Very quickly, one thing became clear.
Most of the interest in the room was around careers.

The majority of questions were not about passing exams or memorising services. People wanted to know how to actually get into AWS. How to start. What the first step should be. What roles exist. How long the journey realistically takes. How to move from learning into real work.

That stood out to me.

It told me that many people are not just exploring technology casually. They are thinking seriously about their futures and how AWS can fit into that picture.

A lot of the questions came from young people who were clearly motivated but unsure about direction. Some were already studying. Others were self learning. Some were switching careers entirely. The common thread was curiosity mixed with uncertainty. And that is a very familiar place to be.

I recognised myself in many of those questions. I remember what it feels like to want to enter the cloud space but not know where to begin or what path makes sense. It reminded me that the hardest part of the journey is often not learning the technology, but navigating the early decisions.

Another theme that kept coming up was AI. People wanted to understand how AI fits into cloud careers, which models matter, and whether focusing on AI now makes sense. What I appreciated was that these questions were thoughtful. People were not chasing trends blindly. They were trying to understand context and long term value.

What these conversations reinforced for me is that communities like this are essential. They create safe spaces for people to ask questions without fear. They allow learning to happen out loud. They also reveal where the real gaps are, and right now, the biggest gap is guidance.

Because of that, I am genuinely looking forward to mentoring some of the individuals I met. Not in a formal sense, but through continued conversations, guidance, and shared learning. Growth in tech does not happen overnight, and having someone help you think through options can make a huge difference.

I am also excited about hosting hands on workshops where people can move beyond theory and actually build. This is something that came up repeatedly during the event. People are hungry for practical exposure, for real environments, and for opportunities to apply what they are learning.

I am grateful that Ushauri Consulting has extended its offices to host some of these sessions. Having a physical space where people can come together to learn, ask questions, and experiment is incredibly valuable. It turns interest into action.

I left the event feeling optimistic. Not because everything is solved, but because the intent is there. The curiosity is there. The willingness to learn is there. With mentorship, structure, and practical exposure, that energy can turn into real skills and real careers.

If there is one takeaway from this experience, it is this. The future of AWS and technology in Zimbabwe will not be shaped by tools alone. It will be shaped by people, by communities, and by those willing to support others as they start their journeys.

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak, but even more grateful for the conversations that followed.

In my last post, I wrote about the impact of different communities on my tech career. In this post, I will talk about my own experience being part of the AWS Community Builder Program. I have been an AWS CB for the past two years and will hopefully be part of the program in 2025.

What is the AWS Community Builder Program?

Let's start with what the program is and what happens in it. The AWS CB program is provided by AWS and brings together individuals who are passionate about AWS and sharing AWS knowledge with other people. You need to apply to be an AWS CB, and you must renew your membership every year.

My First Year Journey

When you are accepted into the program, you will be invited to join the CB Slack Channel. My first year as a CB was quite eye-opening - I got to meet very talented individuals who had extensive knowledge of AWS Services and technologies. I would explore different channels, learning about what people were building and reading their blog posts. My strategy was noting down people's names, reading their blog posts, and following them on their social media profiles. This gave me lots of information about writing blogs, creating content, career ideas, and general internet presence tips. I quickly revamped my website and remade my LinkedIn profile based on the advice I got from my fellow CBs.

Learning from Industry Leaders

Another impactful moment in my first year was a presentation by Jeff Barr on how to create content. This presentation was pivotal for me, and I still use the notes I wrote that day.

Local Community Involvement

In the previous blog, I mentioned being part of the Mzansi AWS User Group in Johannesburg. This is a vibrant community in Johannesburg - we have presentations at least once a week. One or two people will pick a topic they would like to teach, which could be at any level: beginner, intermediate, or advanced. I made sure to be involved in these presentations and their preparations. I also used information from the CB slack to improve my presentations and general conduct.

