Jon Bonso Aws Solutions Architect Professional

Okay, let's talk about something near and dear to the hearts (and wallets) of many cloud enthusiasts: getting that AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional certification. Specifically, the legendary Jon Bonso practice exams.

We all know the drill. You toil away, learning about EC2 instances, S3 buckets, and the mysterious ways of CloudFormation. You think you're ready.

Then... you hit those practice exams.

The Bonso Gauntlet: An Unpopular Opinion

Here's where I might lose some of you. But I'm going to say it anyway: I think Jon Bonso's exams are... gasp... sometimes a little too hard.

Yes, I said it. Come at me, cloud gurus! Let the downvotes rain!

Seriously though, hear me out. The actual exam? It's tough, no doubt. But are the Bonso exams a perfect mirror? I'm not so sure.

It's like training for a marathon by running up Mount Everest. Sure, you'll be in amazing shape. But will you enjoy the marathon? Probably not.

Questionable Realism?

Some of the scenarios presented feel a bit contrived. Like, "What if a rogue squirrel accidentally triggers a Lambda function that then melts all the ice caps?"

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. A little. But you get the idea. Sometimes the edge cases feel a bit too... edgy.

The real world often throws curveballs. But usually not squirrel-related ones.

The Detail Deep Dive

The level of detail Bonso expects you to know? It can be intense. You need to memorize every option for every service. Which is… a lot.

The exam definitely tests your knowledge. But does it really expect you to remember the exact size of the instance store for a `z1d.metal` instance? I'm skeptical.

Maybe I should have memorized it, but frankly, I preferred understanding the concepts.

Overkill or Just Right?

So, am I saying Jon Bonso's exams are bad? Absolutely not! They're incredibly valuable. They force you to think critically and dive deep.

They definitely helped me pass the exam. I'm grateful for that. Trust me!

But I also think it's okay to acknowledge that they might be overkill for some. Especially if you're already working with AWS daily.

A More Balanced Approach

My suggestion? Use Bonso's exams as one tool in your arsenal. Don't make them the only tool.

Supplement them with other resources. AWS documentation is your friend. So is hands-on experience.

And maybe, just maybe, don't stress out too much about knowing the exact memory specs of every instance type.

The Danger of Burnout

Burning yourself out studying obscure details won't help you in the long run. It's better to understand the core principles.

Understand the 'why' behind the architecture decisions. That is more important than memorizing the CLI command for enabling KMS encryption on S3.

Remember, the goal is to be a good architect, not a walking AWS encyclopedia. Although, that would be a pretty cool party trick.

Embrace the Imperfection

So, there you have it. My (possibly) unpopular opinion on the Jon Bonso exams. They are great, but not without flaws.

Take everything with a grain of salt. Find what works best for you. And remember to breathe.

Good luck with your certification journey! May the cloud be with you, and may you never encounter a rogue squirrel messing with your Lambda functions.

Disclaimer: The author passed the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional exam. But still thinks squirrels are suspicious.