You’ve been meaning to dive into cloud and see what all the fuss is about. But family, work, friends, and life always get in the way. Or you just have no idea where to begin. We totally get it.
We want to make it easier for you to get started and explore cloud technologies, so we created mini weekly tracks for you to dive into AWS, Azure, GCP, and DevOps in the month of July! Each day we’ve laid out simple tasks that take approximately 2 hours or less to complete. That’s it. Just 2 hours a day!
You can pick just one cloud and one week to follow, or — if you’re feeling ambitious — take on all four weeks as an ultimate sampler platter of cloud learning! The tasks we’ve laid out are really geared towards absolute beginners, so no prior experience is necessary!
Most of the tasks can be completed with a free ACG plan. However, some of the tasks include Hands-On Labs, which require at least a Personal Basic (paid) ACG plan. If you’re not already an ACG member, this would be a great time to explore the platform with a 7-day free trial!
We’d also love to keep up with you while you work through each day! Let us know how things are going on Twitter by tagging us @acloudguru and using #CloudyInJuly — and join the A Cloud Guru Community Hub on Discord!
Week 1: Dive into AWS
Monday ~ 70 minutes
Just dip your toe into the water with the following tasks!
- Read through the Amazon Web Services Overview
- Watch the What is Amazon Web Services Video
Both can be found here.
You’re going to come across a lot of new terms this week and sometimes it can be a bit challenging to remember what they each mean. We have something that can help you!
- Download and skim through the AWS Cloud Dictionary of Pain
The Community Hub on Discord is a real-time home for you to ask questions, study with friends, win swag, and find support along your cloud journey, so make sure you join us!
- Join the ACG Community Hub on Discord
Tuesday ~ 60 minutes
- Let’s start working through a great course for those new to AWS. No prior experience is necessary! If you don’t have a paid ACG plan, this course is available for free with a free ACG plan (no CC required)!
- Watch Chapters 1 – 5 of the Introduction to AWS Course
Wednesday ~ 90 minutes
- Dive in deeper and finish up yesterday’s course (remember, it’s free)!
- Watch Chapters 6 – 10 of the Introduction to AWS Course
Thursday ~ 95 minutes
We’re all about hands-on learning at ACG, so of course, we recommend working through some of our Hands-On Labs! These Hands-On Labs aren’t available with the free ACG plan, but we do offer a free 7-day trial! Now is a good time to sign up!
- Work through 2 Hands-On Labs in Guided Mode from the Introduction to AWS Course (any 2 of your choosing)
Friday ~ 60 minutes
Interactive Diagrams are a great way to solidify your understanding of AWS concepts, apart from just watching videos! Let’s use our new Interactive Diagram to solidify some very important AWS concepts.
- Study the new Interactive Diagram (exclusive to ACG) alongside Chapter 2 and Chapter 4 from the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Course
Our AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Course is new and it’s free for all this month with an ACG free plan!
Saturday ~ 60 minutes
Certifications are a great way to prove your knowledge of AWS concepts. It’s time to learn about what AWS certifications are available to you and see if you’d like to pursue any by taking your AWS journey further.
- Read this blog to learn the value of AWS certifications
- Read this blog to find out which AWS certification might be right for you
Week 2: Dive into Azure
Sunday ~ 115 minutes
Let’s dive right into Microsoft Azure with the Introduction to Azure course! No prior experience is necessary! If you don’t have a paid ACG plan to access this course, we recommend taking advantage of the 7-day free trial we offer!
- Complete the Introduction to Azure Course
Monday ~ 30 minutes
Let’s review what you learned in yesterday’s course with a quick read! Plus, you’re going to come across some new terms this week, so go ahead and make use of the Azure Cloud Dictionary of Pain!
- Read this blog on what the Microsoft Azure Platform is
- Download and skim through the Azure Cloud Dictionary of Pain
Tuesday ~ 30 minutes
At ACG, we like to encourage using unique learning tools that will stand out and help solidify the concepts you’re learning about. One of those unique tools we love is the sketchnotes by Nitya Narasimhan!
- Read through this blog containing the visual introduction to Azure fundamentals
The Community Hub on Discord is a real-time home for you to ask questions, study with friends, win swag, and find support along your cloud journey, so make sure you join us!
- Join the ACG Community Hub on Discord
Wednesday ~ 70 minutes
No matter what technology or cloud you’re working with, you have to keep security top of mind.
- Complete the Introduction to Microsoft Azure Course
Thursday ~ 45 minutes
Let’s get hands-on because there’s no better way to learn than to learn by doing! Hands-On Labs do require a paid ACG plan, so check our plan options here.
- Complete this Hands-On Lab from the Introduction to Microsoft Azure Course
Friday ~ 15 minutes
The cloud moves FAST, so staying up to date with news and updates is really important. At ACG, we try to make cloud news easy and accessible with news shows/series. To stay up to date on all the latest GCP happenings, check out some of our original series.