Growth in Year Two

My second year has been phenomenal! I remember joining our user group as a wide-eyed tech newbie who just wanted to get a job in tech with little AWS knowledge. The people in our User Group were really helpful and played a huge role in helping me get my first tech job. I shared my experiences about this in the previous blog - please check it out!

Leadership Recognition

With all my contributions to the User Group, I was nominated to be part of the leaders! This was such a big deal for me as I vividly remember joining this User Group as a newbie and now being part of the leadership team. I am so grateful to my colleagues in the group who vouched for me and believed in me to be part of the leadership team. I know that being part of the AWS CB program played a vital role in this nomination. Learning from fellow CBs helped me immensely.

Future Goals and Mentorship

I am still learning about myself and trying to improve as a CB. One of the things that I am learning is mentorship - how to be of service to other people who were in my situation 5 years ago. I would like to put more time into this in the coming year. I am thinking of how to scale my mentorship capacity as an individual and also as a collective. I now have a network of very talented people, and I would like to create a movement to help newbies in tech and also people looking to transition to AWS from other technologies.

Looking Ahead to 2025

The year 2025 is quite exciting for me as a CB, and I would like to welcome more people into the program. I have already encouraged some individuals in our UG to apply. I am also looking to spread awareness of AWS in my hometown. Happy new year!!! To more community builders in 2025!

Before we dive into my experience with the FinOps Practitioner exam, let's start with a clear definition. The official FinOps Foundation course defines FinOps as:

"FinOps is a cultural practice. It is a way for teams to manage their cloud costs, where everyone takes ownership of their cloud usage supported by a central best practices group. Cross-functional teams in engineering, finance, product, etc. work together to enable faster product delivery, while at the same time gaining more financial control and predictability."

In essence, FinOps brings together Engineering, Finance, and Business teams to achieve maximum business value in the cloud. It's not just about cutting costs; it's about making informed decisions that align with your business goals.

My FinOps Journey

As a Cloud Architect managing multiple AWS accounts for both my company and our clients, I thought I had a good grasp on cloud cost management. Setting budgets, tracking costs, and identifying saving opportunities were all part of my daily routine. Little did I know, I was only scratching the surface of what FinOps could offer.

When my company required me to take the FinOps Practitioner exam for a client project, I saw it as just another certification. However, as I explored the FinOps framework, my perspective completely changed. This wasn't just another tech cert – it was a paradigm shift in how I approached cloud financial management.

The FinOps Practitioner Exam: An Overview

The FinOps Certified Practitioner exam is designed to test your understanding of FinOps principles and practices. Here's what you need to know:

1. Exam format: 50 multiple-choice questions

2. Time limit: 1 hour time limit (I finished in under 30 minutes)

3. Attempts: You get 3 attempts to pass

4. Difficulty: In my opinion, easier than the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam

Certification Paths

The FinOps Foundation offers three ways to get certified:

1. Self-paced Course: 12 months access to course modules and exam

2. Virtual Instructor-Led Course: Self-paced content plus a 2-day live class

3. Exam Only: For those already familiar with FinOps practices

Here is a screenshot from the Finops website on pricing:

I chose the self-paced course, which fit well with my work schedule and learning style.

My Preparation Strategy

Here's how I tackled the exam preparation:

1. Course Content: I started with the official course materials. While some videos seemed outdated, they provided a solid foundation.

2. YouTube Research: I supplemented the course with recent YouTube content on FinOps. The Finops Foundation YouTube channel has very informative talks. Pro tip: There's room for more FinOps content creators out there!

3. Alternative Sources: When struggling with complex concepts, I turned to podcasts for clearer explanations.

4. Social Media Reviews: I always check out exam reviews on various platforms. Many confirmed that the course content was sufficient to pass.

Exam Day Experience

Unlike some tech exams that can be nerve-wracking (looking at you, AWS certs!), the FinOps Practitioner exam was surprisingly relaxed. The questions were straightforward, focusing on practical applications rather than theoretical gotchas. I breezed through it in less than 30 minutes, feeling confident throughout.

