How to Get from Zero to Hundreds of AWS-Certified Engineers in 12 Steps

© 2017, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its Affiliates. All rights reserved.
How to Get from Zero to Hundreds of
AWS-Certified Engineers
N o v e m b e r 2 7 , 2 0 1 7
AWS re:INVENT

Proven enterprise success in the cloud

System
Integrator
Energy
Sector
1996 1998 2000 2017
Personal career timeline

Migrating is a solved technical challenge
AWS Server
Migration Service
AWS Database
Migration Service
Amazon S3
Transfer Acceleration
VMware Cloud
on AWS
AWS
Snowball
AWS
Snowmobile
AWS
Direct Connect
Amazon
Kinesis Streams

The humans affected by migration
F e a r a n d a m b i g u i t y f o r
m a n a g e m e n t a n d s t a f f
R e s i s t a n c e i s n a t u r a l
M i g r a t i o n d e c i s i o n s
i m p a c t c a r e e r s

The choice
Hire New Train Existing
O R
L e s s e x p e n s i v e
S c a l a b l e
F a s t e r

But training is the tip of the iceberg
W e n e e d a h o l i s t i c a p p r o a c h
TRAINING
M O T I V A T I O N
Autonomy
Mastery
Purpose
M O T I V A T I O N

My personal story
A n d o u r 1 2 - s t e p , h o l i s t i c a p p r o a c h

© 2017, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its Affiliates. All rights reserved.© 2017, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its Affiliates. All rights reserved.
This is happening!
Step 1 Acceptance

Step 1 AcceptanceMorale/Performance
Remember the change curve
D e n i a l
F r u s t r a t i o n
D e p r e s s i o n
E x p e r i m e n t
( w i t h t h e
n e w w a y )
A c c e p t a n c e
S t r a t e g i e s
C r e a t e A l i g n m e n t
O v e r C o m m u n i c a t e
S p a r k M o t i v a t i o n
D e v e l o p C a p a c i t y
Time
S h a r e K n o w l e d g e

AWS technical essentials course
Step 2 Training
A b r o a d p e r s p e c t i v e o n o u r f o u n d a t i o n s

“There is no compression algorithm
for experience”
Step 3 Safe hands-on time
Andy Jassy
AWS CEO

Step 4 Two-pizza team

Wait, what’s a 2 pizza team?
“If you can’t feed a team with two
pizzas, the team is too large.”
– Jeff Bezos

Pr od uc t Man age r
“ S w i s s A r m y K n i f e ” i n i t i a l l y t a k i n g o n
a l l f u n c t i o n s o f t h e C l o u d B u s i n e s s
O f f i c e ( C B O ) . W o r k s d i r e c t l y w i t h t h e
b u s i n e s s a n d / o r d e v e l o p m e n t t e a m s t o
g e n e r a t e a n d p r i o t i z e b a c k l o g o f w h a t
c l o u d s e r v i c e s n e e d t o b e d e l i v e r e d t o
s u p p o r t f i r s t - m o v e r a p p l i c a t i o n s

L e ad Ar c h ite c t
A c c o u n t a b l e f o r o v e r a l l c l o u d
t e c h n i c a l a r c h i t e c t u r e ; p a r t n e r s w i t h
P r o d u c t M a n a g e r t o t r a n s l a t e c u s t o m e r
r e q u i r e m e n t s i n t o t e c h n i c a l
d e l i v e r a b l e s ; e s t a b l i s h e s t e c h n i c a l
d i r e c t i o n ; d o e s t e c h n i c a l d e l i v e r y a s
w e l l .

Leadership
I n fr astr uc tur e En gin e e r s
P r o v i d e i n t e g r a t i o n s w i t h c o r p o r a t e
d a t a c e n t r e s , s h a r e d c l o u d
i n f r a s t r u c t u r e s e r v i c e s , W o r k s o n
e n g i n e e r i n g a n d c o n t i n u o u s
i m p r o v e m e n t o f i n f r a s t r u c t u r e s t a c k s ,
t e m p l a t e s , i m a g e s , a n d o t h e r
a r t i f a c t s .

LeadershipInfrastructure
S e c ur ity En gin e e r s
P r o v i d e s t a n d a r d i z e d o f f e r i n g s t o
f a c i l i t a t e o n g o i n g s e c u r i t y a n d
c o m p l i a n c e w i t h i n a p p l i c a t i o n s t a c k s
a n d t h e c l o u d e n v i r o n m e n t o v e r a l l ;
I n t e g r a t e s s e c u r i t y s t a n d a r d s a n d
c o n t r o l s p r o d u c t s a n d o f f e r i n g s .