- Watch this Azure Fireside Chat with Amy Kapernick on how to get started with Azure
- Watch the latest episode of Azure this Week
Saturday ~ 30 minutes
You’ve had a full week of learning, and now it’s time to test your knowledge! Many of our courses included chapter quizzes and practice exams (very similar to real certification exams).
Don’t worry if you don’t ace these quizzes! You’re just seeing how much information you’ve retained and which areas you should dive deeper into. These quizzes are from our updated AZ-900 cert prep course!
- Complete the Chapter 1 Quiz and Chapter 2 Quiz from the AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Course
Week 3: Dive into GCP
Sunday ~ 30 minutes
Let’s kick off the GCP week with a light intro of the Google Cloud Platform!
- Read through the Google Cloud Platform Overview
- Watch the What is Google Cloud Platform Video
Both are linked here!
The Community Hub on Discord is a real-time home for you to ask questions, study with friends, win swag, and find support along your cloud journey, so make sure you join us!
- Join the ACG Community Hub on Discord
Monday ~ 60 minutes
It’s time to lay the foundation for your GCP knowledge with a course! This course is only available with an ACG paid plan, but you can take advantage of a 7-day free trial!
- Complete the Introduction to Google Cloud Course
Tuesday ~ 120 minutes
Perhaps the most challenging, yet most valuable part of your learning experience will be getting hands-on! Let’s work through some Hands-On Labs.
- Complete any 3 Hands-On Labs from the Introduction to Google Cloud Course
Wednesday ~ 65 minutes
We have a couple of courses for GCP beginners! Here’s the next one…
- Complete the Google Cloud Concepts Course
Thursday ~ 20 minutes
The cloud moves FAST, so staying up to date with news and updates is really important. At ACG, we try to make cloud news easy and accessible with news shows/series. To stay up to date on all the latest GCP happenings, watch our GCP this Month series.
- Watch the latest episode of GCP this Month
Friday ~ 80 minutes
Certifications are a great way to prove your knowledge of GCP concepts. It’s time to learn about what GCP certifications are available to you and see if you’d like to pursue any by taking your GCP journey further.
- Read this blog to learn what the top paying cloud certifications out there are (a GCP cert tops the list!)
- Read this blog to find out which GCP certification might be right for you
Saturday ~ 60 minutes
You’ve come across a lot of new terms this week, but we have something that can help and will serve as a lifelong resource.
- Download and skim through the GCP Cloud Dictionary of Pain
Week 4: Dive into DevOps
Sunday ~ 31 minutes
Let’s get right into DevOps by completing a bite-size course! This course is always free with an ACG free plan (see what other courses are free this month here)!
- Complete the DevOps Concepts Course
The Community Hub on Discord is a real-time home for you to ask questions, study with friends, win swag, and find support along your cloud journey, so make sure you join us!
- Join the ACG Community Hub on Discord
Monday ~ 35 minutes
Time for some light DevOps reading!
Tuesday ~ 120 minutes
We have a couple of beginner DevOps courses, and it’s worthwhile to go through both. Repetition is key! This course is only available with an ACG paid plan, but you can take advantage of a 7-day free trial!
- Complete Chapters 1 – 3 of our DevOps Essentials Course
Wednesday ~ 78 minutes
Let’s finish up yesterday’s course!
- Complete Chapters 4 – 6 of our DevOps Essentials Course
Thursday ~ 60 minutes
Of course, we have to incorporate some hands-on learning here! You’ve worked through 2 courses, so let’s complete the Hands-On Labs that go along with those courses! Hands-On Labs are only available with an ACG paid plan, but you can take advantage of a 7-day free trial if you haven’t yet!
- Complete this Hands-On Lab in Guided Mode on the DevOps pipeline
- Complete this Hands-On Lab in Guided Mode on a DevOps CI/CD pipeline in AWS
Friday ~ 60 minutes
Every week we put on some awesome webinars with leaders and experts in the IT industry. We recently had an awesome panel pull the curtain back on how COVID-19 had changed DevOps!
- Watch this on demand webinar on Post-COVID DevOps (you have to fill out the form to receive the on-demand webinar)
Saturday ~ 30 minutes
You’ve had a full week of learning, and now it’s time to test your knowledge! Many of our courses included chapter quizzes and practice exams (very similar to real certification exams).
Don’t worry if you don’t ace these quizzes! You’re just seeing how much information you’ve retained and which areas you should dive deeper into.
- Take at least 2 quizzes from the DevOps Essentials Course (any 2 of your choosing)
What happens next?
Upon completion of one of the tracks above (or all of them), the one and only Forrest Brazeal would love to connect with you on LinkedIn and endorse you for your new skills (AWS, Azure, GCP, or DevOps)!
Just make sure to share your progress with us on Twitter by tagging us @acloudguru and using #CloudyInJuly or chat with us in the A Cloud Guru Community Hub on Discord!
There’s never been a better time to learn cloud and we hope this track helps you get started!