Tips for Success

1. Thoroughly review the course content. It's crucial for answering exam questions correctly.

2. Don't just memorize – understand how FinOps principles apply in real-world scenarios.

3. Use alternative resources like YouTube and podcasts to reinforce your understanding.

4. Take advantage of the three attempts – if you're unsure, it's okay to use the first attempt as a learning experience.

The Impact of FinOps Certification

Passing this exam has been a game-changer for my career. I now:

• Use the FinOps Framework daily in my role

• Initiate more cross-functional conversations about cloud costs and architecture decisions

• Provide more value to our clients by applying FinOps principles to their cloud strategies

Conclusion

The FinOps Practitioner certification isn't just another line on your resume – it's a powerful tool that can transform how you approach cloud financial management. Whether you're a Cloud Architect like me, a developer, or a finance professional working with cloud technologies, this certification can add significant value to your skill set.

Remember, FinOps is about creating a culture of financial accountability in the cloud. It's about making your entire organization more efficient and effective in its cloud usage.

If you're considering taking this exam, I highly encourage you to go for it. The knowledge you gain will be invaluable in today's cloud-centric world.

Happy studying, and may your cloud costs always align with your business value! 😀

Human beings have always survived by being in a community for a very long time. Being part of a group helps with survival, motivation, companionship, and also protection from predators.

As we have evolved, we also now have more modern social communities; this could be online communities, religious communities, etc. They function like the ancient ones but in a modern way.

Starting My Tech Journey

When I started my journey on AWS, looking back at my journey in tech, Communities have always been very pivotal. I have found solace in knowing that there are people out there who have walked this journey before, are walking this journey, and others who are actually at the very start.

My First Tech Community Experience

The very first community that I discovered was Tech Twitter. There were different Twitter (now X) users who were sharing their tips, advice, and journey on how to navigate the tech environment. While this was immensely helpful, I craved a more organized tight-knit community. I then got a link to join the AWS Certifications channel on Reddit; this was very pivotal for me since I now had like-minded individuals pursuing AWS certifications. As much as this was good, I also needed a community where I would meet my colleagues physically. While Reddit was good, I would not be able to meet these people physically and share knowledge in the same room.

Finding My Local AWS Community

Finally, I met a former high-school mate who was based in the same city as me (Johannesburg). She told me about the Mzansi AWS User Group. I have to say, this was a career-changing moment for me. I say this because all this time, I had wanted to get into tech, always studying and improving my skills, but I had not seen people in the same area I was in who were doing the same thing as me. It is very important as you go through career building to find people who look like you, speak like you, and have almost the same challenges as you. I believe it helps with motivation and also helps you relate to what they are doing.

The Impact of Community Support

I still believe that all the communities that I have been part of have impacted me positively. Being part of the AWS User Group Mzansi has had the most impact. I received one-on-one mentoring sessions from their seasoned professionals. They would give me advice with that African context. I got to understand how to curate my online presence, how to prepare for interviews, and also tips on the companies to apply to.

Giving Back to the Community

When I finally landed a job, I also had to give back in terms of knowledge sharing and skills sharing of all that I had learned from the members of our User Group. This is still an ongoing endeavor, and I found that I really enjoy sharing knowledge.

Skills Developed Through Community Involvement

I believe so many skills can be learned by being part of a community. You get to have leadership skills, organizing skills, project management skills, and also just basic people skills. Some will define these as "soft skills." It also encourages that all-important skill - networking. A skill that I also learned by being part of Mzansi AWS UG is presenting. This has (still is) been my struggle, and those weekly presentation sessions have been very helpful. I have presented some sessions and also watched others present. This helps me improve.

Becoming an AWS Community Builder

After some time being part of the UG, I saw that some of the members were AWS Community Builders. I was very curious about what this was, read a bit of it, and was intrigued. This is what I had always wanted: a platform to meet with like-minded individuals who have a passion for sharing AWS knowledge and love working with people. I applied for the program and was accepted. I will be sharing my experiences in the next blog.

