Help me get started with AWS as a complete beginner

[u/powerhouse820]

I'll be joining Amazon as an SDE intern in January 2027 and want to start learning AWS beforehand.

I've used EC2, ECR, and S3 in a project, but I'm still a complete beginner, especially when it comes to IAM and other AWS services.

I recently created a verified student account on AWS Builder Center, but I'm confused about where to start and how to make the most of its courses and workshops.

Some questions :

What's a good AWS learning path for a beginner?

Which services should I focus on as an SDE intern?

Is the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification worth pursuing? Is the exam paid, or are there student discounts or free opportunities?

What free courses or hands-on projects would you recommend?

I'm genuinely interested in learning AWS but don't want to jump around randomly.

I'm a complete beginner, so please pardon me if any of my questions sound childish or obvious. I'd really appreciate simple explanations, helpful resources, and advice from those who've been through this already ...

Thanks in advance! 🙏

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[u/keep_flow]

Low-level AWS **practicals**:

- Create an EC2 launch template.
- Create an AMI from an existing instance.
- Attach storage to an instance.
- Scale servers and perform load testing.
- Set up a load balancer across your servers.
- Restart a server and check what changes.
- Configure and test firewall restrictions.
- Upgrade and downgrade an existing EC2 instance.
- Assign a static public IP.
- Launch an instance with only a private IP—no public IP.
- Connect to a server and install packages.
- Launch another EC2 instance with the same preconfigured setup.
- Set up alerts when someone shuts down an instance.

DM me when you’re done.

[u/Brilliant_Ebb_4388]

If you look in your post, there is a FAQ section. You can check out what is required and this has been asked many times already. Plenty of resources to start from.

[u/cgreciano]

Start by thoroughly reading the FAQ pinned in this subreddit (AutoModerator left the link for you, check the comment)