Teach to Learn Azure in 2024

David Cobb, Azure MCT

Intro

Goals for Talk

  • Share actionable tips for achieving certifications
  • Explain my definition of an Azure 'Cloud Expert'
  • Convince you to learn by teaching (start small)
  • Help you get started by plugging into community

What this presentation is and is not

  • IS
    • Brief summary of my general certification approach as an Azure MCT
    • What worked for me, will not for everyone
    • Typically teach enough to help folks in their first week of learning a new Azure topic
    • Way to get from noob to beginner or intermediate knowledge
    • Exploring how to apply what I learned to learning in community
  • IS NOT
    • Approach to get deep expert knowledge (ask an MVP)
    • How to build Azure solutions (that's down the road)

Why listen to me?

I've been at this a while...

Microsoft Learn Transcript:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/users/dpc/transcript/vprpnfx5gxr2z8r

Some MTM student feedback 😄

  • I loved David's enthusiasm - he's super knowledgeable about Azure and it shows.

  • David was a terrific instructor. The best parts of the course were unscripted parts where we discussed specific real world examples or topics tangentially related to the course (providing greater context to the material).

  • I asked as much as I wanted and got to work on custom labs with the instructor side by side.

  • The instructor is very knowledgeable, very personable, and has an infectious love for teaching this content. I plan to take several more of these classes, I hope he is teaching them.

(Yup, I'm bragging here. 😁)

Azure classes I've taught the most:

  • AZ-400 DevOps (16 times)
  • AZ-204 Developer (11x)
  • AZ-104 Administrator (8x)
  • DP-203(7x) Data Engineer
  • DP-300 Database Administrator (11x)
  • AZ-500(3x)
Choose a Career Path

My Story

Key Ideas That Carried Me There to Here

  • Survival
  • Commitment
  • Learning from Mistakes
  • Community

Survival

  • Desire to provide for family without returning to a boring job
  • Midlife career crisis forced me to start my own career
  • All distractions fell away as I focused on survival

Commitment

  • Committing to teach a course provides motivation
  • Focus factor comes from a deadline and keeping my word
  • This makes saying no to distractions & discouragement easier

Learn from Mistakes

  • Fail once and give up was no longer an option
  • Learning, communicating and correcting the mistake fast is key for applications, and for people...
  • The closest we get to perfection is correcting course quickly
  • This approach makes the impossible possible, eventually
Mike Pfieffer DevOps Bootcamp

Community

  • Nov 2019, I found Mike Pfieffer's CloudSkills community
  • The content & community helped me believe I could learn to be an Azure DevOps pro 😁

Fast Forward...

How I Prepare to Teach an Azure class

  • Make the most of Microsoft Learn
  • Take Tim Warner's 3 Legged Stool Approach

Tim Warners's 3 Legged Stool of Cert Prep

  • Concepts & Theory
  • Hands-On Learning
  • Test Preparation

Hands-On Labs (I Start Here)

  • MicrosoftLearning Git Repo (free and public, MIT licensed)
  • Lab providers (ex. Skillable, XTremeLabs,GoDeploy) (cost $, MCT lab access)
  • Following curiosity thru MS Learn quickstarts & walkthroughs
  • Collecting links, notes, workarounds & questions as I use the portal, cloud shell, VSCode, & other tools is how I make a 'deep first pass' through the content.

Concepts & Theory

  • Review Exam Page
  • Review Study Guide
  • Study When I Can (MS Learn on Your Phone!)
  • Role -> Learning Paths -> Modules -> Units
  • YouTube like John Savill for background learning during non-focused times.

Test Prep

  • The point of test prep is to spotlight your knowledge gaps
  • You only LEARN when you get a question WRONG and understand why
    • Research the missed question back in MS Learn, and write down what you learned. Knowledge gap filled.
  • MS Practice Assessment (free)
  • Measure Up ($$$ but saves time)
  • WhizLabs ($ more Qs, lower quality)
  • AVOID DUMPS!
    • Invalidates your cert
    • Only cheats yourself
$265 for retake + practice exam

Test Taking Tips

  • Consider the Microsoft Exam Offers for deals on free retakes.
  • Sometimes the best preparation for the exam is taking the exam and studying what stumped you.

Tips for Teaching Azure

  • Teach by REFERENCE instead of REMEMBERANCE
    • Research the question to verify your answer & share that link
    • Updates your skills real time, mastering the docs
    • Teach to fish
  • Baby steps to grow your confidence
    • Always choose the next step that gives you the RIGHT amount of challenge
    • Teach ONE person
    • Teach a group
    • (Maybe) make content that teaches many

Am I an Expert? What is an Expert?

Frank Abagnale

An expert is someone just like you,

further along the path,

sharing what they know.

Your Next Steps

Choose a Career Path

Choose Your Own Adventure

or two, or three

What's your North Star?

  • Envision a destination ( for your Azure career )
  • It will change over time, you only need it to have a direction to build momentum
  • Then answer this question daily, adjusting as needed:

To move toward my North Star of ___________, I'll pursue the certification for the role of _________, and my next step today is to study [module|labs|test questions]

3 Stages of Learning

  • Learning from in institution is the first phase of learning
  • Learning solo self directed is the second phase of learning.
  • Learning alongside others is the third phase of learning. Requires culture of supporting others.
Microsoft Learn Site

Study in Community!

Microsoft Learn Community

PROTIP: Dive into the Microsoft Learning Rooms

Find a study group for a an awesome cert, like DP-600!

Choose a Career Path

To teach is to learn twice.

- Joseph Joubert

Choose the right challenge level for you right now

Take Action, Get What You Give.

Next Steps for Me in 2024

  • Azure focus on AI (and how to feed it data)
  • Workshops
  • Building in public
  • Finding my way from academic to practical & applied Azure know-how
DALL·E 2024-01-16 11.22.02 - Create an image of a small study group with friends sitting in a cozy setting. Picture a small circle of couches occupied by a diverse set of individuals.

Calls to Action

  • Come to an AI workshop
  • Join a study group (like DP-600)
  • Join the MS Learning Rooms
  • Plug into the community
    • But where???

🌴 South Florida Community Awesomeness 🌴

Not in South Florida? 🌴 Find an Azure Meetup near you

That's a Wrap

I hope I provided actionable tips for achieving certifications, defined an Azure 'Cloud Expert', convince you to learn by teaching (starting small), and helped you get started by plugging into community

Questions?

Credits

Shoutout to the amazing Chris Ayers for his MARP template that made this markdown-to-html presentation simple to deploy.

https://chris-ayers.com/2023/03/26/marp-create-presentations-with-markdown

Learned so much about teaching Azure from Tim Warner, check out his YouTube channel
Tim's IT Straight Talk: "A Recipe to Pass any IT Certification Exam"

Thank You!