The Challenge of AWS Cost Management

Managing AWS costs is akin to walking a tightrope. On one side, there's the allure of cutting-edge technology; on the other, the stark reality of budget constraints. Cloud costs are notoriously variable, adding a layer of complexity to financial management in a tech-driven environment. The need for a solution is clear.

Discovering FinOps: A Game Changer

One Linkage, the company l work for, recognizing the tightrope walk of managing AWS costs, stepped in with a game-changer for me. They invested in the FinOps course and exam, a move that not only underscored their commitment to excellence in cloud financial management but also equipped me with the tools to transform our approach to cloud spending.

FinOps, or Financial Operations, is all about mastering the art of balancing cloud costs with innovation. It’s a set of practices designed to bring financial accountability to the variable spending model of the cloud, ensuring that we get the most bang for our buck. By aligning tech investments with business outcomes, FinOps promises to bridge the gap between the need to innovate quickly and the imperative to manage budgets effectively, ensuring that every cloud decision is both technologically sound and economically viable.

The FinOps Journey

FinOps Foundation Certified Practitioner course

I took the FinOps Foundation Certified Practitioner course as my first step towards mastering the FinOps framework. The course is divided into comprehensive sections that cover an introduction to FinOps, understanding how the cloud affects IT, detailed explorations of the FinOps framework, principles, and the operational phases of Inform, Optimize, and Operate. It also includes the motivations behind FinOps, the structure of a cloud bill, and the essentials of running a FinOps team, leading to the maturation of FinOps practices.

The course provides interactive training modules, combining written content with videos and offering year-long access to online resources. The course materials consisted of detailed written content, videos, and interviews with FinOps practitioners. While some interviews provided valuable insights and practical advice, others were less effective.

The exam

Taking the FinOps Certified Practitioner exam turned out to be a straightforward experience, especially after thoroughly going through the course material. The exam itself lasts only 60 minutes, which felt more than adequate. I completed it in about 45 minutes without feeling any pressure or rush. Unlike some other certifications, this one is administered online and unproctored. This means you can take it from the comfort of your own browser without needing to install any surveillance software or having someone watch you through your webcam.

Another comforting aspect of the exam process is that it comes with three attempts right off the bat. This allows for a low-pressure approach where you can test your readiness as soon as you feel you've grasped the material, offering a practical gauge of whether you're at the required level of understanding.

Implementing FinOps Principles: The Real-World Impact

First Steps and Early Wins

After obtaining my FinOps certification, the first change I implemented at One Linkage was the use of AWS's newly introduced Cost Optimization Hub. Announced on November 26, 2023, this feature in AWS Billing and Cost Management simplifies the process of identifying and quantifying savings from AWS cost optimization recommendations. It streamlines interaction with suggestions for idle resource detection, resource rightsizing, and purchasing options across various AWS Regions and accounts, eliminating the need for cumbersome data aggregation and processing.

By incorporating the Cost Optimization Hub into our financial operations, we could easily identify potential savings, evaluate the impact of implementing specific recommendations, and prioritize actions based on expected savings. This tool was crucial in our efforts to optimize spending and enhance efficiency, marking a significant advancement in managing AWS accounts and embodying the FinOps principle of financial accountability in cloud spending. This initial change ignited a series of improvements that collectively revolutionized our cloud financial management practices, fostering enhanced collaboration between our technical and financial teams and promoting a culture of cost-awareness and efficiency.

Long-Term Transformations

The adoption of FinOps practices led to significant organizational changes, fostering a collaborative culture between our technical and financial teams. This cultural shift has been instrumental in making our cloud investments more strategic and aligned with our business objectives.

The Cultural Shift: Beyond Numbers

The most transformative aspect of adopting FinOps has been the cultural and organizational shift within our company. Decisions about cloud investments are now made with a balanced view of technology capabilities and financial implications, leading to a more cost-aware and efficient operational model.

