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Andrew Muntet
Andrew Muntet

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How I’m Learning AWS as a Beginner: What Finally Made Networking Click

#aws #beginners #cloudcomputing #learning

Starting my cloud computing journey with AWS Cloud Practitioner, I honestly struggled to grasp some of the concepts. Networking, IPs, even the general cloud terms, all felt new and overwhelming. Despite the struggles, I had already set a purpose: to understand why things work the way they do, not just memorize terms.

So I started digging deeper apart from the AWS student guide, I watched YouTube explainers, reading more AWS docs, and learning from how experts on LinkedIn approach problems. One thing that helped a lot was reading how cloud professionals think about business needs of their clients, and how they approach AWS tools and services to solve them efficiently.

Learning by Research & Reasoning
Instead of rushing through modules, I paused to understand concepts like:

  • CIDR and IP ranges
  • Subnets and routing
  • Internet Gateways and NAT Gateways I watched experts like NetworkChuck on youtube explaining how these connect in real cloud architectures, and attended a few expert sessions(like the ones from ALX) to build deeper understanding. I also documented everything on Notion, using toggles to organize concepts clearly and link them to real examples. Writing things out helped me make sense of abstract topics.

Hands-On: Bringing It All Together

  • After building that foundational understanding, I went hands-on with the AWS Console and practiced:
  • Launching EC2 instances (choosing AMIs, instance types, configuring VPCs/subnets)
  • Setting up IAM roles and using User Data scripts for automation
  • Using key pairs and Git Bash to SSH into my instance

Ran this command to verify the system:
uname -r && cat /etc/os-release

Got this output: 

 5.10.236-227.928.amzn2.x86_64 Amazon Linux 2
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I explored basic Linux commands, storage configs, and how tagging and security groups improve structure and access.

Progress Over Perfection
I’m currently working on the Storage module, and while the learning curve is steep, every piece makes the next one clearer. I focus on progress over perfection — because those baby steps compound into real growth.

I’m Curious…
If you’ve walked the AWS learning path, what was your turning point?
Was there a concept that “clicked” and made the rest easier?
I Would love to hear how you approached your learning as a beginner or mentor. 👇

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