companies deal with students or how bad the support is, but I barely ever saw anyone complain about the course content.

Anyway, I had told myself I wouldn’t be studying for another certification for a while, and I haven’t.

The last one I did was in the summer of 2024, the CRTP.

The New Cert Goal

But a drive has risen in me again to study and pass another certification: the AWS Security Specialty.

There are a few reasons for this.

First, I don’t have a bachelor’s degree.

Some people say that doesn’t matter, and I agree, but a lot of people still think otherwise.

I work as a consultant; our current clients and new clients all want the best of the best, the cream of the crop.

Adding certifications to my resume is my way of trying to balance the scales.

Second, I’m working on a project where having some credentials helps back my case.

So this is mostly just to prove I walk the talk, at least at first glance.

I say at first glance because I don’t believe certifications are the end-all, be-all.

They can silence some critics, sure, but at the end of the day, you can’t please everyone.

My goal is to sit for the certification exam around August, or earlier if I really push myself.

Some people will say to take the Architect Associate first before this one, but since it’s not a prerequisite, I don’t think I need to.

I’ve always taken certifications that serve my needs based on where I’m at, and I’ll keep doing that.

Come Study With Me

If you’d like to join me for my study sessions on Discord, I’ll be hosting two separate sessions every Friday and Saturday morning (CT) for the next few weeks or months.

The first session will be on Saturday, May 24 2025 at 06:00 (6am for my American friends), where I’ll be setting everything up: note-taking space, enrolling in the free course I’ll be using, and building out my study calendar.

Even if you’re studying for a different certification, feel free to join the chat and hang out while we all study.

You can join me using the following discord link:

Suggestions

Hit me up on Discord or LinkedIn if you have anything you feel would be cool to include. Thanks, Cheers.