Continuing the FinOps Journey

FinOps is an ongoing journey of learning and adaptation. The field is dynamic, reflecting the evolving landscape of cloud computing and financial operations. As a certified professional, I'm committed to staying informed and adaptable, continuously seeking new strategies and insights to improve our cloud financial management.

Starting with a daunting email about AWS charges, my journey to becoming a FinOps-certified professional has radically transformed our approach to cloud cost management. The value of FinOps extends beyond cost control; it fosters a culture of financial accountability and innovation. I encourage you to explore FinOps certification for yourself and start your journey towards more effective cloud cost management. The FinOps Foundation offers a wealth of resources to guide you through the certification process and beyond.

I will be publishing a series of posts about the adoption of FinOps, along with other interesting concepts in the FinOps field. Stay tuned.😉

Users define and provision cloud infrastructure using a declarative configuration language known as Hashicorp Configuration Language(HCL).

A provider can be anything in the realm of Infrastructure as a service,** Platform as a Service** or** Software as Service**.

These are some examples of providers in Terraform:

Azure

Google Cloud

AWS

Github

Using configuration files called templates, you can write code which leverages the tools and resources that are specific to a particular provider.

Terraform is able to achieve this using provider plugins that are written specifically for each provider's API.

Plugins are responsible for taking terraform actions and translating these actions into API calls that create, read, update, or delete(CRUD) provider resources.

Here is an example template file:

    provider     "aws" {
            region = "us-east-1"
            version = "1.2"

     resource "aws_S3_bucket" "my_bucket" {
          bucket       = "my-bucket-us-east1"
          region        = "us-east-1"
          acl              = "private"
     }
  }

In this example, we identify and configure AWS as the provider. We also included the Terraform version. We then specify an S3 bucket resource.

As you can see above, the region where the bucket is located is also specified. Another configuration is that the bucket is private.

Terraform resources(the S3 bucket) are the components of your infrastructure and they always belong to a specific provider.

Managing resources.

You can ask Terraform to preview changes that it plans to make to your infrastructure. You will use this command :

                Terraform plan

When Terraform creates a plan it

• Reads the current state of any already existing remote objects to make sure that the Terraform state is up to date.

• Compare the current configuration to the prior state noting any differences.

• Proposes a set of change actions that should, if applied, make remote objects match the configuration.

Terraform State

Terraform keeps track of resource states using a state file.

A state file is in Json format and is automatically created the first time you run the apply command.

Every time you issue the apply command:

Terraform refreshes the state file,

plans what actions are needed based on the refreshed state file,

and then performs those actions.

For this reason, special care needs to be taken so that no changes are made to the running system in the short window between refreshing state and performing changes.

If you are working in a team, you could keep the state file in a shared repository and take care to coordinate the rollouts so that nobody is making concurrent changes.

Fortunately, Terraform supports remote backends for state that use storage with inbuilt locking such as Azure Storage or AWS S3.

Using one of these remote backends, the state of a running system can be changed in a way that is atomic. This is when you run the apply command, either you will secure a lock-in on the state file thus ensuring that nobody else can make changes for the duration command or you won't, meaning the command will fail because someone else is making changes.

Terraform Internals

Terraform makes use of the graph theory.

Essentially, state changes are modeled as a dependency graph and a plan is a way of traversing the graph so that every node is visited.

Terraform graphs are composed of three different types of nodes:

1 . Resource nodes

A resource node represents a single resource e.g. an s3 bucket.

2 . Provider configuration node.

A provider configuration node represents a single configuration resource provider as your account or an AWS account or resource nodes belong to a provider configuration mode.

3 . Resource metanode

Resource metanodes group together multiple resource nodes of the same type this is done because it makes the result in graphs more understandable for human beings but is not strictly necessary to solve the graph.

Working with Terraform

Terraform allows modular configuration files. This reduces the amount of duplicate code necessary and thereby enables you to build a DRY infrastructure.

A module is just a collection of resources; any directory containing terraform configuration files can be considered a module.

