Adam Elmore, an AWS DevTools Hero, shares his experience of passing all 12 AWS certifications in 2 weeks. He discusses finding success on the AWS IQ platform, his new project public.dev, the lack of performance-focused site builders, live streaming on Twitch, and his plans for a new video course.
Certifications fill knowledge gaps and validate AWS skills, but may not guarantee job prospects.
AWS IQ offers value for finding work, but experts often graduate from the platform after finding success.
Teaching AWS to web developers is challenging due to the vast scope of services and overcoming barriers like DynamoDB.
Deep dives
The value of certifications and challenges for web developers
The speaker discusses his mixed feelings about the value of certifications and shares his own experiences in obtaining 12 AWS certifications. He highlights that certifications helped him fill in knowledge gaps and validate what he knew about AWS. However, he acknowledges that certifications may not have the same weight for job prospects and advises lower expectations in that regard. He also expresses interest in teaching web developers about AWS, but notes the challenges of introducing AWS concepts and overcoming barriers like DynamoDB. He aims to guide web developers into the world of AWS and open up career opportunities.
Experience using AWS IQ and finding work outside of IQ
The speaker shares his experience with AWS IQ, a marketplace connecting AWS customers with experts, and the value it offers for finding work. He mentions the decrease in fees for experts and the benefits of the platform. However, he explains that he has moved away from it recently as he has built relationships outside of IQ and found work through Twitter. He emphasizes his positive view of IQ, but also highlights the trend where experts often graduate from the platform after finding success.
The challenge of teaching AWS to web developers
The speaker discusses the challenge of teaching AWS to web developers and the difficulties in finding the right balance between overwhelming them and introducing them to new concepts. He mentions the scope of AWS services and the barriers faced when trying to deliver the message to web developers. He reflects on the niche nature of his own AWS applications and the need to find ways to address web developers who are averse to using AWS. Despite the challenges, he expresses excitement about the opportunity to bring more web developers into the AWS world.
The benefits of building on AWS and the push for serverless
The speaker highlights the benefits of building on AWS, including the doors it can open for web developers in terms of career opportunities. He mentions the increased scalability, cost savings, and operational ease that AWS provides. He also references the push for serverless and how it can simplify application building for web developers. He aims to introduce web developers to AWS services like AppSync, API Gateway, and DynamoDB to extend their toolset.
Future projects and engagements
The speaker mentions future projects, including Twitch streaming and an upcoming visit to Re:Invent, AWS's annual conference. He invites listeners to join him on Twitch and expresses excitement about interacting with the community there. He looks forward to attending Re:Invent in Las Vegas and hopes to see attendees there.
In this episode, I caught up with Adam Elmore (@aeduhm), AWS DevTools Hero and an active member of the AWS community. We talked about how he passed all 12 AWS certifications in 2 weeks and how they have helped him find success on the AWS IQ platform. We also touched on his new project, public.dev, the general lack of performance-focused site builders, live streaming on Twitch and his plans for a new video course.
