It’s been almost exactly 11 years since I passed the R&S CCIE lab in Brussels, and now it was time to go with something more cloudy 🙂
I just passed the AWS Advanced Networking Specialty, and unlike CCIE I did this one on my first attempt.
This blog has been running for 16 years now. While the last few years have been quiet here, my professional life has been anything but. I’ve transitioned from a CCIE-focused, Cisco datacenter role into a fast-paced, startup-like environment. My focus has shifted from building physical cloud underlays to designing automated, high-performance cloud-native architectures.
Recently, I decided to validate this four-year journey into AWS by taking the AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty exam. It’s widely considered one of the toughest in the AWS lineup, and I can confirm it truly tests your depth. Interestingly, this is where the “good old” networking fundamentals from my Cisco days became my greatest asset. Networking remains the heart of the cloud; only the tools have changed.
Today, my work is less about manual configuration and more about writing Infrastructure as Code (IaaC). It’s been a busy few years, and I have a backlog of drafts to prove it. It’s time to start sharing them.
Preparing for the ANS-C01
While my experience working with AWS the last 4 years was the foundation, I relied on a few resources to learn those products and solutions from AWS that we actually don’t use in the cloud architecture I work on.
- Adrian Cantrill’s Video Course: Simply the gold standard. Adrian doesn’t just teach you how to pass the exam, he teaches you how to be a better engineer. The deep dives into BGP, Direct Connect, and hybrid connectivity were invaluable.
- AWS online documentation and re:Invent deep dive technology videos
- Tutorials Dojo (Jon Bonso) Practice Exams: These were crucial for getting used to the “AWS way” (Ana Karenina way) of questioning, with looong scenario based questions that kill your energy. The detailed explanations for both correct and incorrect answers helped me spot those subtle nuances that make the difference, where I then just went back to Cantrill’s videos to refresh.