It is a good idea to make use of modules if you have similar setups being used in different environments. It does require a little more planning, but it massively helps the maintainability of your system as things expand as your team grows.

One example where modules are useful is if you're building a deployment pipeline where the code is promoted from one environment to another.

Another example is if you're building a highly available system that duplicate the same configuration in multiple locations for instance with Azure regions.

Terraform specifies a standard structure for modules and you should follow the structure if you want to get the most benefit out of them.

Conclusion.

Now that we know what Terraform is we will be getting our hands dirty in the upcoming tutorial. We will learn how to create AWS resources in Terraform! We create EC2 instances, VPCs, S3 buckets and so much more.

Thank you for reading this article. I hope it has been a helpful read. Please leave any questions or comments below. Don't forget to like and share the article if it helps you in any way.

Happy building!!😀

a binding agreement between two or more persons or parties especially: one legally enforceable

Smart Contract Definition.

A smart contract is a digital representation of a real-world contract. It is similar to a real-world contract because it has pre-existing rules and conditions. Smart contracts are self-executing, written in computer code, and performed in an automated way.

Smart contracts were first proposed in 1994 by Nick Szabo, an American computer scientist. He defined smart contracts as:

Computerized transaction protocols that execute the terms of a contract.

How do Smart Contracts work?

Smart contracts are stored on the blockchain. This means that they are both immutable and distributed. What does it mean to be immutable and distributed?

Immutable means that once a smart contract is created, it cannot be changed. No one can tamper with or break the contract.

Distributed means that the outcome of the contract is validated by everyone in the network. Distribution makes it impossible for an attacker to take over a network and release funds. All the other participants would detect such an attempt and make it invalid.

Smart Contract use cases.

A simple example to show how a smart contract will be applied is in real state. If l was selling my house l would need the ability to store the deed to my house and I would need a way for an individual to buy it and transfer the price for it. In the traditional world, this can take ages due to the reliance on third-party entities. It also costs more through unnecessary fees and the outcome can vary greatly due to unknown variables. However, the smart contract in this concept would accept the deed, allow someone to purchase it, and once purchased would transfer the deed from the smart contract to the recipient's account.

There are plenty of use cases for smart contracts. My favorite use case is in the insurance sector. Smart contracts can be used used to speed up the claims process. The policy terms of life insurance can be encoded into a smart contract. In the event of death, the notarized death certificate would be provided as the input trigger. This trigger would release payment to named beneficiaries.

Another popular use case for smart contracts is the NFT space. A digital artist can program terms and conditions that govern interactions with buyers and determine the validity of purchases on the blockchain. This smart contract is designed such that the digital is only released to the buyer once payment is made. There are many variations and extras to this type of contract. An artist might add royalty clauses to the smart contract so that a fixed percentage of the secondary sales of the artwork goes to the original creator. This type of contract is used by most of the popular NFT marketplaces.

Smart contract use cases also vary from sector to sector based on where companies are using them. Here is an illustration by 101blockchains about different smart contract use cases.

Smart Contract Risks.

Smart contracts have their own flaws and problems. Flaws and bugs in the source code can lead to a smart contract being used for malicious purposes. A recent smart contract exploit is the Cream Finance hack which led to the loss of $29 million. This emphasizes the importance of why all code including smart contracts must go through thorough and rigorous integrity audits and through a verification process.

Smart contracts are a game-changer and knowledge of how they work will help everyone prepare for Web3. It is important to understand how they work, at least at a high level.

Thank you for reading this article. I hope it has been a helpful read. Please leave any questions or comments below. Don't forget to like and share the article if it helps you in any way.

REFERENCES

101blockchains

Investopedia

Auth0

Medium

Smart Contracts

Solidity is an object-oriented, high-level language for implementing smart contracts. Smart contracts are programs that govern the behavior of accounts within the Ethereum state.

Solidity is a "statically typed" language. Statically typed is a programming language characteristic in which variable types are explicitly declared and thus are determined at compile time.

