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AWS SAA-C03 30-Day Learning Plan Using Stephane Maarek’s Ultimate AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Course


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Francisco Escobar

Week 1: Foundation & Core Services (Days 1-7)

Day Topic Maarek Course Section Hands-on Lab Project Component Practice Resources
1 AWS Fundamentals & IAM IAM & AWS CLI Create root account, IAM users, groups, policies Project 1 Start: Multi-tier Web App Setup AWS Free Tier setup, IAM Policy Simulator
2 EC2 Basics & Instance Types EC2 Fundamentals Launch t2.micro, connect via SSH, install web server Deploy web server on EC2 EC2 Instance Connect, AWS CLI practice
3 EC2 Storage (EBS, Instance Store) EC2 Storage Create EBS volumes, snapshots, attach/detach Configure persistent storage for web app EBS Volume monitoring, snapshot automation
4 ELB & Auto Scaling Groups High Availability & Scalability Create ALB, target groups, launch template Add load balancer to web app Load testing with Apache Bench
5 EBS & EFS Deep Dive EC2 Storage Advanced Mount EFS, compare EBS vs EFS performance Implement shared storage solution AWS Storage Gateway simulator
6 S3 Fundamentals S3 Create buckets, upload files, configure static hosting Host static frontend on S3 S3 Transfer Acceleration testing
7 S3 Advanced Features S3 Advanced Configure versioning, lifecycle, cross-region replication Implement backup strategy S3 Intelligent Tiering setup

Week 2: Networking & Databases (Days 8-14)

Day Topic Maarek Course Section Hands-on Lab Project Component Practice Resources
8 VPC Fundamentals VPC Create custom VPC, subnets, route tables Project 2 Start: Secure Multi-AZ Architecture VPC Flow Logs analysis
9 VPC Advanced (NAT, VPN, Direct Connect) VPC Advanced Configure NAT Gateway, VPC Peering Connect private/public subnets VPC Reachability Analyzer
10 RDS & Aurora RDS Create RDS MySQL, read replica, Aurora cluster Add database layer to web app RDS Performance Insights
11 ElastiCache ElastiCache Deploy Redis cluster, test caching Implement caching layer Redis CLI practice, cache hit ratio monitoring
12 Route 53 Route 53 Register domain, create hosted zones, routing policies Configure DNS for web app Route 53 health checks
13 CloudFront & Global Accelerator CloudFront Create distribution, configure origins, caching Add CDN to web app CloudFront real-time logs
14 Review & Mini Project Week 1-2 Review Deploy complete 3-tier application Complete Projects 1 & 2 Practice exams (Jon Bonso)

Week 3: Security & Monitoring (Days 15-21)

Day Topic Maarek Course Section Hands-on Lab Project Component Practice Resources
15 Advanced Security (KMS, SSM, Secrets Manager) Security Create KMS keys, encrypt EBS volumes, store secrets Project 3 Start: Secure DevOps Pipeline AWS Security Hub
16 CloudWatch & CloudTrail Monitoring Create custom metrics, alarms, log groups Implement comprehensive monitoring CloudWatch Synthetics
17 AWS Config & Trusted Advisor Compliance Configure Config rules, compliance dashboard Set up governance framework AWS Well-Architected Tool
18 SQS, SNS, Kinesis Integration Create queues, topics, data streams Add messaging to applications SQS dead letter queues
19 Lambda & Serverless Lambda Create functions, API Gateway integration Build serverless API Lambda Powertools
20 ECS & Fargate Containers Deploy containers, service discovery Containerize web application ECS Exec for debugging
21 CloudFormation & CDK Infrastructure as Code Create stacks, nested stacks, CDK app Automate infrastructure deployment CloudFormation drift detection

Week 4: Advanced Services & Certification Prep (Days 22-28)

Day Topic Maarek Course Section Hands-on Lab Project Component Practice Resources
22 API Gateway & Advanced Integration API Gateway Create REST/HTTP APIs, authorizers Build production-ready API API Gateway caching strategies
23 Step Functions & Advanced Serverless Step Functions Create state machines, error handling Orchestrate serverless workflows Step Functions local testing
24 Data Analytics (Athena, Glue, EMR) Big Data Query S3 data with Athena, create Glue jobs Project 4: Data Lake Architecture AWS Glue DataBrew
25 Machine Learning Services AI/ML Use SageMaker, Rekognition, Comprehend Add ML capabilities to projects SageMaker Studio
26 Disaster Recovery & Migration DR & Migration Configure cross-region backup, AWS DMS Implement DR strategy AWS Application Discovery Service
27 Cost Optimization Cost Optimization Use Cost Explorer, create budgets, Reserved Instances Optimize all project costs AWS Compute Optimizer
28 Security Best Practices Review Security Deep Dive Implement security best practices across all projects Security audit of all projects AWS Security Checklist