LeadershipInfrastructure Security
Ope r ation s En gin e e r s
P r o v i d e o u t c o m e s t o f a c i l i t a t e t h e
s u c c e s s f u l d e p l o y m e n t o f a p p l i c a t i o n s
o n i n f r a s t r u c t u r e s t a c k s ; a r t i f a c t / c o d e
r e p o s i t o r i e s , u p g r a d e s , p a t c h i n g . A l s o
r e s p o n s i b l e f o r o p e r a t i o n a l h e a l t h :
m e t r i c s , l o g g i n g , a l e r t i n g , i n v e n t o r y ,
c a p a c i t y , a n d b i l l i n g / t a g m a n a g e m e n t .

LeadershipInfrastructure Security
Operations
Appl ic ation En gin e e r s
R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f t h e f i r s t - m o v e r
a p p l i c a t i o n t e a m s . W o r k c l o s e l y w i t h
t h e T i g e r T e a m t o p r o v i d e t h e v o i c e o f
t h e c u s t o m e r a s c l o u d s e r v i c e s a r e
b e i n g d e v e l o p e d .

A c h i e v e s p e e d a n d a g i l i t y
w i t h t w o - p i z z a t e a m s , w h i l e r e t a i n i n g
r e p o r t i n g s t r u c t u r e s
T e a m s o f 8 t o 1 0
Applications
Infrastructure
Leadership
Security
Operations

Step 5 Bring in experts
P a i r p r o g r a m w i t h p a r t n e r
A i m f o r s e l f - s u f f i c i e n c y

Step 6 Make it real
Amazon Machine image
C r e a t e
t w o - p i z z a
t e a m
B u i l d y o u r p r o d u c t
S u p p o r t
y o u r
p r o d u c t
Ship something important, but not critical

T e a m s o f 8 t o 1 0
Applications
Infrastructure
Leadership
Security
Operations
Ne w te am s c o m b i ne
e x p e r ts and no v i c e s
Step 7 Scale the learning by splitting teams

Step 8 Certification
A s s o c i a t e
Start down the path to certification
S p e c i a l t y
P r o f e s s i o n a l
T r a i n t o s u i t y o u r l e a r n i n g s t y l e :
Classroom Online

10%
Critical mass: reach 10% certified
A c h i e v e t h e
h a l o e f f e c t
Step 9 Scaling certification and associated leadership

Step 10 Recognize and reward expertise—loudly!
Recognize mastery

Step 11 Take the challenge yourself

Step 12 Create a unifying job family portfolio
Transformation
O l d w o r l d t o n e w w o r l d t i t l e s
Technical Program Manager (TPM)
AWS Infrastructure Engineer (IE)
Software Quality Engineer (SQE)
Software Development Engineer (SDE)
Security Engineer
Engineering Manager
E x a m p l e j o b t i t l e s

Step 1 Acceptance – Remember Change Curves
Step 2 Training – Technical Essentials Course
Step 3 Safe Hands on Time – “There is no compression algorithm for experience”
Step 4 Form your Two-Pizza Team
Step 5 Bring in some Experts – Partner Network
Step 6 Make it real – Ship something important but not critical
Step 7 Scale the learning by splitting Teams
Step 8 Certification – Start with AWS Solutions Architect Associate
Step 9 Scaling certification and associated leadership – Get to 10% certified
Step 10 Recognize and reward expertise – loudly!
Step 11 Take the challenge yourself
Step 12 Create a unifying job family portfolio

Title Only
Training
Hands-on time
Make it real
Certification
Scaling certification
Acceptance
Bring in experts
Recognize and reward
Take the challenge yourself
Two-pizza team
Scale the learning by
splitting teams
Create a unifying job family
portfolio
Start the
process
Organize and plan
KNOWLEDGE STRUCTURESUPPORT

Thank you!
R e m e m b e r —
“ A l l o f y o u r a s s u m e d
c o n s t r a i n t s a r e d e b a t a b l e . ”

Thank you!
jonathanallen02
http://amzn.to/2uPrGzR
H o w t o G e t f r o m Z e r o t o H u n d r e d s o f
A W S - C e r t i f i e d E n g i n e e r s

How to Get from Zero to Hundreds of AWS-Certified Engineers in 12 Steps

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