Solidity language supports the following general value types :

• Boolean: It returns a true or false value.

• Integers: The int/unit for both unsigned and signed integers are supported by Solidity.

• Address: An address can carry up to a 20-byte value.

• String Literals: String literals are depicted using either double or single quotes. They imply trailing value zeroes.

• Modifier: Modifiers ensure the fulfillment of the predefined conditions before code execution.

• Mappings: Mappings return values related to a given storage site.

With Solidity, you can create contracts for uses such as voting, crowdfunding, blind auctions, multi-signature wallets, and the popular kid on the block(NFTs).

I will be deep-diving into Solidity in upcoming articles. I hope you enjoyed this short introduction to Solidity. Stay Safe and Happy coding! :)

Prior to this certification l had not used the Microsoft Azure environment extensively but l had sat for Azure Fundamentals(AZ-900) exam back in January 2021. The Azure Fundamentals(AZ-900) is an introduction to Azure cloud. Most of the questions in the Azure Fundamentals exam will be about your knowledge of Azure Services. Azure Administrator Associate is different because it requires a strong understanding of core Azure services, Azure workloads, security, and governance. It also requires to be able to comfortably use PowerShell, Azure CLI, Azure portal, and Azure Resource Manager templates.

Resources that l highly recommend.

The first resource that l used was Andrew Brown's AZ-104 course on YouTube. He made this course in collaboration with Freecodecamp. I have used Andrew's content since the time l started preparing for cloud certifications. I like his approach to teaching and his courses are always straight to the point with no fluff. Here is a link to the course

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10PbGbTUSAg

The second resource that l used was John Savill Masterclass on YouTube. I like John's content because he deep-dives into a topic and also his visuals are second to none. I really felt like l was clicking around the Azure console with him while watching his videos. There are so many good videos with quality explanations on his channel. Here is a link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHJe0qBqwmk&t=40s

After having an understanding of the core concepts of the Azure Administrator exam, l knew l had to back my knowledge with labs. This exam, as l pointed out earlier, requires practical exercises and you must know your way around the Azure Console. You must also be able to use Powershell, Azure CLI and the Azure Resource Manager(ARM) templates comfortably. The best resource that l found is the AZ-104 labs on Github. To complete these labs, you must have an Azure account and l would suggest that you open one for yourself. Here is a link to the Github repo,https://microsoftlearning.github.io/AZ-104-MicrosoftAzureAdministrator/

Some people who have passed this exam use the Microsoft Learn Path but l find it shallow and also boring to follow. I am a visual learner so l am more biased to videos and colorful pictures than reading text. Here is a link to the Microsoft Learn resource https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exams/az-104

It is good to get a feel of the exam by getting some practice tests. The platform that l have always trusted is TutorialDojo. l like these practice tests because l get to know my weak areas and some services that l would have missed. The platform contains cheatsheets which can be handy a day or two before the exam. Here is a link to the Practice Tests https://portal.tutorialsdojo.com/courses/az-104-microsoft-azure-administrator-practice-exams/

Pricing.

The price of the exam is based on where the exam is being proctored. It costs $165 in the US. It costs $55 to book this exam in the country that l currently reside(South Africa). To find out how much you pay for the exam just visit this link https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exams/az-104 l did not pay for this exam because l had attended the Microsoft Ignite Cloud Skills Challenge 2020. Microsoft was giving away a free certification if you attended the Microsoft Ignite Conference and also completed at least one challenge. I only paid $12 for the TutorialDojo exams, all the other resources were free!

The Exam Experience

I opted for an online exam instead of an onsite one, because of the current pandemic. It is very important to test your setup environment before taking the exam. I used PearsonVue to book the exam. This exam is proctored and you are not allowed to use any resources while taking the exam. Read the requirements of the exam on the PearsonVue website before the exam to avoid being disqualified. This exam is quite challenging so you need to be adequately prepared. The resources l listed above will be enough for you to pass this exam quite comfortably. Good Luck!