Days 29-30: Final Review & Certification

Day Focus Activities Resources
29 Practice Exams Take 3 full practice exams, review incorrect answers Stephane Maarek Practice Exams, Jon Bonso Practice Tests
30 Final Review Review weak areas, quick labs, rest before exam AWS Cheat Sheets, last-minute review videos

🏗 Core Projects Throughout the Month

Project 1: Multi-Tier Web Application (Days 1-7)

  • Frontend: Static website on S3 + CloudFront
  • Backend: EC2 instances with Auto Scaling + ALB
  • Database: RDS with read replicas
  • Skills: EC2, S3, RDS, ELB, Auto Scaling

Project 2: Secure Multi-AZ Architecture (Days 8-14)

  • Network: Custom VPC with public/private subnets
  • Security: Security groups, NACLs, KMS encryption
  • High Availability: Multi-AZ deployment with failover
  • Skills: VPC, Security, High Availability

Project 3: Secure DevOps Pipeline (Days 15-21)

  • CI/CD: CodeCommit + CodeBuild + CodeDeploy
  • Security: Secrets Manager, Parameter Store, IAM roles
  • Monitoring: CloudWatch, CloudTrail, Config
  • Skills: DevOps, Security, Monitoring

Project 4: Data Lake & Analytics (Days 22-28)

  • Storage: S3 data lake with partitioning
  • Processing: Glue ETL jobs, Athena queries
  • Visualization: QuickSight dashboards
  • Skills: Big Data, Analytics, Visualization

📚 Daily Study Structure (2-3 hours/day)

Morning (45 minutes)

  • Watch Stephane Maarek course videos
  • Take notes on key concepts
  • Review AWS documentation

Afternoon (60-90 minutes)

  • Complete hands-on labs
  • Work on daily project component
  • Practice AWS CLI commands

Evening (30 minutes)

  • Review flashcards (Anki recommended)
  • Take practice quiz questions
  • Plan next day’s activities

🛠 Essential Tools & Resources

Free Resources

Paid Resources (Worth the Investment)

Practice Tools

  • AWS CLI: Command-line interface practice
  • AWS CloudShell: Browser-based CLI
  • LocalStack: Local AWS simulation
  • AWS CDK: Infrastructure as Code practice

🎯 Weekly Milestones

Week 1 Success Criteria

  • [ ] Can launch and configure EC2 instances
  • [ ] Understand IAM roles and policies
  • [ ] Deploy basic web application with load balancer
  • [ ] Create and manage S3 buckets

Week 2 Success Criteria

  • [ ] Build custom VPC with proper subnets
  • [ ] Deploy RDS database with backups
  • [ ] Configure CloudFront distribution
  • [ ] Set up Route 53 DNS

Week 3 Success Criteria

  • [ ] Implement comprehensive monitoring
  • [ ] Deploy serverless applications
  • [ ] Use Infrastructure as Code (CloudFormation)
  • [ ] Configure security best practices

Week 4 Success Criteria

  • [ ] Build complete serverless architecture
  • [ ] Implement data analytics pipeline
  • [ ] Score 80%+ on practice exams
  • [ ] Complete all four projects

🚨 Important Notes

Before You Start

  1. Create AWS Account: Use the free tier wisely
  2. Set Billing Alerts: Avoid unexpected charges
  3. Install AWS CLI: Essential for hands-on practice
  4. Create Study Schedule: Consistency is key

During the Month

  • Track your progress daily
  • Join AWS communities (Reddit, Discord, LinkedIn)
  • Don’t skip hands-on labs – they’re crucial
  • Review mistakes from practice exams thoroughly

Certification Tips

  • Book exam for day 31 to maintain momentum
  • Focus on scenarios rather than memorizing facts
  • Practice time management during exams
  • Review AWS whitepapers for deeper understanding

💡 Pro Tips from Your Mentor

  1. Start with Free Tier: Don’t be afraid to experiment
  2. Use Multiple AZ: Always think about high availability
  3. Security First: Apply least privilege principle
  4. Monitor Everything: Use CloudWatch extensively
  5. Automate: Use CloudFormation/CDK for repeatability
  6. Think Cost: Always consider cost optimization
  7. Real-world Scenarios: Focus on practical applications

Remember: The SAA-C03 exam tests your ability to design resilient, secure, and cost-effective solutions. Focus on understanding the “why” behind each service, not just the “how.”

Good luck on your AWS journey! 🚀


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Francisco Escobar